The Muppets

[James]

I'm pretty disappointed that Man or Muppet is the song that's up for best song, instead of Life's a Happy Song. No doubt Man or Muppet and Pictures in my Head are both great songs, but Life's a Happy Song is just so good. In fact I think it's a big missed opportunity to perform Life's a Happy Song at the oscars.

FWIW, "Life's a Happy Song" was my favorite from the film, as well. It just sounds very .. 'Henson-y'.

What's so stunning about that is that there only two nominees this year. So it's not that Life's a Happy Song or Pictures in My Head got squeezed out by the competition. The Academy actually didn't think they were worthy.

And when you consider the way they vote on nominees it's even more surprising.

Music Branch members meet to screen the eligible songs and then vote. The voting is (basically) on a 10 point scale. The top 2 to 5 songs that score an 8.25 or better are the nominees. So at best, of the 39 songs eligible this year only 2 scored an 8.25!

But here's the surprising bit -- it's possible only ONE song scored an 8.25! If that happens, the next highest scoring song, even if under 8.25, is nominated and there are only two nominations.

Either it was a bad year for songs or the Academy was extra strict this year!

BTW -- here is a list of those other 37 songs deemed not worthy of one of the remaining three slots:

"The World I Knew" from "African Cats"
"Lay Your Head Down" from "Albert Nobbs"
"Star Spangled Man" from "Captain America: The First Avenger"
"Collision of Worlds" from "Cars 2"
"Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu" from "DAM999"
"DAM999 Theme Song" from "DAM999"
"Mujhe Chod Ke" from "DAM999"
"Rainbird" from "Dirty Girl"
"Keep On Walking" from "The First Grader"
"Where the River Goes" from "Footloose"
"Hello Hello" from "Gnomeo & Juliet"
"Love Builds a Garden" from "Gnomeo & Juliet"
"Bridge of Light" from "Happy Feet Two"
"The Mighty Sven" from "Happy Feet Two"
"Never Be Daunted" from "happythankyoumoreplease"
"Hell and Back" from "Hell and Back Again"
"The Living Proof" from "The Help"
"Coeur Volant" from "Hugo"
"It's How We Play" from "I Don't Know How She Does It"
"When the Heart Dies" from "In the Land of Blood and Honey"
"Ja Nao Estar" from "José and Pilar"
"The Keeper" from "Machine Gun Preacher"
"Life's a Happy Song" from "The Muppets"
"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets"
"Pictures in My Head" from "The Muppets"
"Summer Song" from "The Music Never Stopped"
"Imaginary Friends" from "Olive"
"Sparkling Day" from "One Day"
"Taking You with Me" from "Our Idiot Brother"
"The Greatest Song I Ever Heard" from "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold"
"Hot Wings" from "Rio"
"Let Me Take You to Rio" from "Rio"
"Real in Rio" from "Rio"
"Shelter" from "Take Shelter"
"Gathering Stories" from "We Bought a Zoo"
"Pop" from "White Irish Drinkers"
"Think You Can Wait" from "Win Win"
"The Backson Song" from "Winnie the Pooh"
"So Long" from "Winnie the Pooh"

[Randall]

It's so corny, it's beautiful.

[Ben]

With the disc coming up so fast I'm going to save all my comments, save to say that we went opening night in the UK and then again four days later and then again a couple of days after that.

Pictures In My Head and Rainbow Connection made me cry: there was so much Henson warmth in this movie. Can't wait to spill more, but I've a lot of catching up to do on various fronts over the next few days.

[Bill1978]

The Music branch really stuffed up this year as a result of their ridiculous rules. to say only 2 songs out of a list of 39 were quality songs is a lot of crap. Now while I won't get into the lame arguments that the media have used by saying acts like ELton John, Mary J Blige, Lady GaGa etc were robed of being able to perform I will say that the branch needs to re-evaluate their rules, cause there were plenty of on screen songs that were worthy of a nom.

The president of the branch has said they are going to evaluate the sytem (like they do each year) and reading between the lines I think he wants things to change as he seems worried the category will be seen as useless or a joke.

Obviously the scoring system needs to change. I think it is silly to have an arbituary value set for qualification. I think the top 5 songs should get automatically nominate. If you need some lame number though choose something like 6 out of 10.

Now while I understand the concept of them wanting to stop some big name person from contirbuting an original song just for the chance of winning and plonking it on the end credits, I still think they need to evaluate how the song is presented during the nomination process.

Firstly, if it is an end credits song I think it has the right to have a montage of clips used to represent how it links to the story instead of the credits scrolling along the screen. I also think they need to ditch the rule about how late it can appear. From my understand Madonna's Masterpeice arrived after 2 minutes of score, thus was ineligible. I think the rule should be first song of the end credits.

Of all the songs presented for consideration I think the Rio song deserved a nom, I think Life Is A Happy Song should have been the Muppers representative, and then to round out the other 3 spots I would have thrown in Star Spangled Man (Captain America), Love Builds A Garden (Gnomeo & Juliet), The Backson Song (Winnie The Pooh) and Bridge Of Light (Happy Feet Two) to fight it out. This is one category that the Oscars definitely dropped the ball on. And they will continute to drop the ball until they get rid of the crappy rules they've put in place for some strange reason.

I do however look forward to The Muppets arriving oni DVD so I can finally watch it.

[Ben]

At last!

My mega Muppet movie review is finally here!

http://animatedviews.com/2012/the-muppe ... a-blu-ray/

Wocka wocka!

[Dacey]

Great review, Ben! (And thanks for the mention of me in there, too! I think I may have blushed when I read that part)

Also, I think I am now officially jealous of your childhood.

[Randall]

Join the club!

[Randall]

I finally had enough time to take in Ben's review. I'm glad that Ben's finally shared his personal Muppet memories with everyone, as he hadn't had time to write reviews of the Muppet Show DVD sets. It's awesome having a good friend who KNEW Jim Henson, and had a REAL Kermit.

Just after buying the Blu-ray of the new movie, my daughter demanded that we wach it. We'd seen the movie in the theatre, and it immediately became her favorite film ever (she's ten years old). Very gratifying for me, a big Henson fan. (Her brother's middle name, as I keep repeating around here, is James for a reason.) Having seen the film a second time, I love it even more, though I have many of the same reservations that Ben mentioned.

My biggest concerns: Knowing that the Muppet Theatre wasn't actually in the USA (though it kinda is in the movie continuity). And, the movie is so melancholy for much of its length, even it it all pays off in the end with the big finish (which I'd missed in the theatre, when I had to help my daughter's friend find the bathroom). Overall, though, it's a great, fun, and inspiring flick with many nice character moments. (But, did Kermie really leave Piggie at the altar years ago!?).

[Ben]

I can kind of get by the Muppet Theater not being in the US, since as far as I can make out, it has always meant to be there. Even with The Muppet Show the indication is that the Muppet Theater is some run-down, out of the way, forgotten cabaret kind of club, even though it was filmed in the UK (but then, so was Roger Rabbit's Ink 'n' Pain Club, Club Obi Wan, and many others). For me, it has always been based off-off-off Broadway, down a side street in downtown New York (or maybe the Bronx or Queens!?), which is also Henson connected, but just not in LA.

Good to hear the film really has been finding younger, genuine fans!

Interesting, though, to hear you thought it was melancholy throughout, since I mostly felt the opposite. I thought they did an exceptional job of keeping what could have been a very downbeat story very up all the way through, save for the couple of obviously emotional moments. From Life's A Happy Song through to the end, I really did just have a very happy grin on my face all the way through, except for Pictures In My Head and Rainbow Connection, for the obvious reasons!

It must be approaching ten times that I've seen it now (we nearly just watched it again when some family came around this evening, but ended up with another potentially melancholy movie, Little Miss Sunshine, instead), and it still gets me in all the right places.

Of course, I've seen the other Muppet movies - the original Henson trilogy - many more times, but it's easy to remember they have their no so good moments too. I just think, for what these guys were up against, had to prove, and how the succeeded, it's a pretty great film.

And I don't really think Kermie left Piggy at the altar: even during promotion for that film Kermit kept protesting that it was an actor who "married" them. I think they were keeping options open, like "did they or didn't they?". Naturally they have been together in projects since then, but I think The Muppets works best as a sequel to The Muppet Show and those first three films - both tonally and technically - so it still keeps that potential storyline open.

Overall, for all the ways this could have gone in the other direction, Segel was as good as his word in being a genuine fan, and the end result speaks for itself.


BUT...be aware of this "Muppets returning to TV" stuff going about. Yes, the Jim Henson Company is talking to the BBC about making a show called "No Strings Attached", but this is NOT the return of The Muppet Show. Henson Co doesn't have any rights to the Muppets and this will not star Kermit and the gang. They've been very quick to jump in and pitch their show on the back of the success of the movie, but they're going to have to find an interesting byline, since although they're saying "from the creators of The Muppets", which is true-ish, they can't call their puppets Muppets or use any of the established characters. I don't think even the BBC quite know what they're getting at this stage, but it sure ain't The Muppet Show that we all really want back on our screens.

[LotsoA113]

Super fantastic review Ben!! Glad to know I'm not the only one who thought this was the best flick of 2011. It kind of bewildered me that Disney didn't try to go for a Best Picture nommination for the movie. After all, Up and Toy Story 3 got into the category easily. With such emotional depth you'd think they'd give it a shot. Such a pity, especially in such a weak year.

Also, I'm glad you caught the Jim Henson easter egg I mentioned all those months ago! Just my two cents, BTW, I think Walter was just a cool name that they picked for the character, although it would be fitting if he was named after good ol' Walt Disney!

[Randall]

Yep, I found the movie melancholy in spots. Maybe, though, I was just projecting my own feelings, sad that The Muppet Theatre could ever have come to that, or that the gang could have drifted apart.

Rest assured, though, that I love the film. For me, it comes in #2 behind Muppet Christmas Carol (and maybe Caper). I'm a huge fan of The Muppet Show, but even the Henson films didn't impress me quite as much (though I do like them, of course, and there's lots of greatness in them; it's just that I ADORE Muppet Christmas Carol).

And that photo that Kermit and Piggy each have a half of--- looks like a wedding shot to me. Of course, for that picture to have been taken, they would have had the wedding first. But I sure got a "left at the altar" vibe out of it all, even if it wasn't intentonal.

[Ben]

Yeah, that image is a promo shot from the last scene at the end of "Manhattan".

And I'm with you on Christmas Carol, though my favorite Muppet movie does keep switching. I haven't seen the first one for a few years now, since I refuse to watch the cut edition that Sony and then Disney put out on DVD, and it takes that little bit more effort to find my uncut VHS.

Someday I need to go through and note the differences, but there's enough missing to make it annoying!


Thanks, Lotso!

[lavallelee]

I got the soundtrack to this movie and knew the songs before I saw the movie. I think that made the movie better!

Are you a man or a muppet?

[Ben]

Read the review! Pretty easy to guess (especially the part where I specifically say)!

[Ben]

Pretty cool little music video - keep watching to the end!