The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) (TV)

Director:

Kirk R. Thatcher

Writers (WGA):

Debra Frank (teleplay) &
Steve L. Hayes (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

Hit the Bricks this May!

Plot:

This version of The Wizard of Oz is played by the Muppets!

Plot Keywords:

The Muppets | Witch | Lion | Scarecrow | Goofy Holler

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Ashanti	...	Dorothy Gale
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Wizard
Quentin Tarantino	...	Himself
David Alan Grier	...	Uncle Henry
Queen Latifah	...	Aunt Em
Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit the Frog / Scarecrow / Beaker / Bean Bunny / Rizzo the Rat / Statler (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo / Tin Thing / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Zoot / Waldorf (voice)
Bill Barretta	...	Pepe the Prawn / Toto / Dr. Teeth / Johnny Fiama / Lew Zealand / Rowlf / Swedish Chef (voice)
Eric Jacobson	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Lion / Witches / Animal / Sam the Eagle (voice)
Brian Henson	...	Crazy Harry / Sal Manilla (voice)
Kevin Clash	...	Clifford (voice)
John Kennedy	...	Angel Marie / Floyd (voice)
Rickey Boyd	...	Scooter / Very Old Tom (voice)
Tyler Bunch	...	Janice / Old Tom (voice)
Julianne Buescher	...	Muppet Performer (voice) (as Julianne Buscher)

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials) | Finland:88 min (DVD) | USA:100 min (dvd version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:TV-PG | Finland:K-3 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

When Dorothy and Kermit first meet Gonzo, the sound of Gonzo unplugging himself from the computer is the same sound as the hyper-drive failing in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Goofs:

Continuity: The Wicked Witch of the West's hat disappears after she comes in from the balcony.

Quotes:

Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): [looking at the silver slippers] And look how sparkly they are!
Dorothy: [in sing-song tone] Uh-uh!
[Piggy and the Munchkinlanders feign laughter]
Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): Listen, high pockets, here's how things work in enchanted lands. Shoes have magical powers. If you have the shoes, you get the powers. But if you're going to question every little detail, the whole thing's gonna fall apart and we might as well call it a day, okay?
[Piggy turns away from her]
Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): They're Manolos...!
The Munchkinlanders: [taunting her] Manolos!
Dorothy: Manolos! Why didn't you say so?
[grabs shoes from Tattypoo]

Movie Connections:

References The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Soundtrack:

Kansas

Try's to hard, leaves us wanting.

The Muppet's Wonderful Wizard of Oz has to be the worst Muppet movie ever to be put on screen. I was heavy with anticipation when the movie started last night only to find the production completely lack of any real energy or elation.

Where the movie fails is simple. The writers and producers are trying too hard to make them funny. If you watch the original three Muppet movies from the 1980's you'll find that the characters are funny to adults and children a like because the stories they were playing through were simple, and original. Adults related to the stories, not because the Muppets were playing adult jokes, but because the Muppets were playing adults.

This movie was touted as being the movie to bring back the adult humor in the Muppet franchise. In the film there is a scene where Pepe the Prawn unknowingly plays with Gonzo's (Tin Man) nipples. The joke was completely distasteful and not funny.

The other problem with the new Television movies are that they rely too much on the main human characters and their 'star appeal'. Why not rely on the Muppets to be Muppets and have the 'star appeal' revolve around them, rather than the other way around?

Overall i was very sad and dissatisfied with the movie and hope that with future endeavors they just write a story for actors and let Muppets play in it, rather than write a story for Muppets that Muppets can play their own jokes. And for someone's sake please stop using already told stories.