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View Full Version : A thread about Muppets, and upcoming DVDs


James
May 27th, 2005, 11:13 PM
May 20th - ABC broadcasts The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. I watched it, and I enjoyed it, but it could have been better. Pacing was off, the ending fizzled, but MANY of the jokes were spot-on, containing the classic "Appeals to adults, but safe for kids" quality any Muppet fan has come to enjoy.

But before May 20th, there's been a lot of rumbling going around. A lot of news bits here and there that many Muppet fanatics have been collecting.

It started with a preliminary Wal-Mart exclusive pressing of a DVD. This DVD was 3 episodes of Fraggle Rock, entitled "Where it all Began." Sales were promising, so a widespread special edition was released, with extras and special features. Following that, two more DVDs (each containing 3 epsiodes of the show, but another episode or two as hidden bonuses) have been released.

And with the third release, the news that everyone knew, but nobody confirmed. Featured with the DVD, was the official announcement.

Fraggle Rock - Season 1 DVD. Fall 2005.

An another front, there had been equal rumblings regarding The Muppet Show. An unofficial announcement was made about season-by-season box sets being released, earlier this year at a special event, celebrating Jim Henson.

And we've still had no official announcement. We know they're coming, but nobody's said anything regarding them.

But now, UltimateDisney.com has commented on the matter. On May 20th, of all days, they claim that The Muppet Show - Season 1 will be a 4-disc boz set... Released August 9th.

Special features on both Fraggle Rock and The Muppet Show are still being speculated. Muppetnewsflash.com has a supposedly real listing, but it's not confirmed.

For details about the speculation and the potential bonus features, I'll direct you to Muppet Central;

Fact of Fiction - The Muppet Show DVD season sets
http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2005/032005.shtml

Fraggle season 1 DVD's officially announced for fall 2005
http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2005/042505.shtml

The site also features reviews for the first two Fraggle DVDs (third DVD should be reviewed soon), if you're interested.


Related news:
-There are currently two DVDs out for The Storyteller, another Jim Henson project. Probably best known as being the stories shown at the end of The Jim Henson Hour. A young Sean Bean is in one of the stories.
-The Jim Henson Company is planning on a sequel to The Dark Crystal, which will use a combination of puppetry and CG. What the balance will be, and in what context the CG will be used, nobody knows.
-The JHC is also considering producing more Fraggle Rock shows.
-Disney's owned The Muppets for over a year now, if you didn't know.
-Jim Henson is still dead. :(
-Muppets' Wizard of Oz comes out on DVD in August, as well.

Jim Henson's creations are timeless and magical. He created so much with puppetry and animatronics, that most people only DREAM of making on a computer. His work should be cherished, and this is the kind of stuff you'd want to have in your home, to relive your childhood fondness, or to show your children one day. Would you rather your children be watching the next form of Teletubbies or Boohbah, or have them watch the Muppets speculate over Alicer Cooper worshipping Satan?

Lye
May 27th, 2005, 11:48 PM
thats good news.
Theyve been releseing the muppet show on dvd for a while. they mixed the skits together or did it by who was hosting or something like that, but i was never able to keep up with what was on each dvd so i never bought one.

Fraggle rock was a great show too, i watched a tape my mom taped for me when i was a kid. It was the christman show when one of them trys to find the great bell. i forgot how much they sung in that show too.
another good jim henson movie is Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas.

out of curiosity, how many fraggle rock and muppet show seasons are there. I can see there being a lot of the muppet show, but i can't see there being more then one or two seasons of fraggle rock.

James
May 28th, 2005, 12:07 AM
The Muppet DVDs you speak of are (almost definitely) the Time-Life "Best of" collections. They are not the entire series, are without extras, and a few other little things not to like about them.

Fraggle Rock ran for 5 seasons, with a total of 96 episodes. Excluding the cartoon series, which I can't say how long it ran for.

Muppet Show also ran for 5 seasons, and had 120 episodes.

FUN FACT: In each country that Fraggle Rock was played in, the "Doc" character was played by someone else, and they had different jobs. In the US, he was a tinkerer working in a toolshed. In the UK, he worked in a lighthouse. In France, he worked in bakery.

EverythingWillSuck
May 28th, 2005, 01:01 AM
The FR cartoon only lasted a year. What seasons it ran for, uhh one maybe? :(