The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)
December 14, 2020 8:02 PM - Subscribe
A contemporary adaptation of the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the story follows young Dorothy Gale, who works in her Aunt Em's diner, but dreams of becoming a singer somewhere beyond her small Kansas town. Swept up by a tornado, in her trailer home with pet prawn Toto, she lands in Oz and embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard who can help make her dreams come true.
The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and Eric Jacobson.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz premiered on April 27, 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival, and made its television premiere on ABC on May 20, 2005, as the final ABC Movie of the Week. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who felt that the film was too mature for young audiences and that the cameos and popular culture references were unnecessary.
The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and Eric Jacobson.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz premiered on April 27, 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival, and made its television premiere on ABC on May 20, 2005, as the final ABC Movie of the Week. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who felt that the film was too mature for young audiences and that the cameos and popular culture references were unnecessary.
I hadn't either!
Even so, I feel like criticizing a Muppet movie for unnecessary cameos and pop culture references is like criticizing Sesame Street for unnecessary letters and numbers.
posted by solotoro at 6:38 AM on December 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
Even so, I feel like criticizing a Muppet movie for unnecessary cameos and pop culture references is like criticizing Sesame Street for unnecessary letters and numbers.
posted by solotoro at 6:38 AM on December 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
Pepe the Prawn: Those of you who have Dark Side of the Moon, press play now.
Kermit/Scarecrow: [after a crow pecks him] That's the last straw!
Crow: No, I see one right here!
Toto: What in the name of all that is holy are you, okay?
Tin Thing: Oh, I'm a T.I.N. thing, a fully robotic information gathering device for the Wicked Witch of the West. And I can answer any question in the universe. Anything.
Toto: I got one. Why are the women so confusing, okay?
Tin Thing: Let me process that.
[holds his breath as an antenna sprouts from the top of his tin head]
Tin Thing: [releases deep breath] It only seems that way because men are so simple.
Kermit/Scarecrow to the Wizard of Oz: Hello there, Mr. Oz. By any chance are you related to Frank Oz?
Toto: The witch is no longer in the house, okay? She is down the drain -- we melted her!
Flying Monkeys: HOORAY!
Dorothy: I thought you were supposed to be her vile henchmen.
Angel Marie: Vile? No... We were just a gentle band of motorcycle enthusiasts. Until the witch put us under an evil spell with her enchanted biker cap!
Flying Monkeys: [entranced] Enchanted biker cap...
Sal Manilla: Since you wasted her, this hat rightfully belongs to you, Dorothy! Now we must obey any command you give us!
Angel Marie: Yeah! Like, you can have everybody spank me and call me names!
[Silence]
Angel Marie: Or not.
I thought this wasn't bad. I rather liked the modern take on Dorothy, although she's an updated version of the movie Dorothy rather than the book Dorothy.
posted by orange swan at 6:08 PM on December 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
Kermit/Scarecrow: [after a crow pecks him] That's the last straw!
Crow: No, I see one right here!
Toto: What in the name of all that is holy are you, okay?
Tin Thing: Oh, I'm a T.I.N. thing, a fully robotic information gathering device for the Wicked Witch of the West. And I can answer any question in the universe. Anything.
Toto: I got one. Why are the women so confusing, okay?
Tin Thing: Let me process that.
[holds his breath as an antenna sprouts from the top of his tin head]
Tin Thing: [releases deep breath] It only seems that way because men are so simple.
Kermit/Scarecrow to the Wizard of Oz: Hello there, Mr. Oz. By any chance are you related to Frank Oz?
Toto: The witch is no longer in the house, okay? She is down the drain -- we melted her!
Flying Monkeys: HOORAY!
Dorothy: I thought you were supposed to be her vile henchmen.
Angel Marie: Vile? No... We were just a gentle band of motorcycle enthusiasts. Until the witch put us under an evil spell with her enchanted biker cap!
Flying Monkeys: [entranced] Enchanted biker cap...
Sal Manilla: Since you wasted her, this hat rightfully belongs to you, Dorothy! Now we must obey any command you give us!
Angel Marie: Yeah! Like, you can have everybody spank me and call me names!
[Silence]
Angel Marie: Or not.
I thought this wasn't bad. I rather liked the modern take on Dorothy, although she's an updated version of the movie Dorothy rather than the book Dorothy.
posted by orange swan at 6:08 PM on December 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
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posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:16 PM on December 14, 2020 [1 favorite]