The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, the Muppets' second TV movie, aired as a special Friday night edition of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney. Adapted from L.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. Ashanti sparkles as Dorothy and meets the Wizard, who promises to make her a superstar -- if she and the Scarecrow (Kermit), the ..
Directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. With Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier. This version of The Wizard of Oz is played by the Muppets!
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 Made-for-TV Movie adaption of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with The Muppets. Staring Ashanti as Dorothy Gale, Kermit as ..
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 musical television film directed by Kirk Thatcher and starring Ashanti and The Muppets with supporting roles done by ..
The muppets take there ride on the ride with this wizard of oz remake and the result is a wonderful.. Discuss The Muppets' Wizard of Oz on our Movie forum!
00:16 The Muppets Wizard of Oz Promo The Muppets' Wizard of Oz promo. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, the Muppets' second TV movie, aired as a special Friday night edition of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney. Adapted from L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this latest retelling of the classic story follows Dorothy Gale (Ashanti) as she journeys through an Oz populated by Muppets to find the Wizard and become a star. Muppet Performers Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson, Brian Henson, Kevin Clash, John Kennedy, Rickey Boyd, Tyler Bunch, Julianne Buescher, John Henson, Drew Massey, Allan Trautman, Alice Dinnean-Vernon, Michael Quinn, Gord Robertson, Adam Behr, Jeny Cassidy, Geoff Redknap, James Rowley Human Cast Ashanti as Dorothy Gale Queen Latifah as Aunt Em David Alan Grier as Uncle Henry Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard Quentin Tarantino as Himself C. Ernst Harth as Earl Dan Payne as The Weatherman Kelly Osbourne as Herself (uncredited) Edward Hibbert as Theater Man (uncredited) Muppet Characters Kermit the Frog as the Scarecrow The Great Gonzo as Tin Thing Fozzie Bear as the Cowardly Lion Miss Piggy as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the West Miss Piggy as Tattypoo, the Good Witch of the North Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the East Pepe the King Prawn as Toto Rizzo the Rat as Mayor of Munchkinland The Rats as the Munchkins Statler and Waldorf as the Kalidah Critics Sam the Eagle as the Gate Guard Johnny Fiama Scooter as Assistant to the Wizard Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as Emerald City Technicians The Flying Monkeys Sal Minella, Sweetums, Angel Marie, Old Tom, Blind Pew, Black Dog, Spotted Dick, Crazy Harry, Aretha, Calico Small Speaking Roles Clifford, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, The Swedish Chef, Foo-Foo, Camilla, Bubba, Crow, Mulch, Lew Zealand (extended cut only) Background Characters Rowlf, Bean Bunny, Zippity Zap, Jowls, Zondra, Chip, Hillary the Owl, Cameraman, Bunnies, Penguins The film marked the first major project after the acquisition of the Muppets property by The Walt Disney Company, which The Jim Henson Company is still consulting under. Since April 2004, the Muppets had been re-introduced to the public by way of low-key marketing and guest appearances on such shows as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live in hopes for a successful turn in the ratings by the time the new telefilm hit the air. The movie was promoted with special Wizard of Oz commercials that spoofed popular ABC shows at the time. Further, print ads in various magazines, as well as guest appearances of various Muppets on America's Funniest Home Videos, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tony Danza Show, Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly helped to get the word out. In addition, Ashanti unveiled six windows at Macy's on March 20, 2005, for promotional purposes. The windows depicted scenes from the movie in conjunction with the Macy's Flower Show. The Macy's flagship store offered Muppets' Wizard of Oz plush and a T-shirt depicting the main cast during the promotional period. The movie had its world premiere screening on April 27, 2005, at the Tribeca Film Festival, introduced by Kermit the Frog and Robert De Niro. This film departs from the original Oz novel in a number of noticeable ways: Dorothy's family owns a diner instead of a farm; Toto is a prawn; the Tin Woodman is a robot. Many of the characters' personalities and backgrounds are given a show-biz makeover. For instance, this version's Dorothy dreams of being a famous singer, and at first she plans to ask the Wizard to give her fame rather than a way back to Kansas. However, in several respects the plot follows the novel more closely than does the classic 1939 movie. For example, the Good Witch of the North (who greets Dorothy when she arrives in Oz) and Glinda (who shows her how to get home) are separate characters; the magic shoes are silver instead of ruby; when Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch of the West, she gains control of the Flying Monkeys; and the Wizard meets with each of Dorothy's friends separately in a different guise. Another note is that the Flying Monkeys are a biker gang, a trait that is reminiscent of The Wiz. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is not the only adaptation of the Oz mythos within a Muppet production, however. The Muppets Go to the Movies featured a sketch incorporating a medley of "If I Only Had a Heart" and "We're Off to See the Wizard", with Miss Piggy portraying the version of Dorothy played by Judy Garland, alongside the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Thing. Additionally, Fozzie Bear portrayed the Tin Man in an episode of The Muppet Show. World Premiere: April 27, 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Pepe attending. Broadcast Premiere: May 20, 2005 at 8/7c on ABC in the US, and on CTV and CBC in Canada. Kermit makes a reference to Frank Oz in the film, when he asks the Wizard, "Would you, by any chance be related to Frank Oz?". The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (video) The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (soundtrack) Nanco Muppets' Wizard of Oz Plush Muppets.com ToughPigs.com Muppets' Wizard of Oz coverage Reveiw: Muppets as Munchkins: We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Gates, Anita, New York Times, May 20, 2005 IMDb Categories: Muppet Movies The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Storyline Dorothy Gale lives with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry in a trailer park in Kansas. Dorothy has dreams of becoming a famous singer, but when a tornado hits Kansas and Dorothy rushes to save Toto, her prawn (she couldn't afford a dog), she is whisked away to Oz where she meets the four witches (all played by Miss Piggy) and the Munchkins of Oz (the rats). On her way to see the Wizard, she meets the Scarecrow (Kermit), the Tin Thing (Gonzo), and the Cowardly Lion (Fozzie) who all wish to have something given by the wizard. On their way to Emerald City, they are captured by the Wicked Witch of the West (of course, Miss Piggy) and her flying monkeys (other muppets). When they finally make it back to Emerald City, the Wizard is really a man from Hollywood. But he "grants" their wishes, but what they wanted they already had inside (there's a lesson there). When Dorothy finally is back in Kansas, she becomes what she had wanted, a famous singer and on the Muppets Star Search show. Written by Chris Hunter <DrEvilGuy200> I'm a fan of the Muppets from way back - the Muppet Show was campy and entertaining, and the Muppet Movie is a classic. The Muppet "movies" have ranged from the delightful (Muppet Treasure Island) to the bizarre (Muppets From Space). But "The Muppet's Wizard of Oz" is easily the worst of the bunch: • While "The Muppet Movie" had more cameos than my Aunt Tilly's jewelry box, this movie features David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah (in what must have been a contractual necessary role), Jeffrey Tambor, and Quentin Tarentino. It's sad, really. • The humor is, for the most part, forced from the characters, as formulaic as anything I've ever seen. There is just the slightest resemblance to the early work of Jim Henson and Frank Oz. One must wonder why Frank Oz was not a part of the ensemble; the script, perhaps? • The decision to use Pepe the King Prawn as Toto aside (the most redeeming production decision made), the pillars of the Muppet domain - Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo - are relegated to secondary roles that could easily have been any other characters. • The Muppet performers, even the veteran Dave Goelz, seemed to be giving poor imitations of their own creations. • A movie works best when it isn't aware of itself, but this one plays like a tacky road show of a vintage Broadway play. In fact, the whole movie seems to echo Norma Desmond's desperation to be a star again. If "The Muppet's Wizard of Oz" is any indication, the Muppets are done.
Amazon.com: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz: Ashanti, Queen Latifah, David Alan Grier, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, Kirk R. Thatcher, Teleplay By Debra ..
