The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

One of my all time favorites.

just watch it!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

First let me say, it is no "Muppet Movie." But you did not have to pay 7 dollars for ticket for this either. Jim Henson was a genius and his input on the muppets is notable, but being a father that has tried to show my kids the early muppet shows, I appreciate people still making muppet shows for a new generation. 70s humor is lost on my children. I do not fault anyone for trying to make the muppets up to date. They must of done a good job too because my son LOVES this movie. He knows the songs, knows the story and thinks Quentin Tarantino is hilarious (even though he does not have a clue who he is). Let me give them credit by saying they actually followed the book a lot better then the famous Judy Garland movie. Putting adult references like Pink Floyd and Empire strikes back into in is fine by me too. If you hate them doing that then you hate almost every animated movie that has come out in the last 10 years (with the exception of Pixar). Queen Latifa and David Allen Grier were fun and Ashanti was fun although she was not as strong as her supporting cast. This is a fun movie for kids that introduces old stories with old characters to a new generations. The songs are catchy and they do a good job and recreating the muppets voice and movements without Jim Henson. I am glad I did not pay 7 dollars for it, but for a good time with a small child feel free to rent it or watch it if they rebroadcast it.

I don't think anyone expected this Muppet remake of the classic Judy Garland movie to be better than the original, or even as good as the original. But I don't think anyone expected it to be this far below it, either.I like the Muppets, and I'm not a kid. I saw "The Great Muppet Caper" not too long ago, and I actually enjoyed it, and I watched the old Muppet TV show regularly. So I figured that a remake of the "Wizard of Oz", Muppet-style, would be enjoyable. Brother, was I wrong.There are a host of problems with this film. To begin with, there's Ashanti. Her, to put it gently, "inexperience" as an actress shows in every frame. The best you can say for her is that she's bland. She has virtually no chemistry with the other performers--even Jeffrey Tambor in his relatively small on screen time clicks with them far better than she does--she doesn't dance very well (or, thankfully, very often) and while she sings OK, the songs are about as colorless as her performance, although one of them somehow wound up with an Emmy nomination. The script is weak, many of the jokes are lame, the CGI effects are mediocre--as another poster has mentioned, they should gone with Muppets instead of the cheesy CGI characters--and what in God's name is Quentin Tarantino doing in it? David Alan Grier is amusing and makes the most of what little time he has, and Queen Latifah seems a bit more at ease than she usually is, but overall this is the weakest of all the Muppet movies I've seen.

Obviously this can never compare or surpass the 1939 classic, but it interesting to see the famous puppet team creating their own interpretation. One of the differences, besides it being Muppetised, is that Dorothy and family are black, second is that there are more "special" effects than in the 1939 version, and third, the main actress playing Dorothy is a professional chart topping singer, Ashanti. Anyway, you know the basic story already, but Dorothy doesn't just want to go home, but become a professional singer for the Muppets' tour. Starring the Muppets' as themselves in moments, but mainly Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire) as the Scarecrow, The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz) as the Tin Thing, Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson) as the Cowardly Lion and Miss Piggy (Jacobson) as the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Good Witches of East and North. Also starring Bill Barretta as Pepe the Prawn (or Toto), Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard, David Alan Grier as Uncle Henry, Queen Latifah as Auntie Em and Quentin Tarantino. It was nominated the Emmy for Best Song for "I'm With You". The Muppets were number 47 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons. Okay!

There are about 3 good jokes in this. Ashanti can't act.The photography and special effects are bad and the writing is nowhere near normal Muppet standards. Some of the chemistry is still there between the puppets but apart from a few high points, it's one to watch while sleeping off Xmas dinner.Because IMDb has a 10 line minimum I have to think of something more to say but I really feel I said it all. Go and watch the original Muppet Show, or the Muppets Christmas Carol instead.