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

User Rating:

5.2/10   

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

Color:

Color

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 Kermit the Frog meets the Wizard of Oz he says "Hello Mr Oz. Are you any relation to Frank Oz?" This is an in-joke as Frank Oz was one of the real-life Muppeteers, best known for voicing the part of Miss Piggy. This was also one of the only Muppet projects Oz was not involved with.

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end, as Dorothy and Co leave the stage, the Wiz is holding his hand out to shake hands, and in the close up shot he has taken his specs off. When we zoom out, and Toto says something to him, he is still wearing his glasses.

Quotes:

The Great Gonzo: Oh, where's my cell phone?
[then putting on his funny nose]
Pepe the Prawn: Wait a second. That's your cell phone?
The Great Gonzo: Yeah.
Pepe the Prawn: Interesting. What do these do?
[pushing the small buttons on the Great Gonzo's chest]
The Great Gonzo: Nothing. They're my nipples.
Pepe the Prawn: [Pepe runs out of the T.I.N. shack screaming, looks at his hands] I feel dirty.

Movie Connections:

References Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Soundtrack:

Kansas

Disregard lunatic's ranting above! Muppets' Oz is delightful!

I was fortunate enough to attend one of the premiere screenings of this film at the TriBeCa Film Festival in April. Granted, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz isn't Citizen Kane, but it is a fun outing, a movie that will entertain both kids and adults, and in that way it holds true to the vision of Jim Henson. I do agree that Ashanti is neither a great singer nor a great actor, but she's a popular recording artist that is kid friendly (how many of those can you think of), and she really isn't why you're going to watch a Muppet movie, now is she? The plot actually holds amazingly close, considering, to the original L. Frank Baum story, complete with SILVER shoes and 4 different witches, including Glinda, the witch of the SOUTH not north as was changed for the old classic film version. I am not going to give more away as this film has not been aired yet but I must tell Muppet fans that while Oz does not hold up to any of the original theatrical films during Henson's life, it is much better than most recent Muppet outings, has many very funny moments, and is DEFINITELY worth watching, if only for Pepe, who is hilarious! Enjoy!