The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

This version of The Wizard of Oz is played by the Muppets!

Director:

Kirk R. Thatcher

Writers:

Debra Frank (teleplay), Steve L. Hayes (teleplay),

Stars:

Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

the muppets | witch | scarecrow | lion | puppet | 

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Taglines:

Hit the Bricks this May!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Music

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

ABC [United States] Henson.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Il super buon Natale dei Muppet

Filming Locations:

Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jim Henson Company, The, Jim Henson Productions, Fox Television Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min 88 min (DVD) 100 min (dvd)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz:  In the diner at the end of the film.

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Goofs

The Wicked Witch of the West's hat disappears after she comes in from the balcony.

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Quotes

Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): [looking at the silver slippers] And look how sparkly they are!
Dorothy: [in sing-song tone] Uh-uh!
[Piggy and the Munchkinlanders feign laughter]
Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): Listen, high pockets, here's how things work in enchanted lands. Shoes have magical powers. If you have the shoes, you get the powers. But if you're going to question every little detail, the whole thing's gonna fall apart and we might as well call it a day, okay?
[Piggy turns away from her]
Miss Piggy (as Tattypoo): They're Manolos...!
The Munchkinlanders: [taunting her] Manolos!
Dorothy: Manolos! Why didn't you say ...
[...]

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Connections

Version of The Nome Prince and the Magic Belt (1996)

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Soundtracks

"When I'm With You"
Written by Michael Giacchino, Jeannie Lurie, Adam Cohen, Debra Frank and Steve L. Hayes
Produced by Michael Giacchino, Jeannie Lurie and Adam Cohen
Performed by Ashanti, Kermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, Fozzie Bear & Pepe the King Prawn

User Reviews

I'm sorry I have to say this but this is the worst Muppet movie!

What a disappointment! Though I will say that there are some redeeming qualities. Ashanti does give a very spirited performance in the title role as Dorothy, with a lovely singing voice, but it is one of the weaker interpretations of the character, the weakest being Diana Ross in the Wiz. If you want a wonderful characterisation of Dorothy, try Judy Garland or Fairuza Balk. I liked some of the contributions from Gonzo, Kermit and Miss Piggy especially,(I did like the Muppet's spoof on Ride of the Valkyries) but all of them have given better performances. There is also some nice scenery and costumes. Unfortunately the film is undermined by some very mediocre songs, and the script just wasn't funny, apart from the witch's line "I'll get you my pretty, and your little prawn too". Other than that, the jokes were contrived and overdone, and the film didn't have any of the magic of the original story. I agree with other commentators that it was an attempt to make the Muppets more contemporary, and because of the overall mediocrity of the film, it just didn't work. I absolutely love the Muppets, and I love most of their movies, especially Christmas Carol and Treasure Island, not to mention the surprisingly good Great Muppet Caper. But basically, Muppets Wizard Of Oz doesn't make the grade, some of it was very painful to watch, especially Quentin Tarantino's completely useless cameo, so I will give it a 3/10 for the Muppets. Bethany Cox.