Disney still has so much potential for the Muppets, and they need to revive a too-short-lived theme that showed the Muppets at their best!
Right now, theme park fans are buzzing over the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D. The beloved Hollywood Studios attraction was opened in 1991, just a year after the death of Jim Henson. No doubt, because it was Henson’s final project, Disney was always reluctant to drop it, even when the movie was showing its age.
The Muppets will remain at the park with plans to remake Rock 'n' Roller Coaster to a theme based on the Electric Mayhem. There are also hopes for other uses for the property, which may include a movie or show. And if Disney wanted to use the Muppets more, there’s a great possibility they already touched on.
The forgotten Muppet Literary adaptations
One of the greatest “what ifs” in Disney lore is what may have happened had Jim Henson not died in May of 1990 at the shockingly young age of 53. To lose such a visionary so young seems unfair, as one can only imagine what sort of projects Henson could have dreamed of.
The relationship between Henson and Disney has been well documented in scores of websites and books, so we don’t need to delve much deeper into it. Suffice to say, had Henson lived even a decade longer, we’d likely be seeing more of a Muppet presence at the Disney parks with plans for a “Great Muppet Movie Ride” at the Disney-MGM Studios.
However, Disney did give the Muppets a couple of big-screen outings in the early years of the deal. The first was A Muppet Christmas Carol, a mild success at the time in 1992. In the years since, the movie has become a beloved holiday classic with the wonderful way it honors Charles Dickens’ original work with some nice songs and Michael Caine’s magnificent performance as Scrooge.
1996 had Disney dip into the literary well once more with Muppet Treasure Island. A very underrated comedy, the movie did a wonderful job with the classic adventure tale. The mix of songs, comedy, and the usual Muppet style fit the material, with Tim Curry stealing every scene as Long John Silver (which works as Curry practically is a Muppet).
The last time the Muppets took on a classic was the 2005 ABC movie The Muppet Wizard of Oz which was based more on the 1939 film than the books. It wasn’t bad, although it seemed to lack some of that same magic as the previous adaptations.
That was the last of these adaptations, which seems a major missed opportunity to show the Muppets at their best.
Why we need more Muppet literary adaptations
What stands out about those two movies is that, yes, they do parody the original source material. However, they also manage to honor the spirit of each story better than some straightforward adaptations do.
Christmas Carol captured the magic of the original story as rather than being annoying additions, Gonzo and Rizzo’s narration helps the story move along for younger viewers. The cameos aren’t too obtrusive and, of course, Caine’s Scrooge is sheer perfection.
Likewise, Treasure Island keeps to the main storyline with the usual Muppet fourth-wall-breaking and wacky action yet oddly fits the saga. Once more, the main human star is the highlight as Curry makes Silver the loveable rogue most expect and even root for by the end.
While we haven’t seen any live-action stuff since Wizard, there have been several books that put the Muppets amid various classic stories, such as Phantom of the Opera. This shows the potential in this that Disney should explore.
Yes, the Electric Mayhem show only lasted one season on Disney+, but the Muppets deserve more of a showcase on the streamer. The idea of an anthology series where they adapt classic stories is perfect. You can even go the extra mile and have it be the Muppets putting on the performance in their theater, so backstage skits where Kermit handles the chaos.
Just imagine the Muppets unleashed on the works of Mark Twain, Shakespeare or Jane Austen. A version of the Three Musketeers with Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie? Kermit and Piggy as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice? And a Muppet Sherlock Holmes is long overdue.
Even better would be not just the Muppets but an A-list Hollywood star joining them. The Muppets are always better bouncing off a human actor, so having, say, Tom Hiddleston as Sherlock Holmes with Kermit as his Watson or Emma Stone in a take on Little Women with the Muppets would be fun.
It’s such a no-brainer of an idea that it’s amazing Disney hasn’t tried it out more. Let’s face it, many would far prefer seeing the Muppets in a literary adaptation than yet another tired live-action take on a Disney animated movie.
There’s been so much potential in the Muppets that Disney has never quite utilized. A new series of films of them planted in classic stories would not only give a new generation a chance to enjoy their mayhem but a way to get kids into reading, too. That’s a mix of education and entertainment that Disney once did so well and the Muppets could help capture that for a new era.
What book would you have the Muppets adapt?