No, Muppet Wizard of Oz is better than Muppets from Space. I (vaguely) remember enjoying MWoO when it was originally broadcast. It may have helped that I had modest expectations, or that (IIUC) what was broadcast was shorter than what wound up on the DVD version, or that I’m a fan of the book but a non-fan of the Judy Garland movie. I tried to watch Muppets from Space once but have blotted it from my memory; I’m not even sure I got all the way through it.
But I think the main reason I’m more charitable toward MWoO than MfS is that Space is a movie about the Muppets, while Oz is a movie that uses the Muppets to retell/parody/have fun with a classic story. In classic Muppet Show terms, movies like Oz (and Christmas Carol and Treasure Island) are analogous to the onstage acts, while movies like Space (and the original Muppet Movie and the new Muppets) are analogous to the backstage bits. And so they deserve to be judged by different standards.
Yeah, it’s the made-for-T.V. status that kept it out of consideration in my ranking.
I don’t remember it very well at all, and I know I wasn’t impressed, but like Thudlow Boink I approach television specials with lower standards than theatrically released feature films.
I went in very excited to see Muppets from Space. It was a new Muppet Movie ferchissakes! It followed Muppet Treasure Island, which was awesome and it came out immediately after the series run of the Muppets Tonight! T.V. show which was also awesome! I had every right to expect to love this movie. And it sucked.
Muppets Wizard of Oz was simply uninspired. Muppets from Space was offensive. If it wasn’t that it was so forgettable I’d say that it had sullied the brand.
I don’t really have a personal wishlist, but in the most recent movie, Muppets: Most Wanted, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, and Tina Fey gave some of the best “Actor co-starring with Muppets” performances ever. Some actors interact with the Muppets as if it’s a novelty or an in-joke. The best know to interact with the Muppets as their co-stars …like Kermit is my co-star not Steve Whitmire the puppeteer performing Kermit. Gervais, Burrell, and Fey were perfect.
I’ve always thought the best guests (on both the Muppet Show and Sesame Street) were the ones who interacted with the muppets as if the muppets were real. There’s a certain degree of suspension of disbelief involved with the muppets that can be shattered by a guest who acts toward the muppeteer instead of the muppet.
Do you have any examples of a guest acting toward the muppeteer? I think I know what you mean, but I’d be curious to see it again while watching it in this context.
I’m trying to remember which ones I thought weren’t synching with the muppets but it’s been a LONG time since I’ve actually seen any episodes. I’ll have to research a little and get back to you on that.
I can’t pull out a specific example off the top of my head, but for me it’s not so much that I notice anyone in particular being bad at it but rather that I notice the ones who are particularly good at it.
All the guests are professional performers to some extent (even the politicians who’ve appeared on Sesame Street, and I say that without snark). So it’s not like anyone is ever looking below the set to talk to Frank Oz instead of looking at Fozzie’s face. But some of the guests just really connect in a special way- not looking at Fozzie’s face like it’s a prop but rather looking into Fozzie’s eyes and finding a connection in the same way you’d find a connection looking into a human’s eyes.
Julie Andrews nailed it.
John Cleese nailed it.
Peter Sellers nailed it.
Bernadette Peters nailed it.
Cloris Leachman nailed it.
Charles Grodin nailed it.
I really can’t think of anyone who was so bad that it stands out in memory.
Like I said, it was being especially good that made guests really stand out. The Muppets team could make sure that all of their guests at least came off looking good. It’s possible some guests had trouble adjusting and settling in, but the Muppets team took responsibility for helping their guests understand the vibe and the format and the style.