There is one caveat on this one: I only have the first three seasons on DVD and my memories of the last two seasons are fuzzy, at best. Now, the rumor is that Season Four is coming out sometime this year, so I'll update this as it whenever it comes out.
Oh, and if you go to visit that article, and you happen to live in New York, please feel free to make and send me a Muppet.
Anyway, Disney is currently ramping up exposure of the Muppets (if you want a free day pass to Disney, there are plenty of sports featuring Muppets and ABC show stars), because of a new Muppet Movie scheduled to come out next year. I must say I am very excited, as it is being written by Jason Segel. Yes, him. If the Vampire Puppet Musical at the end of Forgetting Sarah Marshall is any indication, it's going to rock.
But I think the best way to get excited about the Muppets being relaunched is to revisit some of the best episodes readily available on DVD. And some of the perhaps unintentional bests. And then the ones that freaked the carp out of me as a kid.
Here are my favorites, in reverse order: Elton John (episode 214), John Cleese (episode 223), Liberace (episode 309), Alice Cooper (episode 307), and Harry Belafonte (314). Now, none of these are from Season One. As much as I love many of the episodes and bits from Season One, the show really found its footing and its voice in the Second and Third Seasons, figuring out how to best use the stars in the grand scheme of each episodes. I am also evaluating on the basis of the whole episode; there are solid bits in just about every episode, but these five episodes stand out, to me, as being solid efforts for 30 full minutes.
Maybe this will spark some sort of debate in the comments section.
5) Elton John: One thing always struck me as hysterical about this episode; when Kermit pops out of the "O" in Muppet Show and announces that Elton John is the guest, canned screams are pipped out. The rest of the show, whenever Elton John shows up, instead of the usual canned applause, there are frantic canned screams. Now, was that part of Elton's conditions for appearing on the show? The guy is a diva, but it always struck me as funny that we're all screaming for Elton.
But, if there was anyone suited for the show at that time, it was Elton. They kept making the joke that he dresses like a car crash (what?), but the feathers, sequins, and big glasses just allowed him to fit in. Now, Elton wasn't an actor and was positively wooden interacting with the Muppets. But, they were smart about it, kept the banter to an absolute minimum, and just let him play four songs. Absolutely perfect songs: the opening number is Elton singing Crocodile Rock in a swamp with, well, crocodiles. He then sings a small part of Benny and the Jets in his dressing room backed up by various Muppets, moves on to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on stage later, and closes the show singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Miss Piggy ("Eat your heart our Kiki!"). The jumpsuit he's wearing is classic.
The rest of the episode is a solid mix of the Swedish Chef dealing with a chicken who will only lay ping pong balls (and any episodes that has that Swede is OK by me), a weird British song ("Any Old Iron"), Veterinarian's Hospital, and finally Pigs in Space, where we get a running gag of the Chef still chasing the chicken. It's funnier than it sounds.
This episode really hit all the right notes for me. Nonsensical, possibly contractually obligated screaming for the guest star; piano; flashy costumes; minimal forced Muppet-guest start interaction, thus more time for music; the Swedish Chef; a running gag; and, finally, Miss Piggy hamming (haha) it up. I guess it's also nice to see Elton in his prime, when he was at the top of his game, before he had to action off all of his outfits every five years, before he really started being a diva (or before we knew about it), and when he could still hit those high notes.
And really, when you're choosing an episode to show your kid who is too young to understand any of the adult jokes or double-entendres, you could do worse than a rollicking episode with a live Muppet playing the piano and a crazy chef trying to kill a chicken.
Tomorrow (or whenever): John Cleese. It's not one I get to watch very often, as my kids don't like it. And everything they don't like about the episode, I love.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
New Rule
I have a new rule about watching kids' shows: don't do it when you're in a bad mood, because you just end up making snarky and/or sarcastic comments about everything in the show. Even how they say it. All I had running in my head during tonight's episode of Little Einsteins was Denis Leary's voice snarking. Sure, go and rescue the idiot monkey, whose idiot tail is stuck in a tree. I'm sure the animals can here your stupid firetruck rocket siren all the way across the world. I'm sorry, I can't understand what you're saying, why don't you enunciate a little more. Really? A firetruck hose can put out a volcano? What haven't we thought of this solution before?
I need to get a good night's sleep.
I need to get a good night's sleep.
Is this what my child is supposed to be?
Both kids are sleeping, and I've left the TV on PBS Kids. I have 150 channels, plus a long list of recorded programs, and I'm stuck on PBS Kids watching Curious George and now Martha Speaks. What is wrong with me? Why can't I get up and change the channel (when you have a one-year-old, you have to hide the remote lest it be gummed into a state of uselessness)?
Watching Curious George, I wonder if I should feel bad that an animated monkey has more skills that either of my children? He can draw, pack groceries, fix complex machinery, read maps, and hang upside down. My daughter can talk your ear off, but ask her to hold a pencil, and she's a chip of the ol' block (I almost failed kindergarten because my fine motor skills left much to be desired). George is like a very advanced toddler. And that's like most of the "kids" on TV.
Probably the most frustrating part of watching animated kid on TV is that you start to assume that your kids should be that eloquent, that talented and that coordinated. Of course, you forget that if the kid on TV (who is supposed to be three) spoke like a real three-year-old, no one would watch because no one would understand a word the kid was saying. Seriously, when I pick my daughter at preschool, the kids all run up to me and tell me about there day. I don't understand 90% of what they are telling me.
You always understand your own children (most of the time) because you listen to them speak all the time. I can listen to what my daughter is saying three rooms away and still be able to a) understand it and b) explain it to my husband. But the kids are TV are so articulate, it leaves me feeling less than confident in my own kids' progress.
Which is ridiculous. I guess we start kids early on aspirational TV: Here you are kids, here's an unreasonable model for you to aspire to be. I think I need to find more things to do with my time other than stress about how my daughter measures up to an animated monkey. As they are so gracious to remind you after every mini-episode: "George is a monkey, so he can do things that you and I can't." Amen.
Watching Curious George, I wonder if I should feel bad that an animated monkey has more skills that either of my children? He can draw, pack groceries, fix complex machinery, read maps, and hang upside down. My daughter can talk your ear off, but ask her to hold a pencil, and she's a chip of the ol' block (I almost failed kindergarten because my fine motor skills left much to be desired). George is like a very advanced toddler. And that's like most of the "kids" on TV.
Probably the most frustrating part of watching animated kid on TV is that you start to assume that your kids should be that eloquent, that talented and that coordinated. Of course, you forget that if the kid on TV (who is supposed to be three) spoke like a real three-year-old, no one would watch because no one would understand a word the kid was saying. Seriously, when I pick my daughter at preschool, the kids all run up to me and tell me about there day. I don't understand 90% of what they are telling me.
You always understand your own children (most of the time) because you listen to them speak all the time. I can listen to what my daughter is saying three rooms away and still be able to a) understand it and b) explain it to my husband. But the kids are TV are so articulate, it leaves me feeling less than confident in my own kids' progress.
Which is ridiculous. I guess we start kids early on aspirational TV: Here you are kids, here's an unreasonable model for you to aspire to be. I think I need to find more things to do with my time other than stress about how my daughter measures up to an animated monkey. As they are so gracious to remind you after every mini-episode: "George is a monkey, so he can do things that you and I can't." Amen.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Princess Aurora vs Princess Leia vs The Simpsons
I watched The Simpsons last night for the first time in forever. I don't think I've watched a new episode in years. I do, in fact, take the show for granted (as was pointed out in the documentary that followed the big 450) like running water or the non-existent Berlin Wall. I figure I'll see them in syndication eventually. Last night's episode saw Krusty having to include a princess in his show in order to increase his female viewership (see it here, it's totally worth it). Poor Lisa is completely swept up by the hysteria ("I agree it's cliche, but she does have a certain ... UNICORN!"). They even got the merchandising glut down. But, most hysterically, Princess Penelope's literal songs about being a princess: Example: Where does Princess Penelope keep that special thing that makes her a princess? "It's the part of me that wants to be the person that everyone flatters!"
This line made me laugh the uncomfortable laugh of a mom whose daughter is obsessed with princesses. It's strange, because I don't really know how it happened. Like many things that happen when you're a parent, this one sneaked up on me. One day at the store, she lost her mind and desperately had to have a set of princess pajamas. And then it was shoes. And then it was EVERYTHING ELSE. For those of your who are living under a rock (I'm looking at you, little brother), Disney has stumbled upon another way to print money by marketing anything and everything under the sun brandishing one or more of the Disney princesses (Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine). They now have their own new stories and movies, and shoes, and backpacks, and stickers, and shirt, and dresses, and, and, and.
While my daughter owns just about everything "Princess" (soup included), she isn't really interested in any of the "princess" movies. She doesn't like Aladdin, never got into Beauty and the Beast (no matter how hard I thrust both of these movies on her), and only got Sleepy Beauty and Snow White within the past six months (this obsession is coming up on a year or more). The only movie she really likes out of this collection is The Little Mermaid, but mostly because it takes place with fish. She was, for a period, obsessed with Finding Nemo. But she put two and two together pretty quickly (pink+sparkles+crowns=PRINCESS!!!!)
The song mentioned above closes with the line: "Because in her heart a princess knows she is the only girl who matters!" And this is the one thing that really bothers me about the princess phenomenon, especially in it's modern incarnation (and perhaps historical one, too; I'm an English PhD, not a history one). It's not the crass commercialism, or the pink sparkles, or the celebration of aristocracy and all that it implies, it's the princess as Paris Hilton (which of course is a combination of all of that and more). Later it is revealed that Princess Penelope is from Long Island (accent included), and she didn't have many friends growing up because, "I was more beautiful and friendly than everyone else." Upon first viewing I laughed, but it's that line that has kept me up at night (seriously) and has delayed this post. It's not just the entitlement/fame for being rich, it's the Jersey Shore nature of female relationships. If you want to be popular, you need to be mean, selfish and stuck-up.
Now I'm not saying that Disney Princesses promote that attitude; if anything, the main criticism about the old-school Disney Princesses is that they were too passive (Sleeping Beauty), too generous (Snow White sweeping in to care for the dwarfs), or too submissive (Cinderella). Thinking about it, you could make the argument that Ariel would fit into the selfish, spoiled brat category. I keep trying to find a "but," but I can't. I haven't seen The Princess and the Frog yet, so I can't judge, but in making their princesses more self-sufficient, they perhaps inadvertently made them more selfish all around. Plus, as my daughter is two, the last thing she needs are role-models that teach her to be more selfish.
At one point on The SImpsons, Lisa's class was doing presentations on Inspirational Women. There were 15 Princess Diana's, 1 Princess Anne (Lisa, of course), 2 Baby Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. Only Ralph seemed to understand the purpose of the exercise (accidentally, of course) when he chose Princess Leia. Now there's a princess I can get behind. She sacrifices her own safety for the good of the Rebel Alliance, falls in love with a rogue (whom she rescues), and just generally kicks ass. I think I need to pull out Star Wars.
This line made me laugh the uncomfortable laugh of a mom whose daughter is obsessed with princesses. It's strange, because I don't really know how it happened. Like many things that happen when you're a parent, this one sneaked up on me. One day at the store, she lost her mind and desperately had to have a set of princess pajamas. And then it was shoes. And then it was EVERYTHING ELSE. For those of your who are living under a rock (I'm looking at you, little brother), Disney has stumbled upon another way to print money by marketing anything and everything under the sun brandishing one or more of the Disney princesses (Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine). They now have their own new stories and movies, and shoes, and backpacks, and stickers, and shirt, and dresses, and, and, and.
While my daughter owns just about everything "Princess" (soup included), she isn't really interested in any of the "princess" movies. She doesn't like Aladdin, never got into Beauty and the Beast (no matter how hard I thrust both of these movies on her), and only got Sleepy Beauty and Snow White within the past six months (this obsession is coming up on a year or more). The only movie she really likes out of this collection is The Little Mermaid, but mostly because it takes place with fish. She was, for a period, obsessed with Finding Nemo. But she put two and two together pretty quickly (pink+sparkles+crowns=PRINCESS!!!!)
The song mentioned above closes with the line: "Because in her heart a princess knows she is the only girl who matters!" And this is the one thing that really bothers me about the princess phenomenon, especially in it's modern incarnation (and perhaps historical one, too; I'm an English PhD, not a history one). It's not the crass commercialism, or the pink sparkles, or the celebration of aristocracy and all that it implies, it's the princess as Paris Hilton (which of course is a combination of all of that and more). Later it is revealed that Princess Penelope is from Long Island (accent included), and she didn't have many friends growing up because, "I was more beautiful and friendly than everyone else." Upon first viewing I laughed, but it's that line that has kept me up at night (seriously) and has delayed this post. It's not just the entitlement/fame for being rich, it's the Jersey Shore nature of female relationships. If you want to be popular, you need to be mean, selfish and stuck-up.
Now I'm not saying that Disney Princesses promote that attitude; if anything, the main criticism about the old-school Disney Princesses is that they were too passive (Sleeping Beauty), too generous (Snow White sweeping in to care for the dwarfs), or too submissive (Cinderella). Thinking about it, you could make the argument that Ariel would fit into the selfish, spoiled brat category. I keep trying to find a "but," but I can't. I haven't seen The Princess and the Frog yet, so I can't judge, but in making their princesses more self-sufficient, they perhaps inadvertently made them more selfish all around. Plus, as my daughter is two, the last thing she needs are role-models that teach her to be more selfish.
At one point on The SImpsons, Lisa's class was doing presentations on Inspirational Women. There were 15 Princess Diana's, 1 Princess Anne (Lisa, of course), 2 Baby Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. Only Ralph seemed to understand the purpose of the exercise (accidentally, of course) when he chose Princess Leia. Now there's a princess I can get behind. She sacrifices her own safety for the good of the Rebel Alliance, falls in love with a rogue (whom she rescues), and just generally kicks ass. I think I need to pull out Star Wars.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The most depressing kids songs (for parents) ever
Today's post is about the show Imagination Movers. Don't let the title of the post fool you; it is my favorite show on Playhouse Disney right now. For those of you who don't know or have never seen the show, it is about four guys who run their own business, which is solving problems. They have a friend, Nina, who did work for her boring uncle Knit-Knot, but now would seem to be photographer for the local newspaper. There is also a mouse, Warehouse Mouse, who lives in the Idea Warehouse and also helps the Movers solve problems. But they are also a band, influenced by pop-rock, pop-funk and pop-folk music. Obviously, there is a lot of pop involved because, well, it's a kids show.
The band itself is a great story; they started off in order to provide young kids strong male figures, like Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo. Ironically, Mover Scott is the mastermind behind the band. Ironic, because on the show, he is the resident "idiot." They formed in New Orleans and had a show on the local PBS station. They made a number of successful independent CDs and one DVD, which caught the attention of Disney. But then, Hurricane Katrina wiped out their business office and most of the members homes. The Imagination Movers started last year, just as we started getting the channel.
My son, who loves music, loves this show. His face lights up and he starts to dance whenever the theme song starts playing. And I have to say, it is the most unique kids show on TV right now. Most kids shows are about kids. The main characters are kids. If there are adults (as there are in shows like Sesame Street), their job is to teach and assist the children/muppets featured. There are no children anywhere on Imagination Movers. Everyone is firmly in adult roles. Everyone has a job, no matter how cool (the Movers) or mundane (Uncle Knit Knot, whose job it is is to develop as many boring products as possible). The people who come in for the Mover's help are also adults, or at least older than the target audience (high school football player and marching band wannabe are the two examples). This is a show for kids about being adults.
But back to the depressing songs. One of things that I have always loved about the music and songs in this show are that they reminded me of the music I listened to when I was a teen: Barenaked Ladies, Moxy Fruvous, Blue Rodeo, as well as Me, Mom and Morgentaller (yes, that's the name of the band). These were angsty, yet jokesy, folky bands (Me, Mom was all these things with horns). But a lot of the best songs (or at least the songs I remember) by any of these bands were about growing up and remembering what it was like to be younger (in this case, teens). Blue Rodeo was always writing about former loves now far away who represent a lost time in their lives:
Funny how we stayed that way/For those five days in May/Made all the stars around us shine. (Five Days in May, Blue Rodeo)
Even when they were being their funniest (I'm looking at you, Barenaked Ladies), there was a longing for something that had been lost, and the jokes seemed to be, in part, an attempt to recreate a "simpler" time when you could just simply laugh away whatever was bothering you. Or at least try. If I had a million dollars/I'd buy your love. When you're young, there are limitless possibilities; you could have a million dollars, have a tree fort in your yard, and Dijon ketchup, and love. It was the simplest and at the same time, the most complex things that would make you happy. Then.
The Imagination Movers sing songs about childhood, from the perspective of adults, for kids. Following me? Not all the songs have this double layer of meaning, but I would argue that the best ones (and the most depressing ones) do. Take, for example, the song that was the catalyst for this whole thesis concerning the Movers and their music, "Take a Picture." I can't find the lyrics online, and I wasn't recording it, so it won't be exact. And to top it all off, it started off in such a way that I was quick to dismiss it. Mover Dave is having a bad hair day, but they want to take a picture so they can advertise for business in the local paper. The song is about smiling and getting a great picture, etc. I tuned out when Dave started spelling "cheese" over and over. But then, I heard something about getting pictures of all your best friends because hours turn into days. Wait, what? This song started as a song to encourage children not to worry about what they look like and to smile to a song about recording memories because those moments don't last.
The songs may all be written in the present tense, but they are backward looking, in that the songs are about childhood remembered and childhood lost. "Today's parade" is another example. It's a wonderful day for a parade, but it's an exception, not the rule, so let's make the most of it (I'm paraphrasing). Or, a song that I could see Blue Rodeo doing, "Let the Sun Shine in:" "Let the sun shine in/make us warm again/ let the sun shine in/are you ready? Let the sun shine through/over me and over you/ let the sun shine through/make it better." Now, the song literally talks about being snowed in (which they are), but it also talks more generally about having a bad day, but also that you have to be ready and willing to let the sun in and make it better. You might be rolling your eyes at this point, but I defy you to listen to any of their songs (save for the theme song and the brainstorming one) and not be pulled back into childhood and then jarred by reminders that childhood is over for you and soon will be for the kids.
Think of how transcendent songs like "It's not easy being green," "Rainbow Connection," or "I'm going to go back there someday" are, and how they move kids and adults (at least this adult). That's the kind of songs the Movers hae managed to write. They're not all like that, but the best ones, I think, are beginning to approach the best songs the Muppets ever produced.
There really is nothing like it on TV for kids, and there are no songs out there like them anymore. To recap, it's a show that is about adults, who sing songs that are about childhood, looking back. But it's also a show about having your dream job. Much like the men who play them, the Movers are doing what they love and prove that there really isn't a problem that can't be figured out with a little brainstorming and teamwork.
The band itself is a great story; they started off in order to provide young kids strong male figures, like Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo. Ironically, Mover Scott is the mastermind behind the band. Ironic, because on the show, he is the resident "idiot." They formed in New Orleans and had a show on the local PBS station. They made a number of successful independent CDs and one DVD, which caught the attention of Disney. But then, Hurricane Katrina wiped out their business office and most of the members homes. The Imagination Movers started last year, just as we started getting the channel.
My son, who loves music, loves this show. His face lights up and he starts to dance whenever the theme song starts playing. And I have to say, it is the most unique kids show on TV right now. Most kids shows are about kids. The main characters are kids. If there are adults (as there are in shows like Sesame Street), their job is to teach and assist the children/muppets featured. There are no children anywhere on Imagination Movers. Everyone is firmly in adult roles. Everyone has a job, no matter how cool (the Movers) or mundane (Uncle Knit Knot, whose job it is is to develop as many boring products as possible). The people who come in for the Mover's help are also adults, or at least older than the target audience (high school football player and marching band wannabe are the two examples). This is a show for kids about being adults.
But back to the depressing songs. One of things that I have always loved about the music and songs in this show are that they reminded me of the music I listened to when I was a teen: Barenaked Ladies, Moxy Fruvous, Blue Rodeo, as well as Me, Mom and Morgentaller (yes, that's the name of the band). These were angsty, yet jokesy, folky bands (Me, Mom was all these things with horns). But a lot of the best songs (or at least the songs I remember) by any of these bands were about growing up and remembering what it was like to be younger (in this case, teens). Blue Rodeo was always writing about former loves now far away who represent a lost time in their lives:
Funny how we stayed that way/For those five days in May/Made all the stars around us shine. (Five Days in May, Blue Rodeo)
Even when they were being their funniest (I'm looking at you, Barenaked Ladies), there was a longing for something that had been lost, and the jokes seemed to be, in part, an attempt to recreate a "simpler" time when you could just simply laugh away whatever was bothering you. Or at least try. If I had a million dollars/I'd buy your love. When you're young, there are limitless possibilities; you could have a million dollars, have a tree fort in your yard, and Dijon ketchup, and love. It was the simplest and at the same time, the most complex things that would make you happy. Then.
The Imagination Movers sing songs about childhood, from the perspective of adults, for kids. Following me? Not all the songs have this double layer of meaning, but I would argue that the best ones (and the most depressing ones) do. Take, for example, the song that was the catalyst for this whole thesis concerning the Movers and their music, "Take a Picture." I can't find the lyrics online, and I wasn't recording it, so it won't be exact. And to top it all off, it started off in such a way that I was quick to dismiss it. Mover Dave is having a bad hair day, but they want to take a picture so they can advertise for business in the local paper. The song is about smiling and getting a great picture, etc. I tuned out when Dave started spelling "cheese" over and over. But then, I heard something about getting pictures of all your best friends because hours turn into days. Wait, what? This song started as a song to encourage children not to worry about what they look like and to smile to a song about recording memories because those moments don't last.
The songs may all be written in the present tense, but they are backward looking, in that the songs are about childhood remembered and childhood lost. "Today's parade" is another example. It's a wonderful day for a parade, but it's an exception, not the rule, so let's make the most of it (I'm paraphrasing). Or, a song that I could see Blue Rodeo doing, "Let the Sun Shine in:" "Let the sun shine in/make us warm again/ let the sun shine in/are you ready? Let the sun shine through/over me and over you/ let the sun shine through/make it better." Now, the song literally talks about being snowed in (which they are), but it also talks more generally about having a bad day, but also that you have to be ready and willing to let the sun in and make it better. You might be rolling your eyes at this point, but I defy you to listen to any of their songs (save for the theme song and the brainstorming one) and not be pulled back into childhood and then jarred by reminders that childhood is over for you and soon will be for the kids.
Think of how transcendent songs like "It's not easy being green," "Rainbow Connection," or "I'm going to go back there someday" are, and how they move kids and adults (at least this adult). That's the kind of songs the Movers hae managed to write. They're not all like that, but the best ones, I think, are beginning to approach the best songs the Muppets ever produced.
There really is nothing like it on TV for kids, and there are no songs out there like them anymore. To recap, it's a show that is about adults, who sing songs that are about childhood, looking back. But it's also a show about having your dream job. Much like the men who play them, the Movers are doing what they love and prove that there really isn't a problem that can't be figured out with a little brainstorming and teamwork.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Muppet Movie
This news may have been lost in the holiday madness (reviews of DVD gifts to come; we received two great ones: Sport Goofy and 40 Years of Sesame Street). The Muppet Movie is being preserved forever by the Library of Congress. As it should be.
Jim Henson has been a central influence in my life. When asked the question, if you could talk to/have dinner with anyone in history, dead or alive, I always answer Jim Henson. I remember where I was when I heard that he had died (7th grade, lunch time, ecology classroom with my friend who were working on their class projects and the radio was on). I devoured Sesame Street and would only stop moving for The Muppet Show. Fraggle Rock was required family viewing and the only night of the week I was allowed to stay up past 7:00. Jim Henson, to me, was magic. I harbored a dream of becoming rich and famous, if only so I could either be on The Muppet Show or ask to appear on Sesame Street.
I grew up watching The Muppet Movie on video, taped one early Saturday afternoon. I know this because, while my Dad did his best to pause out the commercials, he sometimes missed the cheesy early 80s graphics. He also missed a classic Molson Golden commercial. But I digress. My brother and I wore out the video; the picture and sound quality are poor, at best. But it was one of the few videos I took with me when I went away for university. Whenever I had a bad day, or felt "despair" for any reason at all, I would put the movie in and, from the moment where the long helicopter shot pulls in to reveal Kermit the Frog playing the banjo and singing "The Rainbow Connection," I immediately felt better. Or at least a little bit of peace.
This movie is glorious for it's optimism, imagination and songs. Muppets riding bikes? Come on! "I Hope That Something Better"? Classic. But the movie was "meta" and self-aware before that became the hip thing to do in kids movies. They give the script of the movie to Dr. Teeth, so they wouldn't bore the audience. As a result, they know where to find them when they are stranded in the desert. The star cameos always served the story, not the other way around. Steve Martin's snarky waiter? Love it. Milton Berle as a used car salesman? Hysterical. Orson Welles as a larger than life movie mogul? He utters one line, but it is the line that allows for all of Kermit and his friends' dreams come true.
Back to the message of the movie. "Life's like a movie/Write your own endings/Keep pretending/Keep believing/We did just what we set out to do!" I get misty-eyed just thinking about the final scene of the "movie" (before we're reminded of the meta nature and return to the theater where the Muppets are watching the movie along with us) when the studio is destroyed and hundreds of Muppets are bathed in the light of a rainbow. "Thanks to the lovers/The Dreamers/And you!" This is a movie about dreams and working to make those dreams come true, no matter what. No matter if you're a frog from, literally, a backwater swamp, a bear who can't tell jokes, a pig who dreams of being a superstar, a whatever who loves chickens. Or a man who decides that he is going to make TV shows and movies featuring puppets. This is as much Jim Henson's story as much as it is Kermit's story. How a band of disparate people can come together behind one person's impossible dream and even more impossibly, make it come true.
It is about loss, but it is also about hope. It is a road trip movie, a buddy movie, a coming-of-age movie and a musical. It is everything a movie, for kids or otherwise, should be. If you have never seen this movie, or have dismissed it in your older age because it's a kids movie, rent it right now. Better yet, buy it. You won't be sorry, and you're kids will love you for it. "Fact is/There's nothing out there you can't do/Yeah, even Santa Clause believes in you!" That's right. Even Santa believes in you. Can you picture that?
Here's how much I love Jim Henson. It's Sunday afternoon, the kids are both asleep, it's the final weekend of the NFL, and I'm writing a blog post about The Muppet Movie.
Jim Henson has been a central influence in my life. When asked the question, if you could talk to/have dinner with anyone in history, dead or alive, I always answer Jim Henson. I remember where I was when I heard that he had died (7th grade, lunch time, ecology classroom with my friend who were working on their class projects and the radio was on). I devoured Sesame Street and would only stop moving for The Muppet Show. Fraggle Rock was required family viewing and the only night of the week I was allowed to stay up past 7:00. Jim Henson, to me, was magic. I harbored a dream of becoming rich and famous, if only so I could either be on The Muppet Show or ask to appear on Sesame Street.
I grew up watching The Muppet Movie on video, taped one early Saturday afternoon. I know this because, while my Dad did his best to pause out the commercials, he sometimes missed the cheesy early 80s graphics. He also missed a classic Molson Golden commercial. But I digress. My brother and I wore out the video; the picture and sound quality are poor, at best. But it was one of the few videos I took with me when I went away for university. Whenever I had a bad day, or felt "despair" for any reason at all, I would put the movie in and, from the moment where the long helicopter shot pulls in to reveal Kermit the Frog playing the banjo and singing "The Rainbow Connection," I immediately felt better. Or at least a little bit of peace.
This movie is glorious for it's optimism, imagination and songs. Muppets riding bikes? Come on! "I Hope That Something Better"? Classic. But the movie was "meta" and self-aware before that became the hip thing to do in kids movies. They give the script of the movie to Dr. Teeth, so they wouldn't bore the audience. As a result, they know where to find them when they are stranded in the desert. The star cameos always served the story, not the other way around. Steve Martin's snarky waiter? Love it. Milton Berle as a used car salesman? Hysterical. Orson Welles as a larger than life movie mogul? He utters one line, but it is the line that allows for all of Kermit and his friends' dreams come true.
Back to the message of the movie. "Life's like a movie/Write your own endings/Keep pretending/Keep believing/We did just what we set out to do!" I get misty-eyed just thinking about the final scene of the "movie" (before we're reminded of the meta nature and return to the theater where the Muppets are watching the movie along with us) when the studio is destroyed and hundreds of Muppets are bathed in the light of a rainbow. "Thanks to the lovers/The Dreamers/And you!" This is a movie about dreams and working to make those dreams come true, no matter what. No matter if you're a frog from, literally, a backwater swamp, a bear who can't tell jokes, a pig who dreams of being a superstar, a whatever who loves chickens. Or a man who decides that he is going to make TV shows and movies featuring puppets. This is as much Jim Henson's story as much as it is Kermit's story. How a band of disparate people can come together behind one person's impossible dream and even more impossibly, make it come true.
It is about loss, but it is also about hope. It is a road trip movie, a buddy movie, a coming-of-age movie and a musical. It is everything a movie, for kids or otherwise, should be. If you have never seen this movie, or have dismissed it in your older age because it's a kids movie, rent it right now. Better yet, buy it. You won't be sorry, and you're kids will love you for it. "Fact is/There's nothing out there you can't do/Yeah, even Santa Clause believes in you!" That's right. Even Santa believes in you. Can you picture that?
Here's how much I love Jim Henson. It's Sunday afternoon, the kids are both asleep, it's the final weekend of the NFL, and I'm writing a blog post about The Muppet Movie.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Just in case you thought I didn't read...
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/12/31/baby-sitters-club-returns/
That's right! The series of books that I was able to read in about 45 minutes (each) is making a comeback. Interested to see if they are a success or not. Do the kids today even do things like babysit anymore? Do we, as parents, even allow tweens/teens to look after our kids anymore?
I have very warm memories of these books. It was just before I moved on to Star Wars novels. Dork.
That's right! The series of books that I was able to read in about 45 minutes (each) is making a comeback. Interested to see if they are a success or not. Do the kids today even do things like babysit anymore? Do we, as parents, even allow tweens/teens to look after our kids anymore?
I have very warm memories of these books. It was just before I moved on to Star Wars novels. Dork.
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