The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz , ' second TV movie , aired as a special Friday night edition of ABC ' s " The Wonderful World of Disney " . Adapted from L . Frank Baum ' s novel " The Wonderful Wizard of Oz " , this latest retelling of the classic story follows Dorothy Gale ( Ashanti ) as she journeys through an Oz populated by Muppets to find the Wizard and become a star . History . The film marked the first major project after the acquisition of the Muppets property by The Walt Disney Company , which The Jim Henson Company is still consulting under . Since April 2004 , the Muppets had been re - introduced to the public by way of low - key marketing and guest appearances on such shows as " " , " Good Morning America " and " Saturday Night Live " in hopes for a successful turn in the ratings by the time the new telefilm hit the air . Promotion . The movie was promoted with special Wizard of Oz commercials that spoofed popular ABC shows at the time . Further , print ads in various magazines , as well as guest appearances of various Muppets on America ' s Funniest Home Videos , Jimmy Kimmel Live , The Tony Danza Show , Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly helped to get the word out . In addition , Ashanti unveiled six windows at Macy ' s on March 20 , 2005 , for promotional purposes . The windows depicted scenes from the movie in conjunction with the Macy ' s Flower Show . The Macy ' s flagship store offered Muppets ' Wizard of Oz plush and a T - shirt depicting the main cast during the promotional period . The movie had its world premiere screening on April 27 , 2005 , at the Tribeca Film Festival , introduced by Kermit the Frog and Robert De Niro . The Adaptation . This film departs from the original Oz novel in a number of noticeable ways : Dorothy ' s family owns a diner instead of a farm ; Toto is a prawn ; the Tin Woodman is a robot . Many of the characters ' personalities and backgrounds are given a show - biz makeover . For instance , this version ' s Dorothy dreams of being a famous singer , and at first she plans to ask the Wizard to give her fame rather than a way back to Kansas . However , in several respects the plot follows the novel more closely than does the classic 1939 movie . For example , the Good Witch of the North ( who greets Dorothy when she arrives in Oz ) and Glinda ( who shows her how to get home ) are separate characters ; the magic shoes are silver instead of ruby ; when Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch of the West , she gains control of the Flying Monkeys ; and the Wizard meets with each of Dorothy ' s friends separately in a different guise . Another note is that the Flying Monkeys are a biker gang , a trait that is reminiscent of " The Wiz " . " The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz " is not the only adaptation of the " Oz " mythos within a Muppet production , however . " The Muppets Go to the Movies " featured a sketch incorporating a medley of " If I Only Had a Brain " and " We ' re Off to See the Wizard " , with Miss Piggy portraying the version of Dorothy played by Judy Garland , alongside the Cowardly Lion , the Scarecrow , and the Tin Thing . Fozzie and Gonzo would play the Tin Man and Lion again in an episode of " Muppet Babies " and Kermit also starred as the Scarecrow . Additionally , Fozzie Bear portrayed the Tin Man in of " The Muppet Show " . Airdates . World Premiere : April 27 , 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival with Kermit , Miss Piggy , Fozzie , Gonzo and Pepe attending . Broadcast Premiere : May 20 , 2005 at 8 / 7c on ABC in the US , and on CTV and CBC in Canada .