The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

thumb|300px|The Muppets' Wizard of Oz promo.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, the Muppets' 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.
==Cast==
*Muppet Performers
:Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson, Brian Henson, Kevin Clash, John Kennedy, Rickey Boyd, Tyler Bunch, Julianne Buescher, John Henson, Drew Massey, Allan Trautman, Alice Dinnean, Michael Quinn, Gord Robertson, Adam Behr, Jeny Cassidy, Geoff Redknap, James Rowley
*Human Cast
:Ashanti as Dorothy Gale
:Queen Latifah as Aunt Em
:David Alan Grier as Uncle Henry
:Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard
:Quentin Tarantino as Himself
:C. Ernst Harth as Earl
:Dan Payne as Weatherman
:Kelly Osbourne as Herself (uncredited)
:Edward Hibbert as Theater Man (uncredited)
==Muppet Cast==
*Muppet Characters
:Kermit the Frog as the Scarecrow
:The Great Gonzo as Tin Thing
:Fozzie Bear as the Cowardly Lion
:Miss Piggy as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South
:Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the West
:Miss Piggy as Tattypoo, the Good Witch of the North
:Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the East
:Pepe the King Prawn as Toto
:Rizzo the Rat as Mayor of Munchkinland
:The Rats as the Munchkins
:Statler and Waldorf as the Kalidah Critics
:Sam the Eagle as the Gate Guard
:Johnny Fiama
:Scooter as Assistant to the Wizard
:Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as Emerald City Technicians
*The Flying Monkeys
:Sal Minella, Sweetums, Angel Marie, Old Tom, Black Dog, Spotted Dick, Crazy Harry, Aretha, Calico
*Small Speaking Roles
:Clifford, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, The Swedish Chef, Foo-Foo, Camilla, Bubba, Crow, Mulch, Lew Zealand (extended cut only)
*Background Characters
:Rowlf, Bean Bunny, Zippity Zap, Jowls, Zondra, Chip, Hillary the Owl, Cameraman, Bunnies, Penguins, Skull
==Credits==
*Co-Producers: Bill Barretta, Kristine Belson, Eric Poticha
*Executive Producers: Lisa Henson, Bill Barretta
*Produced by Martin G. Baker and Warren Carr
*Muppets & Puppet Effects And Digital Puppetry Performance by Jim Henson's Creature Shop
*Costume Designer: Polly Smith
*Project Supervisor: Jane A. Gootnick
*Electromechanical Supervisor: Tom Newby
*Props Supervisor: Brad Elliot
*Floor Work: Scott Johnson
*Puppet Workshop Artists: Mary Brehmer, Joan Parkinson
*Design and Build: Jane A. Gootnick, Michael Oosterom, Julie Zobel, Marian Keating, John Criswell, Susan Cox, BJ Guyer, Tamara Carlson-Woodard, Kristan Willet, Robin McCarthy, Andrew Meyers, Joe Colwell, Randall Cooper, Eric Hayden, Tom Lenoci
==History==
The film marked the first major project after the acquisition of the Muppets property by The Walt Disney Company, although the project had already been in development with ABC. At the time, the Jim Henson Company was consulting with Disney and developing new Muppet series and movies under a three-year production deal.
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 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 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. Previously, Fozzie Bear portrayed the Tin Man in an episode of The Muppet Show. Muppet Babies also featured an Oz adaptation in one episode, with Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo in the same respective roles.
==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.
==Notes==
* Kermit makes a reference to Frank Oz in the film, when he asks the Wizard, "Would you, by any chance be related to Frank Oz?"
* Before Dorothy's televised concert toward the end of the movie, Pepe references Disney's acquisition of The Muppets franchise. Speaking on the phone, he says, "Listen, Eisner, baby. If you think we're going for that deal, you're out of your Mickey mind, okay?"
* When the Cowardly Lion rescues Dorothy and Toto from the impending razor blades, two of his lines are left undubbed, leaving John Kennedy's original voice in.
==See also==
* The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (soundtrack)
* The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (video)
* The Muppets' Wizard of Oz promotional appearances
* The Muppets' Wizard of Oz plush dolls
==External links==
* ToughPigs.com Muppets' Wizard of Oz coverage
* Review: Muppets as Munchkins: We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Gates, Anita, New York Times, May 20, 2005
* IMDb
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