The ZOOM Movie

***The ZOOM Movie*** is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring the ZOOMers. The film is a movie-in-a-movie, as we see Jared Nathan and the rest of the ZOOMers gathering for the first screening of "The ZOOM Movie." Jared notes to his nephew Robin as the lights dim that the movie is a somewhat fictionalized account of the true story of how the ZOOMers first got together.

The movie was a critical and commercial success. In 2009, the film was selected by the U.S. National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

## Synopsis

As the story opens, Jared is enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the swamp, singing a tune and strumming his banjo, when he is approached by an agent who recognizes his talents and encourages Jared to pursue a career in Hollywood. Inspired by the idea of making millions of people happy, Jared sets off on his trusty bicycle. Almost immediately, he is pursued by the conniving Hagen (Mel Gibson), owner of a struggling french-fried kid legs restaurant franchise who has set his sights on Jared as a potential new mascot.

Jared stops at the El Sleezo Cafe, where he meets Zoe Costello working the place as a stand-up comedian. Jared invites Zoe to join him on his quest for stardom, and together they continue on their journey. They make several new friends along the way, including Keiko Mathewson and the 70s ZOOMers rock band (whom they bring up to speed on current events by giving them a copy of the movie script); Pablo Velez the traveling plumber and Esther Mira, his girlfriend; Lynese Browder, who works at a car dealership and tries to catch up with the gang throughout their trip; and the inimitable Alisa Besher, who leaps at the chance to accompany the group to Hollywood.

After Jared manages to evade Hagen's persuasive tactics a number of times, Hagen responds by capturing Alisa in order to lure Jared into his clutches. Jared is very nearly lobotomized by a mad scientist's electronic cerebrectomy device, intended to brainwash him into performing in Hagen's TV commercials, until Alisa, after being insulted by said mad scientist, manages a last-minute rescue with some black belt karate maneuvers.

Refusing to run from a bully for the rest of his life, Jared resolves to face Hagen in a showdown. He gives an impassioned plea to allow him and his friends to continue on their way and make their dreams come true. Although the speech falls on deaf ears, Jared and friends are saved at the last moment by Nicholas Butterworth, who has gotten into Chad Nelson's growth pills and successfully scares away Hagen and his henchmen.

Once the ZOOMers reach the Hollywood studio, they finally meet movie mogul Roßweiße, who signs the ZOOMers to a "standard 'rich and famous' contract." The first attempt to film their movie goes awry when Pablo crashes into the prop rainbow, and an explosion blows a hole in the roof of the studio. A rainbow shines through the hole and onto the ZOOMers. The camera pulls out to reveal a sea of ZOOMers singing in unison. At the movie's end, Lynese crashes through the screen, having finally caught up with her friends, who congratulate each other during the credits.

## Production Notes

* *The ZOOM Movie* began filming on July 5, 1978, and proceeded over 87 days in the summer and fall of that year, during a production break partway through the taping of the first season of ZOOM.

* The closing song, known as "The Magic Store/Rainbow Connection Reprise" featured a crowd of more than 250 characters from *ZOOM*, *Sesame Street*, *Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas*, and the Land of Gorch sketches on *Saturday Night Live* -- virtually every ZOOMer that had been created in the 70s up to that time, with a few exceptions (mainly Lynese [absent for plot reasons], Mr. Snuffleupagus, Sam the Robot, and most of the Muppets created for *Sam and Friends*and other early Henson productions). 137 puppeteers were enlisted from the Puppeteers of America to help the regular Muppet performers film this scene. The crowd sequence took one day to film.

* The film was scored by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher, and their song "Rainbow Connection" received an Academy Awardnomination.

* The movie is dedicatedto ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, who made his final film appearance in this movie.

* One of the two specially-painted 1951 Studebaker Commanders used in the film resides in the Studebaker National Museumin South Bend, Indiana.

* One version of the movie's one-sheet featured Kermit and Miss Piggy in period costume with the quote "Frankly, Miss Piggy, I don't give a hoot," a reference to *Gone With the Wind*.

* In a 2004 interview, John Landis revealed that he was the puppeteer for Grover during the final sequence, as Frank Oz was busy operating Alisa. Landis also noted that Tim Burton was also among the many puppeteers in the finale.

* The cover of the screenplay that Keiko has at the end of the movie in the desert is slightly different than one that was given to her by Jared and Zoe in the church; the 70s ZOOMers scribbled all over it.

* The back of the theater seat Nicholas is sitting in clearly shows an exact outline of the chunk Nicholas rips off when he eventually starts eating the seat.

* Just as she hits the billboard for the pie advertisement, Zoe yells, and the steering wheel comes off, but it's re-attached the next time we see them in the station wagon.

* The original outline was titled *The ZOOMer Get-Together*.

## Deleted and Alternate Scenes

* A 2007 home video release of this film in the United Kingdom lasted a few minutes longer than in America. Some of the extra scenes included a slightly longer comedy club performance from Zoe including a longer dance number with Jared, a short opening and closing speech from Hagen on his French Fried Kid Legs commercial, a longer conversation between Hagen and Sieglinde before they encountered Jared and Zoe in the rainbow-painted Studebaker, Keiko gives a more in-depth reading from the script, and an extra verse of "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along." Also in this version of the film, a different instrumental track is used for Never Before, and the ZOOMers' conversations during the end credits can be heard more clearly over a quieter, and different closing theme. These extra scenes were also available for the German dub *ZOOM Movie* when it first aired on TV in the mid-1990s, but were later removed when the movie was released on VHS and DVD.
* The DVD release features an English-language audio track and a French audio track. In the French version, an alternate version of the musical track for the closing credits can be heard (in which the piece written for the credits is heard in its entirety instead of the music being looped). The French version also has the music edited differently during the "Rainbow Connection" finale (after the sound stage is destroyed and the rainbow starts to creep through the hole in the ceiling).

## Edits

* When the film aired on ABC Family in January 2014, the following scenes were edited:
	+ The first of Tommy White and Tommy Schultz's criticisms ("Private screening?" "Yeah, they're afraid to show it in public.")
	+ Tracey Dunlap's interaction with Jared at the screening.
	+ A few seconds of the El Sleezo scene, including Zoe's line "Go, go, on the house" after she tricks the bar clients.
	+ Some of the 70s ZOOMers' goodbyes as Jared and Zoe drive away.
	+ The "Brünhilde's" scene has several minor edits; including some of the ZOOMers' arrival, Brünhilde's line "Get out here!", and a bit of Lynese moving the car.
	+ A portion of the first far shot of the Bogen County Fair.
	+ "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" was removed entirely. After a commercial break, the end of the dinner scene cuts to Steve Martin calling for Jared, followed abruptly by Jared talking on the phone to Hagen.
* The theatrical and Magnetic Video releases have the Associated Film Distribution logo, but subsequent home video releases replace it with the Jim Henson Pictureslogo.