#and muppets in narrator and side character roles

[teddy-stonehill]

Listen, I feel very strongly about Muppet casts in imagined Muppet adaptations of critical works and I feel like people are seriously missing the mark on their Great Gatsby castings.

Nick cannot be the one human. Nick is the narrator, and therefor must be played by a muppet. The natural choice is probably Gonzo.

Gatsby himself has to be the one human. And moreover, he has to be played by a classically trained actor who’s taking the role very seriously. 

Obviously Miss Piggy and Kermit should be cast as Daisy and Tom Buchanan. 

I haven’t put much thought into the other roles, but these are the essential roles in order to capture the true spirit of a proper Muppets adaptation. 

#you have to have a human as the central character #who's playing the role very straight #and muppets in narrator and side character roles #that's what makes those movies work #A Muppet Christmas Carol wouldn't work without Michael Caine as Scrooge #Muppet Treasure Island wouldn't work without Tim Curry as Silver #the central human character isn't an after-thought they're central

[tooraloora]

Happy Great Gatsby Entering Public Domain! Let’s Talk Muppets.

You know you want it. It’s time. I have recently given this quite some thought, and I need this casting to be known. Hire me, Disney.

The first issue encountered is the most important: who is the lone human amongst these muppets? 

The answer, obviously, is Tom Buchanan. Why? Because he is detestable, and no muppet deserves the dishonor of playing him. The role can be reprised by Joel Edgerton, who did a wonderful job playing such a terrible man. Other leading men or breakout stars can be substituted in. 

MUPPET CAST:

Our narrator, Nick Carroway:  In the tradition of A Muppet Christmas Carol, our narrator would be Gonzo.

Clearly he is the most normal muppet with his alluring proboscis and love of chickens. Clearly. 

Nick’s brief love interest and local golf cheat, Jordan Baker: Rizzo. 

Why? Because it’s 2021. Be cool. Also tell me you don’t want to hear the cacophony of Gonzo and Rizzo arguing about Rizzo cheating at golf and having a hilariously and yet touchingly rousing break up.  Southern belle and golden girl: Miss Piggy. 

I feel this goes without a need for explanation.

The titular character and local nouveau riche heartthrob: Kermit. 

Alluring. Mysterious. Charming. Secretly a softy with more pine in him than an Alpine forest. 

Tom’s sensual side-piece, Myrtle: Animal. 

Tom’s desire for Myrtle should be played completely straight. “WANT DOGGIE. WANT DOGGIE!!” “You want a dog? Alright, I’ll get you a dog.” they then proceed to trash an apartment. Added hilarity for the “DAISY, DAISY, DAISY!” line.  Myrtle’s unaware simpleton husband, George Wilson: Walter. 

Seriously, this soft simpleton newbie muppet is a great choice to play another simpleton who has the gall to threaten Mr. Kermit himself.

Local mobster Myer Wolfsheim: Fozzy Bear. 

Instead of human molars for cuffs, he has chattering teeth (also made of human molaaaars! Wakka wakka wakka!) The teeth chatter at random, inopportune times and send Fozzy jittering around the room by his wrists. This is my opus of this casting list. 

OTHERS:

The world of Gatsby is rich with colorful characters such as...

The dog Myrtle wants: Rowlf. He joins in the apartment party with Myrtle, Tom, et al.

Klipspringer, the talented organist, supposedly a descendant of Mozart: Also Rowlf. There is no explanation given for why he shows up in both places. 

Mr. and Mrs. McKee et al: The entirety of The Electric Mayhem band. Who else would show up to party with Animal and have all the hot goss? 

Owl Eyes/The man in the library: Dr. Honeydew and Beaker. 

It should be known that Dr. Honeydew has no eyes, heightening the hilarity of this casting.

The Swedish housekeeper who cleans Nick’s cottage: Swedish Chef. 

Obviously.

Party guests: Statler and Waldorf, who roast the party the whole time. 

Pepe the King Prawn, a shady business partner of Myer and Gatsby. 

Scooter, a Gatsby attendant who actually gets those parties up and running every night. Lots of bits of him trying to prevent property damage.

Gatsby’s mentor, originator of the “old sport”, Dan Cody: Sam the Eagle. You can hear it in his voice can’t you? Perfection. 

Tell me you don’t want to watch this movie right now. I will write this movie myself if I have to. 

#The Great Gatsby #The Muppets #Muppets #Great Gatsby #HIRE ME DISNEY

[fictionadventurer]

Who gets to be the token human in the Muppet Princess Bride?

The candidates:

Westley

Pros: The hilarity of seeing an attractive young man repeatedly declare his undying love for the beautiful Miss Piggy

Cons: Miss out on the comedic potential of Kermit as the world’s most apologetic pirate. Plus, it’s weird for the story’s main ship not to have Kermit/Miss Piggy as endgame

Buttercup

Pros: There’s some humor in Buttercup spending the whole movie wandering dazedly through Muppet insanity. And some humor in making the main storyline her undying love for a Muppet

Cons: It’s not funny enough to keep her as the token human

Humperdinck

Pros: Muppets teaming up against a human villain is an excellent Muppet movie tradition. Having an uptight, Serious Actor in the role of the villain adds to the comedy of it.

Cons: You miss out on a decent role for some of the uptight villainous Muppets

Inigo

Pros: There’s something interesting about having most of the movie be Muppet silliness while the one human’s in a Deadly Serious Revenge plot. And Swordmaster Kermit fencing against a human actor would be an amazing scene.

Cons: It further separates that side plot from the main conflict and could create tonal dissonance with the rest of the movie.

Fezzik

Pros: A Muppet wrestling a human makes it even funnier when the Muppet wins

Cons: Too much of a side character; there are several Muppets who’d be more interesting in the role, and is there any human who would be able to live up to the genius of Andre the Giant?

Vizzini

Pros: It’s funny to think of this ultra-serious, arrogant human lording his intelligence over his Muppet compatriots only to be roundly defeated after a few scenes.

Cons: He’s defeated after a few scenes. The token human needs to have a fairly significant presence through most of the story

Count Rugen

Pros: Putting a human in the role makes him even more menacing.

Cons: Too much of a side character; if you’re going to have the token human as a villain, it may as well be the main villain

Miracle Max or Valerie

Pros: Could be funny to have the token human in a role that’s just as ridiculous as any of the Muppet roles

Cons: These roles were made for a scene-stealing ultra-eccentric Muppet cameo

Grandpa and/or the Kid

Pros: There’s a certain amount of sense in having the fantastical story being told by humans and populated entirely by crazy Muppets.

Cons:  They never interact with any of the other characters, and the point of the human roles is getting to see them act next to Muppets. Plus, we miss out on some excellent opportunities for Muppet narrator commentary.

The verdict: If we only get one, our best bet is Humperdinck. But Muppet movies usually have at least a few human characters, so other good options include Vizzini, Count Rugen, Inigo, and maybe (if you get the right comedian in the role) Miracle Max.

#the princess bride #muppets

[disneydarlin]

Top 5 Muppet Movies

Although this is technically a Jim Henson film article, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from Henson for seventy-five million dollars on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of a majority of the Muppets film and television library, as well as the Bear in the Big Blue House television series. Due to this, the best Muppet movies will be presented.

1. The Great Muppet Caper: When it comes to Jim Henson’s friendly Muppet movies, he’s known for musical productions and fourth wall jokes. Adults may be able to mostly tolerate the songs in this film if they grew up with them. Aside from this, The Great Muppet Caper has the most fourth wall jokes out of all the other flicks. This kind of humor can most likely put a smile on anyone’s face. In addition, Gonzo, plays a big role in the movie as one of the three main characters despite not being the center of the plot’s focus.

2. The Muppet Christmas Carol: Gonzo and Rizzo the rat, practically star in this film. In the movie, the two best friends technically play as duo narrators. Gonzo acts as the main narrator while Rizzo adds side commentary to everything. As such, the two follow Scrooge on his adventure while he interacts with the other Muppets. Due to their relationship, the comedic pals work well off each other when breaking the fourth wall. However, Christmas can’t be enjoyed all year around.

3. Muppets From Space: The main center focus of the film revolves around Gonzo. Of course, this means Gonzo’s best friend, Rizzo, also has his own story in the plot too. There’s a lot of fun screen time dedicated to these two Muppets interacting together. Unfortunately, Miss Piggy steals the spotlight every once in a while along with the crazy alien obsessed government official. It’s boring how Piggy plays out her usual, “I’m a stubborn spotlight hog”, role in the movie. As for the annoying government official, he’s not worth mentioning.

4. The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz: For the majority of adults, the pop songs featured in this movie are most likely unbearable. However, when it comes to the traditional Henson songs, they might be tolerable. Besides the soundtrack, the female actress playing Dorothy, Ashanti, isn’t as dramatic and annoying when acting on screen compared to most human actors in the Muppet films. She seems to do her best as though she isn’t talking to puppets. Besides, Gonzo eventually plays a role in the movie.

5. Muppet Treasure Island: Although Kevin Bishop is most likely doing his best playing as Jim Hawkins around puppets, his character is probably the last liked among audiences. Of course, this wouldn’t be surprising like most human actors in these movies. Despite this, Bishop isn’t the main problem with the film, it’s the songs. Most of the songs are quite annoying. Not even Tim Curry playing as Long John Silver, could save them. Gonzo and Rizzo play the sidekicks in the feature. The two steal the show every time they’re on screen, but they disappear for a while at some point during the film.

Do you agree with the top picks? If not, why? What are some of your favorite Muppet movies? Please share with me!

#disney #the muppets #article #live action disney movies