Man or Muppet
| Man or Muppet | |
|---|---|
| Jason Segel and Walter ( Peter Linz ) | |
| publication | November 22, 2011 |
| length | 2:58 |
| Genre (s) | Pop , rock |
| Author (s) | Bret McKenzie |
| Label | Walt Disney |
| Award (s) | Oscar / Best Song |
| album | The Muppets EAST |
Man or Muppet is a song from the Walt Disney film The Muppets . The song was written by Bret McKenzie and sung in the film by the two main characters Gary (played by Jason Segel ) and the doll Walter ( Peter Linz ). Bill Barretta and Jim Parsons also sing the respective other identities Gary (as a doll) and Walter (as a person). The song was released on November 22, 2011 as part of the soundtrack for the film.
Man or Muppet won an Oscar for Best Song at the 2012 Academy Awards . He was also nominated for the 2013 Grammy Awards and the 2011 Satellite Awards in this category . Man or Muppet was also nominated at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2012 , but competed with two other titles from the Muppet film, namely Pictures in My Head and Life's a Happy Song . The latter eventually won.
background
The film is about an existential crisis in which the two main characters of the film, the two brothers Gary and Walter find themselves. Gary is human, but spends a lot of time with the Muppets and looking for the missing Kermit , neglecting his girlfriend Mary (played by Amy Adams ). Walter, on the other hand, is a doll who absolutely wanted to get to know the Muppets and is now about to perform for them, whereby he has a lot of stage fright . Both walk through the city and see their respective different identities, so Gary as a doll (played by Bill Barretta) and Walter as a person (played by Jim Parsons) in the shop windows. While they are singing the song, the two get closer and closer and meet for a kind of musical scene on two white pianos. In the end, both accept their identities and take their lives back into their hands. Gary makes up with Mary and Walter appears on the show.
Text and music
The lyrics, which describe a classic identity crisis from the characters' point of view, and the music were written by Bret McKenzie when the film's script was already finished. The basic topic was already fixed. The text also had to fit the rest of the Muppet universe. McKenzie was therefore advised that the word "doll" should be avoided as the Muppets see themselves as human beings in their world. In addition, other song ideas were put a stop to. The producers of the film wanted no reference to doll-making material and also forbade McKenzie from using the word “mother-frogger” (as an alternative to motherfucker ) for predictable reasons.
McKenzie, who was also allowed to write the tracks Life's a Happy Song , Me Party and Let's Talk About Me for the soundtrack, was based on soft rock - power balls of the 1970s and 1980s, in particular Harry Nilsson's Without You and Eric Carmen's All by Myself . He attached great importance to the drama of his work and also taught Jason Segel and Peter Linz to sing it so dramatically.
reception
Man or Muppet is the first song from a Muppet film to win an Oscar . It was the third song that was nominated. The first was Rainbow Connection from Muppet Movie (1979, Academy Awards 1980 ) and the second The First Time It Happens from The Big Muppet Sause (1981, Academy Awards 1982 ). It is also the twelfth song from a Disney film to receive an Oscar.
The song was nominated for the following awards:
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| price | category | result | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2012 | best song | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | Best original song | Won | |
| Grammy Awards 2013 | Best song written for visual media | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | Best original song | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards 2012 | Best song | Won | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best original song | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards 2011 | Best movie song | Nominated | |
| Sierra Awards 2011 | Best song | Won | |
Individual evidence
- ^ "Man or Muppet" Nominated for an Academy Award! The Muppet Mindset, January 24, 2012, accessed January 24, 2012 .
- ↑ Oscars 2012: The Muppets wins best song. The Guardian, February 26, 2012, accessed April 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Christopher Morris: Frank Ocean, Fun lead Grammy nominations. Variety , December 5, 2012, accessed December 12, 2012 .
- ↑ Peter Knegt: 'Descendants,' 'Drive' Lead Satellite Award Winners. indieWire , December 19, 2011, accessed January 24, 2012 .
- ↑ Rebecca Ford: Critics' Choice Movie Awards: 'The Artist' Wins Best Picture. The Hollywood Reporter , January 12, 2012, accessed January 24, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Bret McKenzie: A Very Manly Muppet (Extended Cut). NPR , February 20, 2012, accessed February 25, 2012 .
- ↑ Russell Baillie: Will Bret McKenzie's Muppet song win an Oscar? In: The New Zealand Herald . January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012 .