Muppets: The Wizard of Oz

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Movie
German title Muppets: The Wizard of Oz
Original title The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Country of production USA , Canada
original language English
Publishing year 2005
length 87 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
Rod
Director Kirk R. Thatcher
script Debra Frank ,
Steve L. Hayes ,
Tom Martin ,
Adam F. Goldberg
production Martin G. Baker ,
Warren Carr
music Michael Giacchino
camera Tony Westman
cut Gregg Featherman
occupation
chronology

←  Predecessor
The greatest Muppet Christmas spectacle of all time

Successor  →
The Muppets - Letters to Santa Claus

Muppets: The Wizard of Oz (Original title: The Muppets 'Wizard of Oz , later also The Muppets: Wizard of Oz and The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz ) is an American, musical film from 2005 by Kirk R. Thatcher and Brian Henson . The troupe of the Muppet Show play the main role there. Ashanti , Jeffrey Tambor , Queen Latifah and many more also play there . The film is a modernization and is based on the novel The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum . Most of the characters in the Land of Oz , with the exception of the wizard, are played by muppet characters.

The film is the third Muppet feature film version of a novel after The Muppets Christmas Story and Muppets Treasure Island .

action

Young Dorothy Gale lives in Kansas with her Uncle Henry and Aunt An . You have your own bar where Dorothy works. However, she dreams of becoming a singer. Right at the beginning of the film she sings the song "Kansas", which is called "I wanna get out of here". In it, she describes her feelings and the dream of leaving Kansas. One day the Muppets come with their tour bus near the restaurant to take a break. Dorothy takes the chance to give Kermit her demos and let him know that she dreams of going on tour with the Muppets. Kermit takes the demos and promises to be in touch.

A little later a storm sweeps over Kansas. Uncle Henry and Aunt An manage to save themselves, but Dorothy runs into the house, which flies away with the storm.

When the house lands, Dorothy realizes she is no longer in Kansas. Toto, her pet, played by Pepe, can suddenly speak (in the original, Toto, actually a dog, doesn't speak).

You have landed in the land of the Wizard of Oz, right on the wicked witch of the east. The Munchkins (played by a group of rats) and the good witch of the north (played by Miss Piggy) await them in front of the house. There Dorothy tells her that she would like to be a singer. Glinda tells her about the great and powerful Wizard of Oz who lives in the Emerald City, who can grant her wishes. She also advises her to put on the witch's silver shoes, as they have magical powers. You are supposed to protect her from the sister of the dead witch, the wicked witch of the west (like all witches in the film, played by Miss Piggy).

On the way she meets a scarecrow (played by Kermit) who wants a brain, a robot (in the book it is a tin man, played by Gonzo) who was madly in love with a chicken (Kamilla), but the wicked witch had him with one Has tied up a computer so that he cannot love, which is why he wants a heart, and a cowardly lion (played by Fozzie the bear) who wants more courage.

On the way to the emerald city, the wicked witch of the west presents them with obstacles. Arrived in the Emerald City, the four Scooter meet the magician's first assistant (played by Scooter, in a green suit). Each one is admitted to the magician, and with each of the four the magician takes on a different shape, sometimes as something creepy, sometimes as a beautiful figure. Dorothy learns that the wizard will grant the wishes when the Witch of the West is defeated and her evil eye is brought along.

Dorothy and the three set off and are captured by the witch. She sings with the accompaniment of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem the song "The Witch is in the house" (the band also sings the song "Poppy Fields" in the film). When the witch is defeated, the four heroes immediately make their way to the wizard, who refuses to grant the wishes. By chance they learn that the magician isn't one. He wanted to go to Hollywood , but by accident he ended up in the land of Oz. But he promised to fulfill all wishes. He does this in a large television gala that is seen by everyone in the land of Oz, where he makes himself known for the first time. He gave the lion a gold microphone that he can use to feel bolder. He "programmed" the robot a kind of heart. Beloved Camilla is already waiting behind the scenes. He poured breakfast cereal into the scarecrow's head (here comes an English pun of brain (brain) and branflakes (breakfast cereal with bran, bran and brain sound similar)). At the end, Dorothy was allowed to sing a song, but had not finished it because she found that the desires are inside you. Both the scarecrow, the robot and the lion had what they wanted but did not know it. What Dorothy wanted now was to go back to Kansas. Glinda, the good witch of the south, helps her. But Toto, who accompanied her during the adventure, wanted to stay in Oz. With the wish "I want to go back to Kansas" she flies back home.

When Dorothy lands in Kansas, Uncle Henry and Tanta An worried. Dorothy even turns down Kermit's request to go on tour with the Muppets. At the last moment, however, Uncle Henry and Auntie tell Dorothy that they will accompany them on the tour. The film ends with Dorothy singing the song "Good Life" with the Muppets.

Reviews

The film received mostly negative reviews from Internet users of the IMDb . For example, sexist allusions were mentioned, e.g. B. when Dorothy says that the witch's silver shoes make her “sexy”, or when Rizzo the rat mentions the video series “Girls Gone Wild” (an American video series with young women during a spring break ). Ashanti's acting was also heavily criticized.

However, it was praised that the film is not based on the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland, but is based more on the book, e.g. B. that Dorothy wears silver magic shoes and not ruby ​​red, like Judy Garland and the magician also appears in different disguises in front of the heroes and not in one, as in the aforementioned film adaptation.

Additional

Toto, who is originally a dog, is here Pepe, the Schrimp (The King Prawn). In the film Dorothy once said to her uncle: You never wanted to buy me a dog.

In one scene with the Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow / Kermit said: "Good afternoon, Mr. Oz. Do you have any connections with Frank Oz ?", Which he denies with a roar. Frank Oz was a former Muppet player who also wrote and directed scripts for the Muppets.

In a subplot we see Kermit with Quentin Tarantino , who suggests how the story can develop and how the television implementation can be made possible. Kermit refuses for the time being because he finds his ideas for Brutal for a family film .

In 1981 the Muppets parodied the film version with Judy Garland in the show “Muppets go to the movies” and sang excerpts from the film songs of the time. Miss Piggy played Dorothy, Scooter played the scarecrow, Gonzo played the tin man (as in this version) and Fozzie (as here) the cowardly lion. The little dog Foo-Foo played the role of Toto.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release Certificate for Muppets: The Wizard of Oz . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , February 2006 (PDF; test number: 105 265 DVD).