The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Part 5: By the Book

The Wizard of Oz appears on Oz television to present his gifts of brains, a heart, and courage.  But, despite his pledge to be truthful, he plays up his phony act and delivers fake placebos to satisfy the citizens.  He gives Dorothy her chance to become a famous singer, but she uses her moment in the spotlight to expose the fraud.  She decides that she'd rather live her normal life in Kansas than sell her soul to live a lie.

Yet, she still appears in this movie.

The Wizard tells her to find the Good Witch of the South who can lead her home, for reals.  Dorothy travels back to Munchkinland, where Glinda is visiting with Tattypoo and (after a brief bit of continuity fun where Glinda Piggy falls in love with Kermitcrow) it is revealed that by clicking her heels, Dorothy can return home.

I'll miss this crazy place.

Dorothy ends up back at Aunt Em's where, of course, Kermit is waiting to offer her a spot in the Muppets' tour.  Everyone lives happily ever after and nobody questions exactly what Dorothy went through over the past couple of days.

No questions asked!

Thus ends The Muppets' Wizard of Oz!

L. Frank Baum had one big thing going for him as an author.  He was an idea man.  He came up with a slew of interesting characters, settings, themes, and items and assembled them to create a fantastic world that children enjoyed visiting.  Unfortunately, he seemed to have an issue with plot structure.  If you read the many stories in the Oz series, you'll find that Baum enjoys introducing these elements more than he does writing a cohesive story.

The reason The Wonderful Wizard of Oz works the best out of the whole series is because there is a clear overriding theme of understanding yourself.  The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion each doubt their own abilities and learn to trust themselves.  On paper, Dorothy's quest is pointless.  She's able to return home as soon as her journey begins.  But, as they say, it's not about the destination. But even this classic suffers from Baum's writing faults.

Fortunately, the 1939 MGM film fixed a lot of these issues, making it the classic that it is today.  It elevates the Wicked Witch to be the central antagonist, introducing her earlier and moving her death towards the end, giving the story a lot more focus.  The Good Witches are combined into a singular entity, cutting out a lot of unnecessary travel time, post-climax.  And character relationships are allowed to develop, making Dorothy more of a leader, rather than a bystander to the events.

Because the old version is made so well, all others have to pale in comparison.  Due to copyright issues, anything that the MGM film changed or added to the story is off-limits in other adaptations.  Much of what we associate with the story comes from that film.  The ruby slippers, the Witch's appearance, the music, the memorable lines.  No other version can use these.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz chooses to embrace the original (at least, plot wise), but with this faithfulness comes many of the issues.  For example:

- Dorothy becomes a blank slate.  Any young female singer-actress could have played Dorothy and the movie would be exactly the same.  Outside of the bookending scenes, Ashanti never gets a moment to herself.  She doesn't quite bond with her travel companions.  Judy Garland, however, is Dorothy, and she is Dorothy the whole way through.  You understand what kind of person she is in the way she acts around the Scarecrow or the Witch or the Wizard.  Ashanti just does what Dorothy is supposed to do since the script requires it.

- The journey is no longer a dream.  In the original story, all of what happens in Oz is actually supposed to have happened.  This helps pave the way for sequels, of course, but it creates an odd moment for when Dorothy returns.  This girl has literally discovered a new country filled with new species and physical laws.  Shouldn't there be any...follow up by the government or someone?  When the trip is a dream, it further drives home the point that this is a personal experience for Dorothy to learn about herself and how she fits in the world.  This movie makes it all the more awkward because now the Muppets exist alongside their Ozian counterparts.  So, are there two Pepes?  What does this mean?  Everyone just reacts to the news that Dorothy has been gone with, "Oh, we thought you were dead.  Glad you're not!" And Dorothy never explains what happened to her.  That's creepy when you think about it.

- Everything happens because that's how it happened in the book.  Save for one important change which I'll get to later, the Muppets don't really bring anything new to the table.  There are three superior Muppet productions that I cannot help but compare this to.  The Muppet Christmas Carol, while also staying close to the book, worked because it presented an accessible version of the story to a younger generation while keeping that Muppet perspective.  Muppet Treasure Island was just a flat-out comedy that had a lot of fun with the material.  But a TV movie doesn't have the same budget as these feature films, you say?  Well, then how about the Alice in Wonderland episode of The Muppet Show?  It had to scale things down a lot, but it still managed to create fun situations.  All of these productions had the feeling that the cast and crew were enjoying themselves the whole time.  Much of this films reeks of cashing paychecks.  Muppets + Oz equals an guaranteed audience.  Why bother doing any extra work?

BUT through all of the mediocrity...there is a glimmer of something unique.

The Muppets are performers looking for recognition.  The driving force behind The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie is the journey that these individuals take to achieve their fame.  Traveling west, toward a better life, the ultimate American dream.  This translates perfectly to an Oz adaptation.

So, I greatly appreciated any element that referred to this interpretation of the story.  Dorothy wanting to be a singer, the Lion wanting to be a comedian, the Witch wanting all of the fame and glory for herself, and even the Wizard's phoniness.  This is why the Kalidah Critics scene is my favorite in the whole film.  It embraces this concept wholeheartedly.  This is a solid reason to create a new version of the story.

Wow, a rare, genuine, thematically relevant moment!

Unfortunately, the movie never transcends beyond this basic idea.  It never takes that next step.  The Lion's fear becomes stage fright, but what of the Scarecrow and the Tin Thing?  What does it mean to be brainless and heartless in Hollywood?  The answer seems so simple and rife with material.  The fact that the movie doesn't even consider going down this path greatly disappoints me.

It's just more fun to dress them up in costumes, I guess.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz could have been great.  It could have been a classic in it's own right.  But it plays it too safe, too close to the book.  Other forays into Oz were more successful, such as the song medley from The Muppets Go to the Movies as well as the Muppet Babies episode coincidentally called "By the Book."  But this time, there was no Rainbow Connection.

So please enjoy the only Muppet version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that is worth your time.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Part 4: If I Only Had a Cameo

Captured by the Flying Monkeys, Dorothy finds herself to be the victim of the Wicked Witch's...reality show?  The Witch decides to record herself stealing the Silver Slippers and, since she can't just take them off Dorothy's feet, she has to slice them off with an over-the-top buzzsaw.

Meanwhile, the imprisoned Lion tests out his comedy chops on the Flying Monkeys, and soon he convinces them to close their eyes and give him the keys to his shackles under the guise of a magic trick.  He manages to save Dorothy, who prepares to fight the Witch in a diva-off.  Suddenly, we cut to...Quentin Tarantino?

Now we break the fourth wall?

In a bizarre cameo, we see Tarantino pitching a Kill-Bill-esque fight scene to Kermit in a movie studio office, hoping to get it used in the film for the climactic brawl.  Kermit turns down his offer and Tarantino decides it'll be better for Dorothy to just kick the Witch in the face.  Kermit agrees and we cut back to the movie.  That was fun!

He had fun.

Dorothy kicks the Witch into her bathtub which is supposed to be filled with bottled water but was unknowingly topped of with TAP WATER!  This causes the diva to melt, leaving behind her magic eye and her magic biker cap.  The cap allows Dorothy to control the Flying Monkeys and she orders them to fix her friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Thing.

After everyone is patched up, the whole gang returns to the Emerald City and demands to see the Wizard.  They barge in without the magic green glasses and find that the Wizard's lair is a lot less impressive than it originally seemed.  In fact, it's just made of undecorated plywood.  They discover the "Wizard" hiding in a control module in the center and find that the Wizard is simply Jeffrey Tambor.

I've made a huge mistake.

The Wizard reveals himself to be a tour-bus driver from California who found himself in Oz and was elevated to the position of Wizard when everyone fell for his thumb-removal trick.  He claims that he didn't expect Dorothy to actually succeed with her quest, but since a promise is a promise, we will try to get the gifts for her friends.  All he needs is a couple hours.

Yeah...this'll work out great.

Check back for the conclusion where gifts are received and we learn that there is no place like home.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Part 3: Witches Be Crazy

The group finally makes their way to the Emerald City and we finally see where the budget of this film went.

Brought to you in glorious CGI!

But as impressively massive as the city appears, the sets manage to shrink once again as the Guardian of the Gates appears to grill the travelers at the door to the city.  Totopepe convinces him to let them in since Dorothy managed to kill a witch with her bare house.  This excites and scares the Guard and he decides to take them to the Wizard.

Once again, swell casting choice.

So, who is going to play the Wizard?  This is where Kermit would have been great, but at this point, it's up in the air.  The chair swivels around to reveal...

Ta da!

Just kidding!  Scooter is only the assistant to the regional Wizard.  He prepares the characters for their Emerald City apparel, just like in the book.  Now, everyone will be getting green glasses and Dorothy will be getting a green dress, but rather than simply reach into a closet, we need to stick Bunsen and Beaker in here for their mandated cameo.  So, the glasses and a "makeover machine" are their inventions and we are able to move forward.

Each character meets the Wizard one at a time, and each time, the Wizard appears as something the character fears the most.  The Cowardly Lion gets a scary dragon who hates his jokes...

The world's worst critic.

...the Scarecrow gets a ball of fire...

Um...and Kermit hates being green?

...and the Tin Thing gets a seductive woman who becomes a seductive chicken.

Uh oh, they ran out of their effects budget as well.

The Wizard denies all of their wishes and only seems interested in Dorothy the Witch Slayer.  He promises to fulfill Dorothy's dreams, provided she travel over the Deadly Mountains in the west and obtain the Wicked Witch's magic all-seeing eyeball.

Also, Dorothy's greatest fear is apparently Boss Nass.

Dorothy and the troops gather themselves and prepare their journey.  Meanwhile, the Witch spies on them and prepares to send out hoards of obstacles to destroy them.  In an amusing joke that fans of the story will appreciate, she lists all of the plagues that she initially sends out in the book (like wolves and crows and bees) that are ultimately stopped by the heroes, but all of them are on vacation so all she has left are her flying monkeys.  Sorry, I mean, her biker gang, the Flying Monkeys.

Made up of the recycled cast of Muppet Treasure Island.

Wearing her mind-controlling biker cap, she controls the gang to attack and kidnap the heroes, singing "The Witch is in the House."  Again, the song's nothing too special, but the fights is pretty exciting and gruesome.  The Tin Thing loses his head and the Scarecrow is shredded to bits while the more meaty travelers are abducted.  That's pretty scary for kids.

This witch don't mess around!

What will happen to our maimed heroes?  Check it out tomorrow, as the surprisingly accurate retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz continues.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Part 2: Robots and Critics and Bears, Oh My!

Alright, it's time for the introduction of Dorothy's travel companions.  While most versions enjoy spending time with each character by themselves, things feel a little rushed this time around, leaving me to wonder what the other 3/5ths of the movie are going to focus on.

First up is Kermit as the Scarecrow.  I know we have to have Kermit as this character because Gonzo and Fozzie fit so well with the other two travelers, but Kermit never really strikes me as a Scarecrow.  The Scarecrow has to be somewhat of an idiot savant, seemingly dumb, but capable of brilliant insights due to his simple approach to complex ideas.  Kermit is already smart.  So, he has to be dumbed down a bit at times, which just doesn't work.  Link Hogthrob would have been a great Scarecrow, but that ain't happening.

I do like how they incorporate his collar into the costume.

Kermitcrow and Dorothy bond over their dreams of becoming a star and Kermit reminds her to follow her dreams.  Thanks for the advice!

Down the road, Gonzo is frozen as the Tin Thing.  Unlike the Tin Woodman, the Tin Thing is a robot created by the Wicked Witch to spy on Oz's inhabitants.  He knows everything with his computer brain, but wishes he has a heart like when he was a human...er...a whatever.  Gonzo fits perfectly for this role because, like the Tin Woodman, he is capable of great, subtle compassion.

Good casting choice and a great design.

Finally, we run into the Cowardly Fozzie Bear-Lion.  Fozzie often gets stuck with this role and it works because he is such a weak-willed character, but when his friends are in trouble, he defends them to the end.  Also, the Lion wants to be a stand up comedian, but he has stage fright.  Of course.

This movie might just work out after all.

With our team assembled, it's time for a song!  Unfortunately, it is no "If I Only Had a Brain" or "We're Off to See The Wizard."  So, lets move right along.

Next scene!

Our group encounters their first obstacle, a precarious bridge that is guarded by the Kalidah Critics.  The Kalidahs are your typical Oz monsters, but now, instead of being physically intimidating, it is a mental attack on our heroes psyche.  This scene works very well.  It's not perfect, because there is never a point in which the characters are in any real danger, but the fact that the monsters are harsh critics fits with the new theme of achieving one's dreams and over-coming self doubt.

Finally, a valid role for these two!

Of course, the Lion has the hardest time crossing the bridge, but this results in a super sweet moment in which the Tin Thing goes back across the perilous canyon in order to calmly talk his friend through it and support him.  It's very genuine and the moment isn't overly broad or played for laughs.  It's just Gonzo doing what Gonzo does best.

Across the bridge, the gang makes it to the nightclub Poppyfields, referencing the deadly, sleep-inducing poppy fields from the story.  This seems to be the hangout spot for the Electric Mayhem and leftover characters from Muppets Tonight.

Hey, Clifford's got his shades back!

The band plays a hypnotic song called "Nap Time" that causes Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion to fall asleep.  Now, as in the original, the flowers don't affect the non-organic Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, although it isn't really explained why the song won't affect them this time.

We went deaf, momentarily?

Nonetheless, the Muppets are too small to carry the sleepers through out of danger, so they must call upon the mousy Munchkins from earlier.  So, basically, the mice from the original are combined with the Munchkins.  That's clever.

Good job, movie!

Up next, our friends wake up and we make it to the Emerald City!

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Part 1: Not in Kansas Anymore

The scary thing about tackling a classic is that any adaptation is going to be compared to what has already been labeled "perfect."  There have been many film versions, sequels, and (now) a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but while some have been critical successes, none have come close to eclipsing 1939's masterpiece.

But in the hands of the Muppets, there is still new ground to be broken, correct?  Surely that would be a recipe for success, like The Muppet Christmas Carol or Muppet Treasure Island.  Well, let's go over the rainbow with 2005's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.

This is going to be good!

The film opens with Ashanti aggressively singing to the camera about wanting to get out of Kansas.

Uh-oh...what's happening?

I'm not too familiar with Ashanti's repertoire, so I don't have any opinions on her as a performer, but a quick glance at my research shows that she eventually went on to perform in The Wiz.  That makes sense, because I am getting a strong Wiz vibe from this set up.  We have a modern-day Dorothy who is tired of working at her Aunt Em's diner and she just wants to be a star.  Aunt Queen Latifah is not very supportive.

Auntie Em!

Her Uncle Henry is much more supportive, and encourages her to go to her audition with the Muppets and...wait, the Muppets are the ones aspiring singers turn to in order to begin their careers?  What fantasy land have we stumbled into?  It does take a longer-than-average while to introduce the Muppets into the plot, but it could have been a little truer to the Muppets' raison d'être.  Dorothy makes it to the audition just as the Muppets' bus drives away, but Kermit promises to listen to her demo.

I'm calling it right now, I bet he'll love it and let her join them at the end of the movie.

Even though Kermit agreed to listen to her tape, Dorothy still considers her audition a bust and yells at her aunt and only takes comfort in her pet Toto.  Toto is a king prawn.  So, this movie is writing itself, I take it.

FORESHADOWING!!!

Of course, a tornado comes to pick up Dorothy's house and carries her to Oz.  This is what we came for!  And, it's a lot smaller than one would usually imagine Oz to be.  I know it's a TV movie, but everything feels so cramped.  Even the limited sets of usual Muppet movies are a bit bigger than this.

We're here!  Can you see us?

Well, first, we must reveal that Toto the Prawn has become Toto the Pepe the Prawn.  Um...so, Dorothy is familiar with the Muppets, but doesn't realize that her pet has become one?  Well, the original movie treated the trip to Oz as a dream, so everything absurd element that follows can be labelled as dream logic.

This a dream come true!

Dorothy and Pepe exit the house and the rats of Munchkinland gather around and celebrate the destruction of the Wicked Witch of the East.  Well, she wasn't quite destroyed.  Since Miss Piggy is going to be playing all of the witches in the film (there are no other female Muppets, remember?), we get a chance for the East Witch to have her day in the sun.

Oh, she's alive!  Wait, doesn't that totally change the story?

But the Witch of the East has to be dead, right?  Well, I guess Dorothy can still go on her journey without being an accidental murderer.  Actually, nope.  The witch still dies because even with Piggy's strength, she can't hold the house forever and it crushes her.  That's...way more gruesome than just having the death offscreen like usual.

Arriving a tad too late, the Good Witch of the North, Tattypoo, arrives for her daily Munchkin visit.  Now, most people think Glinda is the North Witch, due to the 1939 version combining the two good witches into one character.  So I'll give the film credit for bringing back the original character.

A slightly nicer version of Piggy.

Tattypoo reminds Dorothy to take the magical silver slippers and when she refuses, there is a great bit of lampshade hanging in which she tells her not to pick at every little detail or else this story would go nowhere.  I'll give the film credit, the original story is absolutely bonkers, despite being a classic.

Dorothy sets off down the Yellow Brick Road to return to Kansas/become a singer, whichever comes first.  And so we're off to see the Wizard, the Slightly-Off Wizard of Oz!

Tune in tomorrow to meet some brainless, heartless, courage-less friends!