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Post by Drumdraper on Nov 13, 2005 19:27:22 GMT
I'm a big fan of the Muppets and an amataur puppeteer, and thought others might be interested in this. Disney is planning to mass produce the Muppets by hiring other people to portray the Muppets, instead of the original muppeteers. This way the Muppets can be at various locations at different times, but the character value of the Muppets will be lost by not being performed by their intended performer. There is a petition going on to try to stop Disney from replacing the original muppeteers. If you're interested please sign: www.savethemuppets.com/ |
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Post by Wrench on Nov 16, 2005 13:22:58 GMT
They will not stop until they've sold out every aspect of everone's childhoods, will they?
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Post by Memphis on Nov 16, 2005 15:50:19 GMT
Disney have bought the rights to the Muppets, so I assume the mass production will be so they can appear in the Disney parks, much like Snow White, Hercules, Peter Pan etc?? There for they need at least one set for each of the 5 resorts, more if there was to to be one set in each DisneyLand, and a themed set in all 4 parks in WDW.
Getting the original performers would be difficult anyway, Jim Henson is dead, so that would be Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth, Link Hogthrob, The Newsman, Rowlf, the Swedish Chef and Waldorf gone before I think too hard (Yes I know Brian took over but you get my point) and a lot of the main characters are voiced and performed by a very small body of performers, not practical anywhere but in a theater or on screen.
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Post by beanbunny on Nov 25, 2005 2:45:39 GMT
As a preformer for the Disney shows, I can tell you that the muppets actually are live preformers that lip sync to pre recorded tracks played in the parks sound system.
in Muppet 3D In Disney's MG< studios in orlando: the muppets are all animatronic, Save Sweetums. He's actually a 7 foot tall guy that just lip sincs his head to prerecorded tracks.
In the STARS and MOTOCARS parade, the puppets are prerecorded tracks and Fur suit style costumes.
Most Disney Muppet apprearences are original voice cast on prerecorded tracks or using other means to "keep the magic alive"
In EPCOT's Turtle Talk with Crush the turtle an character voice actor sits "live" on the otherside of a projection screen so thet the computer animated "puppet" can interact with the children in real time question and answere situations.
The preformer is voice tested before hired to sound as MUCH like Crush as possible, as is the Same with Ariel and Eric in THE VOYAGE OF THE LITTLE MERMAID attraction.
In the Magic Kingdom parades and shows all characters and furries are prerecorded save cinderella and the fab princess quartet in the song parts of the preasent and 50 year celebration songs.
This is true also for the beauty and Beast shows, Only Belle and other "human" actors are not pre recorded.
Dancers who engage in rather complex dances In Disneys animal Kingdom are supported by a pre recorded chorus, and often enough sometimes Pochahontas needs an emergency recording. But most Humans do their own voices.
Kermit isn't an easy voice to copy, and BEan and Pepe are equally difficult. I could not see muppets without their voices, and in fact DID sign the petition.
I love me some muppets, and value the creativity and genius that was and alway will be Jim Henson.
Truley he was the Walt Disney of His time, Just like Studio Gibli and Miazaki are the Disney of this time.
I do not mean the corporation, I mean the man with the dream and the ability to show us magic, innocene, and the dreams that live within us all.
Keep the magic alive:
~Bean~
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