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You need to make a correction about 1 thing that I know of. Yoda was not invented for Star Wars. For Starters Yoda was first in Star Wars in 1983 with The Empire Strikes back. However in ET a kid wore the mask of what we now know as Yoda and ET was released in 1981 before Yoda was ever created. Now note they used box of random old movie props. The mask that was used to pretend to be Yoda is from and I am sad to say this a forgotten movie which has been declared as lost media that I did see in the 1990s but it was a movie called Trolls From Under The Bridge or Trolls Who Live Under the Bridge which was from 1966. It was a campy style movie to say it nicely. Basically people wore bad costumes and destroyed a bunch of cardboard box sets like the original Godzilla movies. It was solid D tier movie. George Lucas never created the creature he just used an existing costume and called it his own creation kind of like how he didn't create Star Wars he took 2 existing franchises and has lied his ass off ever sense after stealing the ideas and claiming he created it out of no where. Go watch the 1963 Thundarr The Barbarian and Star Blazers aka Space Battle Ship Yamato the second series changed its name when it got remade and when it got the American dubbing in the 1960s and when it got an American full release in the 1990s. You watch those 2 shows and you will wonder how in the hell he could blatantly lie about creating Star Wars and not get sued to death for blatant plagiarism. Oh and the 1988 He Man and the Republic Clone Army Versus Droid Confederate Army Movie. Yes that is the actual title of the movie and I am sure you can guess what its about. That live action He Man movie was really really bad and makes you question a lot of stuff.
Sesame Street is set in the back door of high rises between buildings where the trash cans are. Sesame Street is an alley not a street. It should be called Sesame Back Alley.
If you want to watch more about Jim Henson, highly HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Defunctland’s series on him. Kevin Perjurer and the rest of his team go into a lot more detail about certain things that Saber briefly touched on here, and it’s also just a really well written series.
Honestly in a perfect world we would have gotten Muppet Adaptions of classic Disney properties instead of the “live action remakes”. Also 100 percent agreed, the muppet is a timeless and iconic. They should be invested in, in a similar fashion to marvel and given a creative director that overseas and green lights creative projects. They are worth a lot of money and there is a lot of potential profit that is being missed out on by not capitalising on their brand.
Ooh, that's an idea. The Hey Cinderella! special was one of my favorites as a kid. I imagine something similar to that, but updated without losing the charm. I will always love the dynamic of serious actors playing alongside Muppets. Edit: Hell, the new live-action Snow White would be improved by having Muppets play the dwarves instead of those CGI monstrosities.
100%! I've said for years that there are so many comedy remakes they could make with the Muppet IP. Imagine a Beauty and the Beast where Beast is the only human (maybe even get like a Henry Cavil type who is hyper handsome) and have the Muppets call him hideous and dreadful the whole movie just for him to turn into a Muppet in the end. Or a Snow White and the Seven Giants, with the Giants being played by humans and Miss Piggy being the Evil Queen (and her REFUSING to turn into a hag, which is how she gets called out for poisoning Snow White). There's so many opportunities at their finger tips, if they weren't cowards!
Whoever made the decision to get Stadtler and Waldorf cracking jokes at The Games Awards had the right idea and understood the assignment. They stole the show!!!
Legit a genius decision from Geoff to have those two come on. They know a lot of people hate The Game Awards and that bringing on the Muppets whose whole thing are to be haters was a brilliant idea to capitalize on. I was legit shocked when the literal first joke they made was directly referencing the infamous "Please, wrap it up" incident. Like damn, they held no punches right from the onset. I've never watched The Muppets but I'm comfortable calling Statler and Waldorf my favourite Muppets now, no doubt.
I feel like the treatment of the Muppets is very similar to Warner Bros treatment of the Looney Tunes has been for the past twenty years post-Space Jam and Back in Action. Honestly would like to see a “What’s Ruining Looney Tunes” video from Saber sometime next year.
@VitaminNick-k1r The thing is most modern LT stuff has been pretty solid (except Wabbit and Space Jam 2) and the Day the Earth Blew Up is shaping up to be one of the best movies of next year. It literally has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and WB isn't even distributing the movie even though the Looney Tunes are arguably their biggest original asset.
@@JCBro-yg8vdjim henson had done everything he wanted to do. He idolised Walt disney. Actively sought them out to run his company after his first attempt blew up in his face. That was to Australian tv mogul and founder of hit. That deal went sour and henson clawed the company back. He was reaching retirement age. And after nearly thinking about ending it all. He wrote the henson letters to his children. Brad grey was furious about the deal he didn't know about. bernie brillsteen told grey after henson died about hensons secret deal re his children. It gave his children control company and looked to grey that he was cut of the picture. There is an old adage in business never put your children in charge of your company
Ultimately, not going to the hospital soon enough (with the very rare toxic shock syndrome caused by S. pyogenes) killed Henson, but I don't doubt that didn't help stress-wise.
@@LittleMissLounge I remember reading something that suggested Henson's Christian Science upbringing also made him very hesitant to see a doctor, so that might have contributed too. Then again, I don't know how well known toxic shock snydrome was known back then, so they might not have detected it soon enough.
I had no idea that sesame Street was in trouble I assumed that they were doing alright and I also wonder why they never did a crossover with Muppets and sesame Street instead of just having Kermit show up or sesame Street occasionally?
As a very long time fan of Muppets, and puppetry in general, I can tell you it's because Disney has no idea about how to run a puppet troupe. As big as The Muppets became during Jim's lifetime, they were still closer to being a community theater or improv group than anything else. (I also like to think that Bob Iger has a terrible phobia of puppets) I'm hopeful though that things may change for the better in the future, despite the bad news about Muppetvision. I can't see the Henson family letting the last major project Jim worked on get lost forever. Personally, I'm hoping that the Center for Puppetry Arts becomes involved and provides Muppetvision with a permanent home at their museum. I'd also like to see them actually own the Muppets IP completely someday. As nice as it would be to see them under the Henson umbrella again, I don't think that will happen for a variety of reasons, some financial and some personal. All we do is keep believing in that Rainbow Connection...
Disney does prefer easy CGI over any kind of human-use so... Definitely figures they'd just eliminate the competition vs utilizing it... Jim was the only thing holding this inevitability back... 🃏
Fundamentally, the Muppets embody an anarchic energy that is antithetical to the predictable, controlled, paint-by-numbers M.O. of the Disney suits. Disney doesn't know how to "do" the sentimentality without crossing into sugary, condescending schmaltz and how to "do" the humor without coming across like snarky, self-aware, self-flagellating Gen Xers who are very proud of having seen more movies than you.
@dinosaysrawr not just sentimentality; there was an unshakable core of emotional honesty and empathy to the Muppets & Co that a company like Disney perpetually hogtied by the line-must-go-up mentality will always struggle to convey.
Thanks to you, I went down a rabbit hole about Czech culture and puppets. I had no idea how deep the tradition went. Man, I wish my country was more associated with puppets instead of, IDK, imperialism.
I've felt the same too. Everytime that I see that letters about other careers more than puppetry, I've felt like puppetry are slowly dying at this point. That's why I'm passionate about being a puppeteer because I wanna follow Jim Henson's footsteps, and sees everybody happy and laughing. It doesn't matter what age you are when you love puppetry, no one won't judge you, they just surprised that some people wants to be a puppeteer. And I'm glad that The Muppets, Sesame Street, etc are bring puppetry to life and our passion. I wish people talks about puppetry more in schools when someone wants to be a puppeteer. We wish that puppetry stays alive for Jim Henson's legacy, and keep puppetry feel more seen and heard. Rest in peace, Jim Henson, we always love your arts and creativity that brings your characters to life.
Rest in peace Jim Henson. Though the premiere was fun, the main lesson here is your health, mental or physical, is more important than your job. Thanls, saber for this amazing video ❤
This, I remember reading a post on Reddit about remaking beauty and the beast, make all characters Muppets except for the one person playing the beast, who is just a normal person, I'd watch that in a heartbeat.
I absolutely agree. They should’ve easily done that with the 2025 Snow White movie as what one user I know named, Aged Boomer mentioned in one stream they did
The whole thing with the Muppets post-Jim Henson eerily mirrors what Disney went through following Walt’s passing, with everything being played safe and there being a lot of division between the old and new generations on where to go next. I guess that’s kinda the result of having an ongoing legacy be built upon one individual’s name and success.
This and veggietales created the genre of "characters making a show in a show." Which is quite interesting to reflect on. We wouldn't have harvey birdman if the muppets didn't exist
Muppets is being handled by people who don't know how to use them. Jim's son Brian did some of the best works the Muppets have been involved with. For the love of everything holy let him handle things
@@geministrial950 And Muppet Treasure Island. But he did oust Steve Whitmire. Jim Henson and some of the other co-creators of Fraggle Rock (Jerry Juhl, Michael Frith, and Jocelyn Stevenson) chose Whitmire for Wembley after extensive auditions and improvisations. I think getting rid of Whitmire as the puppeteer of Wembley is even worse than getting rid of him as Kermit.
When’s the last time I heard people talk about a variety show that wasn’t SNL? Why….when they brought back The Muppet Show in 2017 for the Hollywood Bowl and 2018 for the O2 arena in the UK of course. Both of those live shows proved there’s an audience that wants it to come back. Honestly, I am shocked Disney didn’t capitalize on those shows and have them tour the US and the UK.
I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling it. It was absolutely perfect. They captured the charm and feel of the film, whilst brilliantly balancing the practical effects with the CGI, which was used by only to open up the world, (and allow the Gelflings to actually fly, rather than sort of float downwards, aka; falling with style!) The story, the characters, the humour, the emotion! As far as I'm concerned, everything was perfect. And we all know where it had to end, we knew none of the characters would make it out, but goddamit, I wanted to go on that journey with them, and be with them to the end!
Time to mention the fan proposed muppets movie where they play D&D, and it goes between the muppets at the table, and their characters played by celebrity actors, but the muppets still do the voices, so you have a Barbarian played by Jason Mamoa, voiced by Miss Piggy
@ according to the original fan pitch, it alternates between the table and the characters enacting the story, sort of like “The Gamers” trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy) (hopefully this comment actually ats you this time)
First off, Puppet Saber looks amazing. Nice work, Jacob. Secondly, it's a travesty that such a massive series of lovable characters, great songs, and intricate puppetry is falling into obscurity. The recent Muppets Haunted Mansion proves they're still capable of far more than Game Awards cameos. I hope things change in a big way some day, but whatever happens, I'll always adore these guys.
@@michaelstrong5383so no other company has it because arguably other companies probably could have found interest and could have possibly meet up there your success causing Disney to have to come up with a solution to deal with the Muppets so to avoid that why don't we just buy the company so no one else can seems much easier
the animation at 53:23 is actually not by disney, it was for a game commissioned by disney to a Big Blue Bubble studios (the creators of my singing monsters). the idea of the game was just my singing monsters, but muppets. the game was called "my muppets show" and has since been discontinued, but efforts are being put in to open a private server for the game. The game shutting down was Disney's decision, and the games music has been reused for the actual my singing monsters games (the pirate ship song was remixed into the loading screen theme for the prequel msm game, etc).
I think the muppets needing to be "The Muppets" proper is kind of a testament to how Jim's aspirations kinda failed in the long run, since he didn't want to just create an IP, he wanted to advance an artform. And puppetry has really fallen out of most major productions and been replaced mostly with CGI.
Let's all bring back "The Dark Crystal" series people! I am with you Saber, I HATE Netflix for canceling it. I love the Muppets so much. The Rainbow Connection will be in my heart always. We sang that at my sister's celebration of life because us sisters would karaoke that song and the rest of the Muppet Songs together.
I really loved this video. It feels like lots of people are talking about the Muppets right now and it’s telling that, while it’s largely critical, everyone starts with a mini doc on their history because everyone is unanimously coming from a place of deep love for them.
The overwhelming love for the Muppets makes the criticism all the more… telling? Understandable? Justified? It's like when a teacher knows their problem student who used to be a model student has immense potential, but they repeatedly squander it.
Which is a shame, because puppet media not for children can be excellent, Don't hug me I'm scared being a good example, I also really enjoyed the Muppets sitcom, just a shame it was cancelled.
Same could be said about cartoons unfortunately and now I’m even seeing people say this about anime too like why tf do people think like this it can be for anyone doesn’t matter how old you are
Seeing saber using a puppet for this video after watching Animats history of muppets video where he also uses a puppet brings me smiles because it shows how much effort they put in these videos
I've been a puppeteer since I was 11 and I've seen people who have done puppetry for years still fail at the basics. In this video I have seen no sinking, no "taco neck", good eye contact, moving the bottom jaw correctly. Good work!
I mean, if Bobsheaux literally had some movie reviews in the alpha omega movies into a werewolf himself, then Saberspark turning into a muppet himself wasn't shocking to me to say the least. It goes to show that if someone out there was able to find a way to alter the way we look and shapeshift into, I don't know, different versions of ourselves, whether anthro, toy, or other items with our souls, faces, and body features intact, it would spice our ways of life a bit and make others surprised or joy for the time being. Now I'm not sure if I want to turn into say an inanimate object or a piece of food, but I'm not shocked he went down that route, since it wouldn't be good if that opportunity talking about the muppets was completely skipped.
@@MrJechgo Eh, sometimes it could take a few days to sync both the audio recordings and him moving the character to sync the puppet's mouth with the audio recording (I'm sure I've done that with my BTTF 2015 video back in 2015, which I dubbed over my voice lines when I didn't have a lavalier microphone 9 years back).
I love the transformation from cartoon to Muppet BTW...thank you for addressing the realities of being a workaholic because I can definitely relate. I get so deep into my projects that sometimes I get carried away. Great message for any creative person.
I remember when I heard Jun had died I was in Junior High and was crushed. It was really the first bit of my childhood to be effected by death. Although I am not artistic in really any way, it weaghed heavily on me. Still tear up a little just for the reasons you mentioned the impact he has on all those around him and people my age in general.
As a creative (by hobby, I could never turn it into a profession), I thank you for the reminder to take care of yourself first and always. I have at times lost sleep because I would be working on a (not even super detailed) piece and before I know it, it's midnight and I realize that I needed to be in bed around 2 hours ago. Other times I forget to eat or hydrate (which in my defense, sometimes I'm just not hungry anyway, but I struggle with remembering to hydrate daily - and I don't even have an active lifestyle, though I know I do require fluids either way). I tell this to fellow creatives all the time as well: Your life and health come first ALWAYS. Even if you're doing commissions, as long as you communicate a sliver of what's going on, that's good. You don't have to be specific and say that your house is on fire, you're barfing up blood, and someone just kidnapped your child and ran over your dog. If you simply say "life got complicated, and I may take a few weeks to finish; Apologies for the delay", that is already better than ghosting others who gave you their trust to do something for them in a timely manner. On the other hand, some people also don't realize that yes, we may be artists, but we are also ALIVE. We're not the AI people rely on to generate things in 3 seconds. WE BREATHE, LIVE, AND THRIVE ON ART. We must eat, use the restroom, hydrate, and take care of ourselves as well: Meaning that if we get sick, we really need to take care of that illness first, as screen time really can make it harder by giving headaches, migraines, and (I dare say in my personal experience) nausea. People don't seem to understand that we've not forgotten about their request, and will try to rush us to do things. Which in that regard, I see no harm whatsoever in informing that you no longer want to work for them - if it's a freebie, then you're already able to simply block and move on. If it's a commission, refund for anything you may have done and move along. As long as you communicate things that may cause a delay, you're safe, imo. Side note: I'm honestly so sick of Vader being thrown in for everything Star Wars...He's the cash cow of the franchise and I hadn't been into him since I was a kid who just watched SW for the first time. I'd like backstories on lesser known characters - like Embo.
For me, the reason I didn't like that new Muppets TV show, was because the Muppets felt dead inside. Where as the previous Muppets movie had life to it. Plus I don't like The Office, which is why I was bored watching the first episode. In other words: I'm all for the Muppets evolving and getting with the times, as long as they keep their individual personalities. Even Saberspark's example of Miss Piggy being a fashionista I wouldn't mind seeing.
I love the Muppets so much. Watching the service for Jim Henson makes me tear up every time. His work was a big part of my life between Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. I’m really hoping to feel some of that Muppet magic again when Electric Mayhem takes over Rock N Rollercoaster
Jim Henson was a living legend. I'm only 19, but when I was younger, Sesame Street and The Muppets were a big thing part of me growing up. I remember reading a book from the library in elementary school from the "who was" series, and it had one about Jim Henson's life and his works and I remember also learning more about Jim when checking out Defunct Land's Muppet History series which was amazing. Also, those clips of that Memorial Service of Jim Henson always make me tear up every time especially when Big Bird showed up. 😔
Did you have this video planned for a while or is this based on recent events? Because this came out following some recent events regarding the Muppet brand.
Probably awhile since he has his own custom made Muppet of himself for the vid. Not sure how long they take but with the time it took to make the Muppet, script the Muppet, and voice over it, I'm guessing a few months.
It’s a bit weird that this video comes out right after that Schaffrillas video ranking the Muppets movies just came out and made me want to go through all the movies again with some I still haven’t seen. As someone who became a fan of the Muppets when the 2011 movie came out when I was very young and is one of my earliest memories, they mean a lot to me and I have been desperate for a new proper movie that revitalises the franchise again.
Steve Whitmire was right. If you didn't grow up with the muppets you might not get it, but Ill make this simple. Muppet fans don't want to see "modern" muppets, we want to see wholesome muppets. All the new stuff seems mean spirited, the frog who sung rainbow connection was not the same frog on the most recent sitcom. Honestly I'm happy enough to see the muppets dormant during the tenure of the current management.
Honestly, I think Jason Segel should’ve been that Muppet’s Kevin Feige. I know many of the OGs including Frank Oz disagree on many changes made by Segel, but the script he wrote wasn’t meant to be a direct adaptation, it was meant to reinvent The Muppets and bring them to life once more in a world that has forgotten about them. He convinced me there’s no bigger fan of The Muppets than him that has the medium and has proven to be able to bring them back to their former glory.
They need to replace Matt Vougel as Kermit and find someone else who can do the voice better. They are very cliquey and they like to recycle the same people over and over because puppeteering is a hard job. They should be more willing to bring new people in more often and train them.
I was 8 when Jim died. As someone who grew up on all of his early work, he and his creations meant the world to me. His passing still hurts a lot. I still cry my eyes out whenever he's talked about. His funeral kills my soul. Not only was it a beautifully touching memorial, it never fails to show how important he was to millions of us. I agree that it's so damn sad thinking about what we'd be getting from him had he taken care of himself. It was always Jim's plan to sell his IPs to Disney, so I don't blame his family for doing so. As they said, they were just respecting his wishes. Jim could've never predicted what the media industry would be like after the internet was invented. The world is so fast paced now that it's hard for companies to keep up. Jim's success came at a time when TV was new, inventive, and experimental. Jim could've taken his time. It's just sad he was a workaholic. Tbh, I don't think Jim would've handled modern media very well, considering his strict work ethic. An intervention would've happened, though admittedly, it should've happened while he was still alive. As he was getting sicker and sicker, his family and coworkers should've pushed for him to see a doctor. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not sure if The Muppets belong in the modern world, and this is coming from an older millennial who adores the hell out of them. I'm not saying they can't have any semblance of relevancy today. However, even with the 2011 movie being a hit, media is so fast paced and brain rot seems to be the thing people, especially, especially kids, crave. People want instant gratification, which you can't necessarily get from shows that existed before the internet. Most things that are thought provoking aren't what minors seek out. This goes for adults, too. Mindless scrolling has become a huge problem. My fiance is a victim of it. He loves scrolling through UA-cam shorts and imgur just to distract himself from his thoughts, stressors, and anxiety. The Muppets are smart, witty, and engaging. Jim's humor might translate to modern times, but I'm not placing bets on that. Jim was the heart and soul of every single one of his creations. Without him at the helm, things fall apart. There are hundreds of shows that were great before the turn of the millennium, but never got a revival because sometimes, that's just how it should be. If you look at what Disney did to Doug and The Rugrats when they got their hands on those properties, you can see why keeping an IP alive just for the nostalgia factor doesn't work the majority of the time. So maybe, just maybe.... The Muppets should do the same. It's had a very, very long mostly great run. It can rest with Jim. We can keep Sesame Street running, though I am very disappointed it's not with PBS anymore. Again, I adore The Muppets. They mean the world to me. But so did all the pets I once owned in my life. Nothing lasts forever. Things are brought into our lives at the right time to bring joy, comfort, and worth. It'd be like hiring a new person to be Mr Rogers just to keep the legacy alive. It just wouldn't feel right. He offered the world something that can't be replicated. Same with the Muppets. In the hands of people who don't have Jim's vision, it's bound to fail, and oddly enough, I'm okay with that. We still have access to everything Muppets related. It will never truly die. "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Jim's legacy will live on long after we all pass on. That's how legendary he was. We can allow some of his work to stop. It's okay.
My first Muppet movie was The Christmas Carol which my grandparents showed me. It has a special place in my heart as I quote it every year and often. Now, I have introduced my girls to it. I wish Disney would do more with The Muppets, but they have no idea how to handle the franchise. They just know to replace it with a monster inc ride.
They NEVER should have fired Steve Whitmire. The moment they axxed him over petty disputes, was the moment all muppet fans realized Disney doesnt care about them.
He may have gone about things the wrong way, but at least he cared. I still don’t know what to think about him “black listing” other puppeteers. To me, anyone who has worked one on one with Jim Henson himself wouldn’t do that.
@@reneeangely8446 true. Disney fucked over one of the hand picked legacy puppeteers and then paraded around their doppelganger replacement. Kermit has never been the same and it's just been sad ever since..
38:43 That is a beautiful memorial, no black clothes, jazz music was played, his creations where there. They lost their creator, it was a lose for them aswell. Such a sweet thing to do. It's beautiful
Everyone should also watch the defunctland mini series on Jim Henson if you haven't already and want a more in depth look at Jim's life, it's so well done
The Muppets reminds me of a beat up car that needs a lot of work. New everything. It's not getting it. So it sits in a field with rats nesting in it's engine block.. until someone comes along, pulls it out of a ditch and restores it. Whatever that means in this case.
whitmire needs to have kermit back. Matt Vogel sounds nothing like henson or anything like kermit should. Also, the Muppets ABC show was gold in my opinion lol. the disney plus show that tried to copy it was SO BAD lol. i would argue that whitmire gave kermit more personality and lifelike-ness than ever before. ESPECIALLY in the ABC show. that show made them more expressive than ever given it relied on that type of humor. idk, i think a lot of the complaints about whitmire are flipped and moreso applied to vogel.
Muppets Mayhem should’ve been about the Electric Mayhem finding their place in the modern musical landscape after a hiatus. This would’ve been a great way to tie in the old with the new. Plus there are so many fun ideas they could work with like - Dr. Teeth experimenting with autotune - Animal getting into production and making the most insane, incomprehensible beat known to man (or muppet) - Janice being put into different ridiculous outfits to stand out to fans (this is more 2000’s era, but it’d still be funny) - The band trying to integrate hip hop into their sound by using Lips as a (mumble) rapper - The band trying to establish a social media presence and learning all the quirks of that - The band dealing with industry executives getting between them and performing with crazy requests
I haven’t seen anything like that to my knowledge, but I tend to think Disney paid off the Henson kids for saying bad things about Steve Whitmire regarding him being fired. But again there’s no concrete evidence of that.
I stayed to the end. This was well thought out and very informative! Also I think Jason Siegel should be that guy to take over the Muppet franchise. What he did with the movies was absolutely phenomenal. Me and my kids still enjoy them to this day!!
I think, Saberspark don't know about TV-bridge between Kermit Frog and piglet Khryusha (or Oinky, if it's more comfortable for you) - the character of "Good night, babies!" ("Спокойной ночи, малыши!") - popular soviet and russian TV-program.
Man, I feel like we’re just collectively regressing as a country. So many advertisements are shoved in children’s faces these days. I couldn’t imagine ACT or the FCC being founded today.
Nice overview of the Henson legacy. But I disagree that Muppets needs to chase trends or even need to have a breakout hit. The reason why the Muppets worked for so long is that they are characters that were workshopped and developed by the performers. They were a tight-knit ensemble that played well together and created magic. Great muppet content doesn't come from a Kevin Fiege-esq studio head. Or even a Jason Seigel. It comes from a bunch of guts fooling around with puppets and creating characters. And The Muppet Show gang were the right characters for their time period. And as times change, new puppets and characters should come and go. Much the way Saturday Night Live has survived by bringing in new comedic voices that learn to play and build off each other. This is how you get a character like Pepe who wasn't a part of the original gang...or even an Elmo who wasn't a thing until the right performer found his voice.
The Muppets need an entire cast of leadership and creative talent that believes in them and is willing to take risks with them, rather than just letting them collect dust on a shelf. I guarantee you that if there's anything Disney and the Henson clan should be able to agree on, it's that Jim would've *NEVER* wanted The Muppets to be forgotten about and doomed to irrelevancy.
I remember when they introduced Lily the first ever muppet to experience homelessness and everyone reminded them that Oscar the grouch has been living in a trash can for like 50 years LOL
Hey Saber, I gotta mention, as a puppeteer, and a member of Puppeteers of America, good first performance!!! While performing, try to hold your hand rigid for the most part. Talk with only your thumb, especially with human puppets. A very common pitfall for new puppeteers is making the entire top of the head open for every word the character speaks. You want the lower jaw to do most of the movement. It’s gonna feel really awkward for a while. Your thumb will feel slow and your hand being more fixed will feel unnatural and uncomfortable. You’ll get a sore wrist and achy thumb from doing things this way. You’ll feel like it’s not worth it and you want to give up. HOWEVER, when you look at the playback, or live monitor, you will see a big difference in the reality and relatability of your character. It will feel more alive and the eyes will hold steady contact with the audience. You’ll see a big difference in the believability of the illusion. Stick with it! You’re doing great!
Incredible video Mr Saberspark. As a long time subscriber and follower, I'm pleased to see you tackle long form videos like this. They are a commitment but you dedication and fascination pulls through!
Honestly, why couldn’t they just have released Muppets Most Wanted in the summer? Especially considering that was the last year we had not a single new Pixar movie as Good Dinosaur was originally going to release that summer, but got pushed to the holidays the following year due to development hell.
I think having the Muppets come back and retell stories would be amazing. Example Christmas Carol and treasure Island. Those were really funny and entertaining retellings of classic stories and there definitely most peoples favorites. Like imagine the Muppets Wicked, the Muppets Star wars, the Muppets Coraline, the Muppets corpse bride. Now are my examples good probably not but i bet any of yall could think of a movie or book you would want the Muppets to cover. It would be funny and interesting. And it doesn't even have to be for theatrical release it can just be on Disney plus or TV special kinda thing. I feel like that would cover sticking with what works but also doing something new. IM TELLING YALL THE MUPPETS WICKED WOULD PROBABLY GO HARD FRFR 🤣
1:11:11 - IS the variety sketch show REALLY dead? Isn't that what TikTok is, a variety sketch show writ large? The only challenge seems to be to get this generation to watch one thing for 30 minutes at a time.
Why would you let that hack handle the Muppets? He's the antithesis of everything Jim Henson was. Jim did a hilarious comedy show for adults that the whole family can enjoy while Seth does nothing but make everything hateful and offensive.
You are right but also wrong about the Muppets needing to evolve. Sesame Street has added embellishments but never changed its core, which is gentle development, education & wholesome depth of understanding that children are little people that need to be helped with the big world. New Muppets have lost the core of what made them appealing. It was a found family, dedicated friendships, uplifting in the face of failure, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT. They are designed for the WHOLE family to enjoy together this is what the Muppets lack. If Disney want to resurrect the Muppets they need to do so with the family in mind. I wholly believe that The Muppets Christmas Carol & The Muppets Treasure Planet are the best examples of how we can use these characters to reboot both them & family entertainment back into Cinema. Carry on with the legacy of wholesome storytelling - we have plenty of classic literature that could be used by The Muppets. Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Mysterious Island, Oliver Twist, How the West was Won, Sherlock Holmes ect ect. Once re-established you can look to The Muppets returning to a tv-style show format not as a talk show but as a "Disney+" studio putting together multiple programmes, ie. The Swedish Chef Cooking Show, Miss Piggy's Next Top Model, Gonzo & Rizzo's Nature Channel. Be light-hearted return to tongue in cheek humour, remain faithful to the ultimate design of the Muppets, as FAMILY entertainment, as storytellers, as unlikely friends to unlikely family. Never forgot that Parents today want their kids to be introduced to wholesome content this is the opportunity to create it.
It kind of says something when the 2018 Muppet Babies series on Disney Junior is the most successful Muppets project made by Disney after 2011. I mean, running for 3 seasons, 71 episodes, and 4 years is definitely something the other shows wanted.
The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance is one of my favorite series and I am still devastated that Netflix failed to give us a second season to wrap the story up.
Thank you Helix for sponsoring! Visit helixsleep.com/saberspark to get 20% off your Helix mattress, plus two free pillows. Offers subject to change. #helixsleep
Was your puppet commissioned by someone? I love it's movement.
Damn what a great video. Happy holidays Saber, don't forget to take a break after this one.
Now that you've become a puppet, we can throw a party playing "PUPPET" by Thousand Foot Crutch.
You need to make a correction about 1 thing that I know of. Yoda was not invented for Star Wars. For Starters Yoda was first in Star Wars in 1983 with The Empire Strikes back. However in ET a kid wore the mask of what we now know as Yoda and ET was released in 1981 before Yoda was ever created. Now note they used box of random old movie props. The mask that was used to pretend to be Yoda is from and I am sad to say this a forgotten movie which has been declared as lost media that I did see in the 1990s but it was a movie called Trolls From Under The Bridge or Trolls Who Live Under the Bridge which was from 1966. It was a campy style movie to say it nicely. Basically people wore bad costumes and destroyed a bunch of cardboard box sets like the original Godzilla movies. It was solid D tier movie. George Lucas never created the creature he just used an existing costume and called it his own creation kind of like how he didn't create Star Wars he took 2 existing franchises and has lied his ass off ever sense after stealing the ideas and claiming he created it out of no where. Go watch the 1963 Thundarr The Barbarian and Star Blazers aka Space Battle Ship Yamato the second series changed its name when it got remade and when it got the American dubbing in the 1960s and when it got an American full release in the 1990s. You watch those 2 shows and you will wonder how in the hell he could blatantly lie about creating Star Wars and not get sued to death for blatant plagiarism. Oh and the 1988 He Man and the Republic Clone Army Versus Droid Confederate Army Movie. Yes that is the actual title of the movie and I am sure you can guess what its about. That live action He Man movie was really really bad and makes you question a lot of stuff.
Sesame Street is set in the back door of high rises between buildings where the trash cans are. Sesame Street is an alley not a street. It should be called Sesame Back Alley.
If you want to watch more about Jim Henson, highly HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Defunctland’s series on him. Kevin Perjurer and the rest of his team go into a lot more detail about certain things that Saber briefly touched on here, and it’s also just a really well written series.
And Animat’s Animation Lookback on the Muppets.
Seconded, for the love of god i can't recommend Perjurer's documentary on Henson enough. It's so well done, you really wont regret it.
Honestly in a perfect world we would have gotten Muppet Adaptions of classic Disney properties instead of the “live action remakes”. Also 100 percent agreed, the muppet is a timeless and iconic. They should be invested in, in a similar fashion to marvel and given a creative director that overseas and green lights creative projects. They are worth a lot of money and there is a lot of potential profit that is being missed out on by not capitalising on their brand.
YES i already love muppetd christmas carol, it’d be cool to see the muppets do their own verisons of other stories
YES!! MUPPET STAR WARS!
That would of been amazing. 100%
Ooh, that's an idea. The Hey Cinderella! special was one of my favorites as a kid. I imagine something similar to that, but updated without losing the charm. I will always love the dynamic of serious actors playing alongside Muppets. Edit: Hell, the new live-action Snow White would be improved by having Muppets play the dwarves instead of those CGI monstrosities.
100%! I've said for years that there are so many comedy remakes they could make with the Muppet IP. Imagine a Beauty and the Beast where Beast is the only human (maybe even get like a Henry Cavil type who is hyper handsome) and have the Muppets call him hideous and dreadful the whole movie just for him to turn into a Muppet in the end. Or a Snow White and the Seven Giants, with the Giants being played by humans and Miss Piggy being the Evil Queen (and her REFUSING to turn into a hag, which is how she gets called out for poisoning Snow White).
There's so many opportunities at their finger tips, if they weren't cowards!
Waldorf: They aren't half bad.
Statler: Nope, they're ALL bad!
OOOOHHH HO HOHO HO!!!
Smiling Friends said it best about companies: "It's *MY* IP to sit on and do nothing with!"
I can hear this in Zach's screetch.
@@spiwolf6998 Okay but he was voiced by Lyle
@@kadeshaderow That's fair.
@@kadeshaderowthe famous Lyle from “Lyle! Lyle! Turn on the TV! THEY HIT THE FUCKING PENTAGON!!!! They hit the fucking pentagon, Lyle….”
That line gets more and more accurate every year.
Whoever made the decision to get Stadtler and Waldorf cracking jokes at The Games Awards had the right idea and understood the assignment. They stole the show!!!
Look at the previous game awards , muppets are there too
Legit a genius decision from Geoff to have those two come on. They know a lot of people hate The Game Awards and that bringing on the Muppets whose whole thing are to be haters was a brilliant idea to capitalize on.
I was legit shocked when the literal first joke they made was directly referencing the infamous "Please, wrap it up" incident. Like damn, they held no punches right from the onset.
I've never watched The Muppets but I'm comfortable calling Statler and Waldorf my favourite Muppets now, no doubt.
@@jgee8421 Yeah Swedish Chef had a bit last year... and ended up in Overcooked... at one of them.
I feel like the treatment of the Muppets is very similar to Warner Bros treatment of the Looney Tunes has been for the past twenty years post-Space Jam and Back in Action. Honestly would like to see a “What’s Ruining Looney Tunes” video from Saber sometime next year.
I fell like waner brothers treats the loony tunes more as mascots then an actual franchise at this point.
@VitaminNick-k1r The thing is most modern LT stuff has been pretty solid (except Wabbit and Space Jam 2) and the Day the Earth Blew Up is shaping up to be one of the best movies of next year. It literally has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and WB isn't even distributing the movie even though the Looney Tunes are arguably their biggest original asset.
I feel like it’s Hanna Barbera who gets the worst treatment by the WB. That terrible Velma series anyone.
It’s kind of funny that they do short comedy shows like teen titans go but loony toons and Hanna Barbara creations are memory holed.
@@garali1973 I wish they would feature Hanna Barbera shows that aren't Scooby or Tom and Jerry more. Jellystone was an attempt.
Frank Oz also believes the Disney deal also made Jim sick since he definitely wasn’t a Businessman and couldn’t handle the pressure from Disney.
Disney is quite a Devil...
🃏
Jim was trying to juggle a lot of things in the last few months of his life. The Disney deal was just more stress that Jim didn't need.
@@JCBro-yg8vdjim henson had done everything he wanted to do. He idolised Walt disney. Actively sought them out to run his company after his first attempt blew up in his face. That was to Australian tv mogul and founder of hit. That deal went sour and henson clawed the company back. He was reaching retirement age. And after nearly thinking about ending it all. He wrote the henson letters to his children. Brad grey was furious about the deal he didn't know about. bernie brillsteen told grey after henson died about hensons secret deal re his children. It gave his children control company and looked to grey that he was cut of the picture. There is an old adage in business never put your children in charge of your company
Ultimately, not going to the hospital soon enough (with the very rare toxic shock syndrome caused by S. pyogenes) killed Henson, but I don't doubt that didn't help stress-wise.
@@LittleMissLounge I remember reading something that suggested Henson's Christian Science upbringing also made him very hesitant to see a doctor, so that might have contributed too. Then again, I don't know how well known toxic shock snydrome was known back then, so they might not have detected it soon enough.
Sesame Street is also ruined because got removed from HBO Max/Max and now needs donations to keep the show alive.
You would have to be the worst CEO of all time if you screwed Sesame Street over badly.
Oh hi, David Zaslav.
@@michaelstrong5383 complain about it all you want, its not gonna get him out of WB
Now, if we went on a strike however...
I had no idea that sesame Street was in trouble I assumed that they were doing alright and I also wonder why they never did a crossover with Muppets and sesame Street instead of just having Kermit show up or sesame Street occasionally?
that's pathethic irony.
So that's why they tried to sell NFTs. Talk about a fall from grace
As a very long time fan of Muppets, and puppetry in general, I can tell you it's because Disney has no idea about how to run a puppet troupe. As big as The Muppets became during Jim's lifetime, they were still closer to being a community theater or improv group than anything else. (I also like to think that Bob Iger has a terrible phobia of puppets)
I'm hopeful though that things may change for the better in the future, despite the bad news about Muppetvision. I can't see the Henson family letting the last major project Jim worked on get lost forever. Personally, I'm hoping that the Center for Puppetry Arts becomes involved and provides Muppetvision with a permanent home at their museum.
I'd also like to see them actually own the Muppets IP completely someday. As nice as it would be to see them under the Henson umbrella again, I don't think that will happen for a variety of reasons, some financial and some personal. All we do is keep believing in that Rainbow Connection...
Disney does prefer easy CGI over any kind of human-use so... Definitely figures they'd just eliminate the competition vs utilizing it...
Jim was the only thing holding this inevitability back...
🃏
bro i deadass read that in Jane's voice.
Fundamentally, the Muppets embody an anarchic energy that is antithetical to the predictable, controlled, paint-by-numbers M.O. of the Disney suits.
Disney doesn't know how to "do" the sentimentality without crossing into sugary, condescending schmaltz and how to "do" the humor without coming across like snarky, self-aware, self-flagellating Gen Xers who are very proud of having seen more movies than you.
I also read this in Jane Lane's voice 🙂. I completely agree. Also, I laughed at the idea of Bob Iger being terrified of puppets.
@dinosaysrawr not just sentimentality; there was an unshakable core of emotional honesty and empathy to the Muppets & Co that a company like Disney perpetually hogtied by the line-must-go-up mentality will always struggle to convey.
I wish puppetry weren’t a dying art I make traditional Czech marionettes I wish others shared the passion
Thanks to you, I went down a rabbit hole about Czech culture and puppets. I had no idea how deep the tradition went. Man, I wish my country was more associated with puppets instead of, IDK, imperialism.
@@LittleMissLounge Same.
That's so cool! I would love to see it. Have any sosial media I can see?
I've felt the same too. Everytime that I see that letters about other careers more than puppetry, I've felt like puppetry are slowly dying at this point. That's why I'm passionate about being a puppeteer because I wanna follow Jim Henson's footsteps, and sees everybody happy and laughing. It doesn't matter what age you are when you love puppetry, no one won't judge you, they just surprised that some people wants to be a puppeteer. And I'm glad that The Muppets, Sesame Street, etc are bring puppetry to life and our passion. I wish people talks about puppetry more in schools when someone wants to be a puppeteer. We wish that puppetry stays alive for Jim Henson's legacy, and keep puppetry feel more seen and heard. Rest in peace, Jim Henson, we always love your arts and creativity that brings your characters to life.
Not a Saber muppet to narrate the whole video 😭 That's so charming! You went above and beyond in this one my guy, well done
Rest in peace Jim Henson. Though the premiere was fun, the main lesson here is your health, mental or physical, is more important than your job. Thanls, saber for this amazing video ❤
Instead of these live action remakes, Disney should have made Muppet remakes of their classic films. I'd watch those in a heartbeat.
That's a brilliant idea
This would be AWESOME
Should Disney make this a movie?
ua-cam.com/video/G9QC52vqwkg/v-deo.htmlsi=zSA7xl-Xu-EZiIwm
This, I remember reading a post on Reddit about remaking beauty and the beast, make all characters Muppets except for the one person playing the beast, who is just a normal person, I'd watch that in a heartbeat.
I absolutely agree. They should’ve easily done that with the 2025 Snow White movie as what one user I know named, Aged Boomer mentioned in one stream they did
According to Jim's wife, if you ever wanted to see how Jim Henson and Frank Oz got along, just look at Ernie and Bert. That was basically them.
The whole thing with the Muppets post-Jim Henson eerily mirrors what Disney went through following Walt’s passing, with everything being played safe and there being a lot of division between the old and new generations on where to go next. I guess that’s kinda the result of having an ongoing legacy be built upon one individual’s name and success.
This and veggietales created the genre of "characters making a show in a show." Which is quite interesting to reflect on. We wouldn't have harvey birdman if the muppets didn't exist
Muppets is being handled by people who don't know how to use them. Jim's son Brian did some of the best works the Muppets have been involved with. For the love of everything holy let him handle things
The suits upstairs can't tolerate creativity anymore, that's too expensive!
OTOH, Brian Henson also directed The Happytime Murders, for whatever that is worth ...
@@matthiasschulz3569 but he also made The Muppets Christmas Carol
@@geministrial950 And Muppet Treasure Island.
But he did oust Steve Whitmire. Jim Henson and some of the other co-creators of Fraggle Rock (Jerry Juhl, Michael Frith, and Jocelyn Stevenson) chose Whitmire for Wembley after extensive auditions and improvisations. I think getting rid of Whitmire as the puppeteer of Wembley is even worse than getting rid of him as Kermit.
They get people who do especially the stuff that did work but fans were too stuck up to accept change
When’s the last time I heard people talk about a variety show that wasn’t SNL? Why….when they brought back The Muppet Show in 2017 for the Hollywood Bowl and 2018 for the O2 arena in the UK of course. Both of those live shows proved there’s an audience that wants it to come back. Honestly, I am shocked Disney didn’t capitalize on those shows and have them tour the US and the UK.
Yeah, why can’t we have a good variety show today? SNL sucks
Glad to see you're also here on the Holding a Grudge Over The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Train, it was so good I'll never be over it, ever
I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling it. It was absolutely perfect. They captured the charm and feel of the film, whilst brilliantly balancing the practical effects with the CGI, which was used by only to open up the world, (and allow the Gelflings to actually fly, rather than sort of float downwards, aka; falling with style!) The story, the characters, the humour, the emotion! As far as I'm concerned, everything was perfect. And we all know where it had to end, we knew none of the characters would make it out, but goddamit, I wanted to go on that journey with them, and be with them to the end!
Time to mention the fan proposed muppets movie where they play D&D, and it goes between the muppets at the table, and their characters played by celebrity actors, but the muppets still do the voices, so you have a Barbarian played by Jason Mamoa, voiced by Miss Piggy
Why do we not have this? I want to see this
That would be really cool whichever way they ended up doing it.
@ according to the original fan pitch, it alternates between the table and the characters enacting the story, sort of like “The Gamers” trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy) (hopefully this comment actually ats you this time)
It hurts to see Muppets suffer like this.
We are neglecting human history 😢
Just let it go
@@Icecanon you’re not even old enough to appreciate Jim’s legacy. Hush kiddo.
First off, Puppet Saber looks amazing. Nice work, Jacob. Secondly, it's a travesty that such a massive series of lovable characters, great songs, and intricate puppetry is falling into obscurity. The recent Muppets Haunted Mansion proves they're still capable of far more than Game Awards cameos. I hope things change in a big way some day, but whatever happens, I'll always adore these guys.
Why even buy the Muppets in the first place if you're not going to do much with them?
@@michaelstrong5383so no other company has it because arguably other companies probably could have found interest and could have possibly meet up there your success causing Disney to have to come up with a solution to deal with the Muppets so to avoid that why don't we just buy the company so no one else can seems much easier
Im concerned. Still not one word about the obvious problem that is the abomination called Rocko.
Omg, that thing is still around? I hope Elmo is doing OK
Omg this comment sends me haha
ITS THE MUPPET SHOW WITH OUR VERY SPECIAL GUEST STAR SABERSPARK YEAaaaaAAAaaAAAAAaAA
the animation at 53:23 is actually not by disney, it was for a game commissioned by disney to a Big Blue Bubble studios (the creators of my singing monsters). the idea of the game was just my singing monsters, but muppets. the game was called "my muppets show" and has since been discontinued, but efforts are being put in to open a private server for the game. The game shutting down was Disney's decision, and the games music has been reused for the actual my singing monsters games (the pirate ship song was remixed into the loading screen theme for the prequel msm game, etc).
I think the muppets needing to be "The Muppets" proper is kind of a testament to how Jim's aspirations kinda failed in the long run, since he didn't want to just create an IP, he wanted to advance an artform. And puppetry has really fallen out of most major productions and been replaced mostly with CGI.
Let's all bring back "The Dark Crystal" series people! I am with you Saber, I HATE Netflix for canceling it.
I love the Muppets so much. The Rainbow Connection will be in my heart always. We sang that at my sister's celebration of life because us sisters would karaoke that song and the rest of the Muppet Songs together.
If you liked the history of Jim Henson section of this video, I HIGHLY recommend watching the the defunctland series on Jim Henson
I really loved this video. It feels like lots of people are talking about the Muppets right now and it’s telling that, while it’s largely critical, everyone starts with a mini doc on their history because everyone is unanimously coming from a place of deep love for them.
The overwhelming love for the Muppets makes the criticism all the more… telling? Understandable? Justified? It's like when a teacher knows their problem student who used to be a model student has immense potential, but they repeatedly squander it.
Cool video. Also it'd be pretty cool to see a puppet sabie. She'd look cute as a puppet
First Schaffrillas, then YungJunko, and now Saber. Everyone’s doing a Muppet video for the holiday season
Now we just need Arlo to make one.
Defunctland did a whole multi-part series covering Henson's life and legacy - though that was a few years ago.
Might have to do with Disney announcing the closure of MuppetVision 3D
Which channel do you like the most when it comes to the Muppets?
I remember when puppets were NOT exclusive to children's media, now it's sadly too synonymous.
Jim felt the same way
Which is a shame, because puppet media not for children can be excellent, Don't hug me I'm scared being a good example, I also really enjoyed the Muppets sitcom, just a shame it was cancelled.
Same could be said about cartoons unfortunately and now I’m even seeing people say this about anime too like why tf do people think like this it can be for anyone doesn’t matter how old you are
Where’s the next Sifl and Olly or Strange Hill high?
Seeing saber using a puppet for this video after watching Animats history of muppets video where he also uses a puppet brings me smiles because it shows how much effort they put in these videos
I've been a puppeteer since I was 11 and I've seen people who have done puppetry for years still fail at the basics. In this video I have seen no sinking, no "taco neck", good eye contact, moving the bottom jaw correctly. Good work!
saberspark as a muppet-style puppet was unexpected, to say the least.
Nicest thing I can say about it
I mean, if Bobsheaux literally had some movie reviews in the alpha omega movies into a werewolf himself, then Saberspark turning into a muppet himself wasn't shocking to me to say the least. It goes to show that if someone out there was able to find a way to alter the way we look and shapeshift into, I don't know, different versions of ourselves, whether anthro, toy, or other items with our souls, faces, and body features intact, it would spice our ways of life a bit and make others surprised or joy for the time being. Now I'm not sure if I want to turn into say an inanimate object or a piece of food, but I'm not shocked he went down that route, since it wouldn't be good if that opportunity talking about the muppets was completely skipped.
His hand must have been hurting after filming ^^;
@@MrJechgo Eh, sometimes it could take a few days to sync both the audio recordings and him moving the character to sync the puppet's mouth with the audio recording (I'm sure I've done that with my BTTF 2015 video back in 2015, which I dubbed over my voice lines when I didn't have a lavalier microphone 9 years back).
It was fitting, plus it's cool to see more puppets being used on UA-cam in a non-educational manner.
Last I saw of these guys was The Game awards. I had no idea that was basically ALL they've been doing the past few years
That’s it? What the fuck! No wonder Trump won.
I love the transformation from cartoon to Muppet
BTW...thank you for addressing the realities of being a workaholic because I can definitely relate. I get so deep into my projects that sometimes I get carried away. Great message for any creative person.
A modern day Muppet show with guests like Chappell Roan or Timothee Chalamet would be so fun and draw in younger viewers tho…
I remember when I heard Jun had died I was in Junior High and was crushed. It was really the first bit of my childhood to be effected by death. Although I am not artistic in really any way, it weaghed heavily on me. Still tear up a little just for the reasons you mentioned the impact he has on all those around him and people my age in general.
I wasn't born yet when Jim died, but that perfectly describes how I felt when Tom Petty passed away in 2017.
Jacob did a great job on the Saberspark puppet
As a creative (by hobby, I could never turn it into a profession), I thank you for the reminder to take care of yourself first and always.
I have at times lost sleep because I would be working on a (not even super detailed) piece and before I know it, it's midnight and I realize that I needed to be in bed around 2 hours ago.
Other times I forget to eat or hydrate (which in my defense, sometimes I'm just not hungry anyway, but I struggle with remembering to hydrate daily - and I don't even have an active lifestyle, though I know I do require fluids either way).
I tell this to fellow creatives all the time as well: Your life and health come first ALWAYS. Even if you're doing commissions, as long as you communicate a sliver of what's going on, that's good. You don't have to be specific and say that your house is on fire, you're barfing up blood, and someone just kidnapped your child and ran over your dog. If you simply say "life got complicated, and I may take a few weeks to finish; Apologies for the delay", that is already better than ghosting others who gave you their trust to do something for them in a timely manner.
On the other hand, some people also don't realize that yes, we may be artists, but we are also ALIVE. We're not the AI people rely on to generate things in 3 seconds. WE BREATHE, LIVE, AND THRIVE ON ART. We must eat, use the restroom, hydrate, and take care of ourselves as well: Meaning that if we get sick, we really need to take care of that illness first, as screen time really can make it harder by giving headaches, migraines, and (I dare say in my personal experience) nausea. People don't seem to understand that we've not forgotten about their request, and will try to rush us to do things. Which in that regard, I see no harm whatsoever in informing that you no longer want to work for them - if it's a freebie, then you're already able to simply block and move on. If it's a commission, refund for anything you may have done and move along. As long as you communicate things that may cause a delay, you're safe, imo.
Side note: I'm honestly so sick of Vader being thrown in for everything Star Wars...He's the cash cow of the franchise and I hadn't been into him since I was a kid who just watched SW for the first time. I'd like backstories on lesser known characters - like Embo.
For me, the reason I didn't like that new Muppets TV show, was because the Muppets felt dead inside.
Where as the previous Muppets movie had life to it. Plus I don't like The Office, which is why I was bored watching the first episode.
In other words: I'm all for the Muppets evolving and getting with the times, as long as they keep their individual personalities.
Even Saberspark's example of Miss Piggy being a fashionista I wouldn't mind seeing.
I wonder, can you do what ruined Sesame Street as a sequel to this video.
is it ruined or just stagnant teaching the same lessons since the 70s?
@@Game_HeroNope. They kept teaching different things, expanding curricula.
I love the Muppets so much. Watching the service for Jim Henson makes me tear up every time. His work was a big part of my life between Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. I’m really hoping to feel some of that Muppet magic again when Electric Mayhem takes over Rock N Rollercoaster
I met carol spinney in 2019 unfortunately he passed away
He just lied there cold and motionless, but still it was an honor to meet him.
@@rrecherei9092 I did a tribute to him on my channel
ua-cam.com/video/ldSp0Hhuuas/v-deo.htmlsi=OqttXMGz8i1EZ4Wz
@@rrecherei9092 I did a tribute to him on my UA-cam channel
Jim Henson was a living legend. I'm only 19, but when I was younger, Sesame Street and The Muppets were a big thing part of me growing up. I remember reading a book from the library in elementary school from the "who was" series, and it had one about Jim Henson's life and his works and I remember also learning more about Jim when checking out Defunct Land's Muppet History series which was amazing. Also, those clips of that Memorial Service of Jim Henson always make me tear up every time especially when Big Bird showed up. 😔
Did you have this video planned for a while or is this based on recent events? Because this came out following some recent events regarding the Muppet brand.
Probably awhile since he has his own custom made Muppet of himself for the vid. Not sure how long they take but with the time it took to make the Muppet, script the Muppet, and voice over it, I'm guessing a few months.
What news it that?
@@fusionsighMuppet Vision is planning to shut down, and Rock ‘n” Rollercoaster is getting a Muppets rebrand.
@ Well Muppet Vision is gone and Sesame Workshop needs a new distributor.
@@cloudlion1610 thank you for the info
It’s a bit weird that this video comes out right after that Schaffrillas video ranking the Muppets movies just came out and made me want to go through all the movies again with some I still haven’t seen. As someone who became a fan of the Muppets when the 2011 movie came out when I was very young and is one of my earliest memories, they mean a lot to me and I have been desperate for a new proper movie that revitalises the franchise again.
I remember muppets: treasure island was my favorite as a kid. Its sad Disney has no idea what to do with the Muppets.
Steve Whitmire was right. If you didn't grow up with the muppets you might not get it, but Ill make this simple. Muppet fans don't want to see "modern" muppets, we want to see wholesome muppets. All the new stuff seems mean spirited, the frog who sung rainbow connection was not the same frog on the most recent sitcom. Honestly I'm happy enough to see the muppets dormant during the tenure of the current management.
The lip syncing being off on Puppetspark is so distracting. But it’s such a cool looking puppet 😂
It reminds me of this
ua-cam.com/video/G9QC52vqwkg/v-deo.htmlsi=zSA7xl-Xu-EZiIwm
@@imtyler99yearsago90
💀
Honestly, I think Jason Segel should’ve been that Muppet’s Kevin Feige. I know many of the OGs including Frank Oz disagree on many changes made by Segel, but the script he wrote wasn’t meant to be a direct adaptation, it was meant to reinvent The Muppets and bring them to life once more in a world that has forgotten about them. He convinced me there’s no bigger fan of The Muppets than him that has the medium and has proven to be able to bring them back to their former glory.
The last time I remember hearing anything about the Muppets was when Kermit the Frog made a cameo appearance on amphibia
They need to replace Matt Vougel as Kermit and find someone else who can do the voice better. They are very cliquey and they like to recycle the same people over and over because puppeteering is a hard job. They should be more willing to bring new people in more often and train them.
I was 8 when Jim died. As someone who grew up on all of his early work, he and his creations meant the world to me. His passing still hurts a lot. I still cry my eyes out whenever he's talked about. His funeral kills my soul. Not only was it a beautifully touching memorial, it never fails to show how important he was to millions of us. I agree that it's so damn sad thinking about what we'd be getting from him had he taken care of himself.
It was always Jim's plan to sell his IPs to Disney, so I don't blame his family for doing so. As they said, they were just respecting his wishes. Jim could've never predicted what the media industry would be like after the internet was invented. The world is so fast paced now that it's hard for companies to keep up. Jim's success came at a time when TV was new, inventive, and experimental. Jim could've taken his time. It's just sad he was a workaholic. Tbh, I don't think Jim would've handled modern media very well, considering his strict work ethic. An intervention would've happened, though admittedly, it should've happened while he was still alive. As he was getting sicker and sicker, his family and coworkers should've pushed for him to see a doctor.
Unpopular opinion, but I'm not sure if The Muppets belong in the modern world, and this is coming from an older millennial who adores the hell out of them. I'm not saying they can't have any semblance of relevancy today. However, even with the 2011 movie being a hit, media is so fast paced and brain rot seems to be the thing people, especially, especially kids, crave. People want instant gratification, which you can't necessarily get from shows that existed before the internet. Most things that are thought provoking aren't what minors seek out. This goes for adults, too. Mindless scrolling has become a huge problem. My fiance is a victim of it. He loves scrolling through UA-cam shorts and imgur just to distract himself from his thoughts, stressors, and anxiety.
The Muppets are smart, witty, and engaging. Jim's humor might translate to modern times, but I'm not placing bets on that. Jim was the heart and soul of every single one of his creations. Without him at the helm, things fall apart. There are hundreds of shows that were great before the turn of the millennium, but never got a revival because sometimes, that's just how it should be. If you look at what Disney did to Doug and The Rugrats when they got their hands on those properties, you can see why keeping an IP alive just for the nostalgia factor doesn't work the majority of the time. So maybe, just maybe.... The Muppets should do the same. It's had a very, very long mostly great run. It can rest with Jim. We can keep Sesame Street running, though I am very disappointed it's not with PBS anymore. Again, I adore The Muppets. They mean the world to me. But so did all the pets I once owned in my life. Nothing lasts forever. Things are brought into our lives at the right time to bring joy, comfort, and worth. It'd be like hiring a new person to be Mr Rogers just to keep the legacy alive. It just wouldn't feel right. He offered the world something that can't be replicated. Same with the Muppets. In the hands of people who don't have Jim's vision, it's bound to fail, and oddly enough, I'm okay with that.
We still have access to everything Muppets related. It will never truly die. "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Jim's legacy will live on long after we all pass on. That's how legendary he was. We can allow some of his work to stop. It's okay.
My first Muppet movie was The Christmas Carol which my grandparents showed me. It has a special place in my heart as I quote it every year and often. Now, I have introduced my girls to it. I wish Disney would do more with The Muppets, but they have no idea how to handle the franchise. They just know to replace it with a monster inc ride.
“Oh I missed the premiere. How long has it gone on so far?”
*sees runtime*
“Wow!”
They NEVER should have fired Steve Whitmire. The moment they axxed him over petty disputes, was the moment all muppet fans realized Disney doesnt care about them.
If Steve cared, he would have gladly trained other puppeteers for Kermit the same way he has been trained himself
@Game_Hero he did care. Thats why he felt the need to speak up about the bastardization of Kermit's character in the 2011 series.
@@Game_HeroHe wasn’t specifically trained for Kermit.
He may have gone about things the wrong way, but at least he cared. I still don’t know what to think about him “black listing” other puppeteers. To me, anyone who has worked one on one with Jim Henson himself wouldn’t do that.
@@reneeangely8446 true. Disney fucked over one of the hand picked legacy puppeteers and then paraded around their doppelganger replacement. Kermit has never been the same and it's just been sad ever since..
38:43
That is a beautiful memorial, no black clothes, jazz music was played, his creations where there. They lost their creator, it was a lose for them aswell. Such a sweet thing to do. It's beautiful
Everyone should also watch the defunctland mini series on Jim Henson if you haven't already and want a more in depth look at Jim's life, it's so well done
The Muppets reminds me of a beat up car that needs a lot of work. New everything. It's not getting it. So it sits in a field with rats nesting in it's engine block.. until someone comes along, pulls it out of a ditch and restores it. Whatever that means in this case.
whitmire needs to have kermit back. Matt Vogel sounds nothing like henson or anything like kermit should. Also, the Muppets ABC show was gold in my opinion lol. the disney plus show that tried to copy it was SO BAD lol. i would argue that whitmire gave kermit more personality and lifelike-ness than ever before. ESPECIALLY in the ABC show. that show made them more expressive than ever given it relied on that type of humor. idk, i think a lot of the complaints about whitmire are flipped and moreso applied to vogel.
It was ABC actually.
@Asukenick ahh my mistake, I'm very tired haha, fixed!
Muppets Mayhem should’ve been about the Electric Mayhem finding their place in the modern musical landscape after a hiatus. This would’ve been a great way to tie in the old with the new. Plus there are so many fun ideas they could work with like
- Dr. Teeth experimenting with autotune
- Animal getting into production and making the most insane, incomprehensible beat known to man (or muppet)
- Janice being put into different ridiculous outfits to stand out to fans (this is more 2000’s era, but it’d still be funny)
- The band trying to integrate hip hop into their sound by using Lips as a (mumble) rapper
- The band trying to establish a social media presence and learning all the quirks of that
- The band dealing with industry executives getting between them and performing with crazy requests
What about Steve saying he was being bribed by Disney to go into retirement and when he didn't want to they just fired him?
I haven’t seen anything like that to my knowledge, but I tend to think Disney paid off the Henson kids for saying bad things about Steve Whitmire regarding him being fired. But again there’s no concrete evidence of that.
And The Jim Henson Company ostracized him too. They replaced him for the new Fraggle Rock and Dark Crystal series.
Two youtubers made out of puppets…
they are both awesome.
Also the entire Game Awards was carried by Waldorf and Statler.
THEY CARRIED THE WHOLE THING!
I stayed to the end. This was well thought out and very informative! Also I think Jason Siegel should be that guy to take over the Muppet franchise. What he did with the movies was absolutely phenomenal. Me and my kids still enjoy them to this day!!
I think, Saberspark don't know about TV-bridge between Kermit Frog and piglet Khryusha (or Oinky, if it's more comfortable for you) - the character of "Good night, babies!" ("Спокойной ночи, малыши!") - popular soviet and russian TV-program.
I wasn't ready for you to drop Cookie Monsters government name like that "Cookie **the** monster"
Don’t forget that in Muppets Most Wanted, Pepe said “Diddy Daddy” to Sean Combs. There’s a reason why it was called Most Wanted lol.
I'm curious if the Saber Puppet has eyes behind the glasses.
Man, I feel like we’re just collectively regressing as a country. So many advertisements are shoved in children’s faces these days. I couldn’t imagine ACT or the FCC being founded today.
Nice overview of the Henson legacy. But I disagree that Muppets needs to chase trends or even need to have a breakout hit. The reason why the Muppets worked for so long is that they are characters that were workshopped and developed by the performers. They were a tight-knit ensemble that played well together and created magic. Great muppet content doesn't come from a Kevin Fiege-esq studio head. Or even a Jason Seigel. It comes from a bunch of guts fooling around with puppets and creating characters. And The Muppet Show gang were the right characters for their time period. And as times change, new puppets and characters should come and go. Much the way Saturday Night Live has survived by bringing in new comedic voices that learn to play and build off each other. This is how you get a character like Pepe who wasn't a part of the original gang...or even an Elmo who wasn't a thing until the right performer found his voice.
I, and many others I've been online, would be thrilled to see Muppet movie remakes in the lane of Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppets Treasure Island.
There's been fans asking for a Princess Bride Muppets film. Disney now owns the original from buying Fox and can do a parody.
The Muppets need an entire cast of leadership and creative talent that believes in them and is willing to take risks with them, rather than just letting them collect dust on a shelf. I guarantee you that if there's anything Disney and the Henson clan should be able to agree on, it's that Jim would've *NEVER* wanted The Muppets to be forgotten about and doomed to irrelevancy.
I remember when they introduced Lily the first ever muppet to experience homelessness and everyone reminded them that Oscar the grouch has been living in a trash can for like 50 years LOL
Isn’t his trash can 3 stories on the inside?
@Cubeytheawesome It's like the Tardis
It has a pool, a tennis court, a crystal ballroom, and more.
Hey Saber, I gotta mention, as a puppeteer, and a member of Puppeteers of America, good first performance!!!
While performing, try to hold your hand rigid for the most part. Talk with only your thumb, especially with human puppets. A very common pitfall for new puppeteers is making the entire top of the head open for every word the character speaks. You want the lower jaw to do most of the movement.
It’s gonna feel really awkward for a while. Your thumb will feel slow and your hand being more fixed will feel unnatural and uncomfortable. You’ll get a sore wrist and achy thumb from doing things this way. You’ll feel like it’s not worth it and you want to give up.
HOWEVER, when you look at the playback, or live monitor, you will see a big difference in the reality and relatability of your character. It will feel more alive and the eyes will hold steady contact with the audience. You’ll see a big difference in the believability of the illusion.
Stick with it! You’re doing great!
Meanwhile, Geoff Keighley out here resurecting Statler and Waldorf. Also I love the puppet Saberspark. Puppetspark? Gotta do a game collab with Arlo.
Incredible video Mr Saberspark. As a long time subscriber and follower, I'm pleased to see you tackle long form videos like this. They are a commitment but you dedication and fascination pulls through!
It's an extreme balance you have to do. You have to update them, but not modernize them, if that makes sense
Honestly, why couldn’t they just have released Muppets Most Wanted in the summer? Especially considering that was the last year we had not a single new Pixar movie as Good Dinosaur was originally going to release that summer, but got pushed to the holidays the following year due to development hell.
I think having the Muppets come back and retell stories would be amazing. Example Christmas Carol and treasure Island. Those were really funny and entertaining retellings of classic stories and there definitely most peoples favorites. Like imagine the Muppets Wicked, the Muppets Star wars, the Muppets Coraline, the Muppets corpse bride. Now are my examples good probably not but i bet any of yall could think of a movie or book you would want the Muppets to cover. It would be funny and interesting. And it doesn't even have to be for theatrical release it can just be on Disney plus or TV special kinda thing. I feel like that would cover sticking with what works but also doing something new. IM TELLING YALL THE MUPPETS WICKED WOULD PROBABLY GO HARD FRFR 🤣
1:11:11 - IS the variety sketch show REALLY dead? Isn't that what TikTok is, a variety sketch show writ large? The only challenge seems to be to get this generation to watch one thing for 30 minutes at a time.
Seth Macfarlane would be a great guy to helm a project to revitalize the Muppets
Dude hell yesss!!!
No. We don't need another family guy rip-off
@@akll64 Seth is good at musicals
@@akll64 The Ted show has been good so I think he's the perfect guy to do it tbh
Why would you let that hack handle the Muppets? He's the antithesis of everything Jim Henson was. Jim did a hilarious comedy show for adults that the whole family can enjoy while Seth does nothing but make everything hateful and offensive.
I wonder how Mephiles the Dark would interact with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and all of the Muppets and Sesame Street characters?
?
Quick note - the "shire" part of English county names is pronounced "sheer"
Great video though!
You are right but also wrong about the Muppets needing to evolve. Sesame Street has added embellishments but never changed its core, which is gentle development, education & wholesome depth of understanding that children are little people that need to be helped with the big world. New Muppets have lost the core of what made them appealing. It was a found family, dedicated friendships, uplifting in the face of failure, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT. They are designed for the WHOLE family to enjoy together this is what the Muppets lack. If Disney want to resurrect the Muppets they need to do so with the family in mind.
I wholly believe that The Muppets Christmas Carol & The Muppets Treasure Planet are the best examples of how we can use these characters to reboot both them & family entertainment back into Cinema. Carry on with the legacy of wholesome storytelling - we have plenty of classic literature that could be used by The Muppets. Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Mysterious Island, Oliver Twist, How the West was Won, Sherlock Holmes ect ect.
Once re-established you can look to The Muppets returning to a tv-style show format not as a talk show but as a "Disney+" studio putting together multiple programmes, ie. The Swedish Chef Cooking Show, Miss Piggy's Next Top Model, Gonzo & Rizzo's Nature Channel. Be light-hearted return to tongue in cheek humour, remain faithful to the ultimate design of the Muppets, as FAMILY entertainment, as storytellers, as unlikely friends to unlikely family. Never forgot that Parents today want their kids to be introduced to wholesome content this is the opportunity to create it.
Happy Holidays, Saberspark and to you all! 🎅🎁🎄
It was after Jim's time, but Farscape is still my favorite Jim Henson Company project. Those creatures are so real to me. Love Rigel!
I love how puppetsaber's hair bounces around
The timing for this to come out TODAY, when this morning I was watching Jim's funeral and tribute this morning. RIP to the GOAT
Ok, why is Puppet Saber so cute
It kind of says something when the 2018 Muppet Babies series on Disney Junior is the most successful Muppets project made by Disney after 2011. I mean, running for 3 seasons, 71 episodes, and 4 years is definitely something the other shows wanted.
I wish Disney and Marvel would do a Muppets Marvel movie. That would be hilarious AF.
The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance is one of my favorite series and I am still devastated that Netflix failed to give us a second season to wrap the story up.
*What's killing The Muppets?*
Disney
42:24
What's killing sesame street?
Warner bros
Thank you for the the sweet Christmas gift! 🥰🐸
I ❤The Muppets, ❤Jim Henson, ❤Frank Oz and his The Little Shop of Horrors...
"Man or Muppet" was the best thing to come out of The Muppets
I am a very manly Muppet
RIP Charles Dickens you would have loved The Muppets Christmas Carol