Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Even More Muppet Show Bonus Features Surface

Earlier this month I shared a tentative list of the bonus features for the upcoming "Muppet Show Season One" DVD box set. The list of features gave great information on what to expect on the sets but it was not complete. While doing more digging into the details of the set, I uncovered two more features that will be included; "A Jim Henson Retrospective" and "The World Premiere Interstitials". Below is an updated list of the disc features; I also updated The Muppet Show DVD frequently asked questions with the new information. The folks at Disney continue to put "…and much more" at the end of the listing so I guess there is still more to uncover. I'll keep you all posted as I continue to hunt down all the details of this upcoming August 9th release.

"The Muppet Show Season One" DVD Features:

- All 24 season one episodes
(with UK skits included)
- "Muppet Morsels" (all new pop-up trivia available on every episode)
- Original Muppet Pitch Reel
(the presentation by Jim Henson that started it all)
- A Jim Henson Retrospective (an all new look back at Muppet creator Jim Henson)
- Original Pilot
- Season One Promo Gag Reel
- World Premiere Interstitials
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Sneak Peek
- ...and much more!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have just three questions that I would like to know before August 9th:

1) Which pilot (or pilots) made it onto the discs?

2) Will the season 1 openings be intact?

3) Will there be close-captioning or subtitles?

Anonymous said...

Those are the same three questions burning a hole in mind. If someone knows the answers please, please, please share the information on the pilot(s), the opening theme, and subtitles. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I too have four questions remaining (and 3 are quite similar):

1. Which pilot(s) are on the set?

2. What is the deal with the season 1 openings (in or out)?

3. Does the set have subtitles?

4. When will season 2 come out?

If I can get the answeres to these 4 questions I'll be a happy buyer when it comes time to pick up season 1 -- these are the only 4 things I still want to know, and I really want to know them soon.

Anonymous said...

Im sure you will know all the details in regards to your first three questions well before the discs come out (and asking the questions here are really unnecessary since thats is what the webmaster is trying to find out as well...im sure the minute he finds out it will be on the main page...hence the reason for the FAQ so 1000 people dont keep asking the same questions hes still waiting to find out the answer to).

Your fourth question is one that you may have to wait on though as the date (or for that matter existance) of the season 2 boxset will in large part probably depend on sales of the first one.

d.w.

Noah said...

Hi. Wholly unrelated question, but you seem to be the right person to ask ...

I had a small handful of questions about Muppet performers, went to imdb and some fan sites ... and now I have a ton more:

imdb lists a fellow named Matt Vogel as playing Big Bird since 2002, but still lists Spinney as well. Am I reading the credit wrong? Is he just an assistant on BB (as he seems to be on Ernie ... which I take to mean, he plays Ernie's right hand)?

Jerry Nelson has stopped playing his "Muppet Show"/movie characters, right? Now he only does "Sesame Street"? Is this just a desire to work a lighter schedule? ... the man is 70, after all.

Someone had told me that Big Bird is now done CGI ... this seems unlikely to me, as I can't imagine it would be cost effective. Did somebody just mistranslate news about the cartoon backgrounds in the "Journey to Ernie" segments?

I'd love to get answers if you have the chance. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Others can chime in with what they know, but in much the same way that Eric Jacobsen fills in for Frank Oz on most of his characters, Matt Vogel is C Spinneys replacement when hes not available (Like Jerry Nelson, CS is getting up there in years). CS still does Big Bird about half the time and MV does Big Bird other times. The voices are very similar though MV tends to sound a little more like Big Bird with a cold or at times like a Barneyized version of Big Bird (Matt does Big Bird in all the Journey to Ernie segments) I would also venture a guess that Journey to Ernie is what whoever mentioned a cgi Big Bird is thinking of. Maybe theres some special computer animation skits being worked on that has Big Bird in cgi but ive not heard of anything myself. Logistically though, unless it was for a special scene in a movie or something, a cgi Big Bird would be kind of silly as it would be expensive and its much harder for other characters to work around the empty space rather than have Big Bird right there on set. Now one other thing about BB that may have caused some confusion is that usually BB is done with the puppeteers right hand doing the head and the left hand working the left hand with the right hand manipiulated by a string so it can move slightly at times. Within the last couple of years, Big Bird is sometimes worked with a second performer working Big Birds right hand in much the same way a character like Ernie would be worked...this is done during Journey to Ernie or some street scenes where the upper half of Big Bird is one screen. Hope this helps.

d.w.

Noah said...

Thanks so much. Very glad I found the site. (Note to fellow bloggers: never ask a group of overeducated Gen-Xers to name their favorite Muppet, unless you want to open a HUGE kettle of fish)

Is Spinney still the full-time Oscar?

Anonymous said...

Getting back on topic, and with a serious NEW question...

Greg, it would be really awesome if you could find out if there will be any easter eggs on the dvds (not necessarily what they will be...kind of like to remain upspoiled) but just if there will be any on there? (Same with Wizard of Oz)

d.w.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know what happend to the "Jim Henson Retrospective (an all new look back at Muppet creator Jim Henson)" feature?

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