The Muppets' Wizard of Oz





The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, an original made-for-television movie, aired as a special Friday night edition of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney.

Adapted from L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this latest retelling of the classic story follows Dorothy Gale (Ashanti) as she journeys through an Oz populated by Muppets to find the Wizard and become a star.

Cast

 * Muppet Performers
 * Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson, Brian Henson, Kevin Clash, John Kennedy, Rickey Boyd, Tyler Bunch, Julianne Buescher, John Henson, Drew Massey, Allan Trautman, Alice Dinnean-Vernon, Michael Quinn, Gord Robertson, Adam Behr, Jeny Cassidy, Geoff Redknap, James Rowley


 * Human Cast
 * Ashanti as Dorothy Gale
 * Queen Latifah as Aunt Em
 * David Alan Grier as Uncle Henry
 * Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard
 * Quentin Tarantino as Himself
 * C. Ernst Harth as Earl
 * Dan Payne as The Weatherman
 * Kelly Osbourne as Herself (uncredited)
 * Edward Hibbert as Theater Man (uncredited)

Muppet Cast

 * Muppet Characters
 * Kermit the Frog as the Scarecrow
 * The Great Gonzo as Tin Thing
 * Fozzie Bear as the Cowardly Lion
 * Miss Piggy as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South
 * Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the West
 * Miss Piggy as Tattypoo, the Good Witch of the North
 * Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the East
 * Pepe the King Prawn as Toto
 * Rizzo the Rat as Mayor of Munchkinland
 * Statler and Waldorf as the Kalidah Critics
 * Sam the Eagle as the Gate Guard
 * Johnny Fiama
 * Scooter as Assistant to the Wizard
 * Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as Emerald City Technicians


 * The Flying Monkeys
 * Sal Minella, Sweetums, Angel Marie, Old Tom, Blind Pew, Black Dog, Spotted Dick, Crazy Harry, Aretha, Calico


 * Small Speaking Roles
 * Clifford, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, The Swedish Chef, Foo-Foo, Camilla, Bubba, Rats, Crow, Bean Bunny, Mulch, Lew Zealand (extended cut only)


 * Background Characters
 * Rowlf, Zippity Zap, Jowls, Zondra, Chip, Hillary the Owl, Cameraman, Bunnies, Penguins

History
The film marked the first major project after the acquisition of the Muppets property by The Walt Disney Company, which The Jim Henson Company is still consulting under.

Since April 2004, the Muppets had been re-introduced to the public by way of low-key marketing and guest appearances on such shows as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live in hopes for a successful turn in the ratings by the time the new telefilm hit the air.

Promotion
The movie was promoted with special Wizard of Oz commercials that spoofed popular ABC shows at the time.

Further, print ads in various magazines, as well as guest appearances of various Muppets on America's Funniest Home Videos, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tony Danza Show, Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly helped to get the word out.

In addition, Ashanti unveiled six windows at Macy's on March 20, 2005, for promotional purposes. The windows depicted scenes from the movie in conjunction with the Macy's Flower Show. The Macy's flagship store offered Muppets' Wizard of Oz plush and a T-shirt depicting the main cast during the promotional period.

The movie had its world premiere screening on April 27, 2005, at the Tribeca Film Festival, introduced by Kermit the Frog and Robert De Niro.

The Adaptation
This film departs from the original Oz novel in a number of noticeable ways: Dorothy's family owns a diner instead of a farm; Toto is a prawn; the Tin Woodman is a robot. Many of the characters' personalities and backgrounds are given a show-biz makeover. For instance, this version's Dorothy dreams of being a famous singer, and at first she plans to ask the Wizard to give her fame rather than a way back to Kansas.

However, in several respects the plot follows the novel more closely than does the classic 1939 movie. For example, the Good Witch of the North (who greets Dorothy when she arrives in Oz) and Glinda (who shows her how to get home) are separate characters; the magic shoes are silver instead of ruby; when Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch of the West, she gains control of the Flying Monkeys; and the Wizard meets with each of Dorothy's friends separately in a different guise.

Another note is that the Flying Monkeys are a biker gang, a trait that is reminiscent of The Wiz.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is not the only adaptation of the Oz mythos within a Muppet production, however. The Muppets Go to the Movies featured a sketch incorporating a medley of "If I Only Had a Heart" and "We're Off to See the Wizard", with Miss Piggy portraying the version of Dorothy played by Judy Garland, alongside the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Thing. Additionally, Fozzie Bear portrayed the Tin Man in an episode of The Muppet Show.



Airdates
World Premiere: April 27, 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Pepe attending.

Broadcast Premiere: May 20, 2005 at 8/7c on ABC in the US, and on CTV and CBC in Canada.