Tales from Muppetland: The Muppet Musicians of Bremen

Disney owns the muppets now for a while,right?why in all that is holy don't they release this, hey Cinderella and the frog prince?... the mouse isn't too terribly smart....

I was saddened but not surprised to find that this film is not available any more.It seems like the favourite things from my life are slowly being eliminated. Besides foods disappearing from restaurant menus and store shelves, certain fondly-remembered movies are drawing blank stares from so-called movie experts. Meanwhile, garbage flicks fill the shelves, and the local cineplex. Some movies are more than just a film...they are a harbinger and a beacon. Here is a perfect example: "The Muppet Musicians of Bremen" is a film that opened the door for modern block-buster such as "Shrek" and "Toy Story". It proved that a format labeled as "kids-stuff" could delight and entertain people of all ages, simply by treating the subject AND the audience with respect. If you EVER get a chance to see this, drop your work, your lunch or your baby (well, maybe not THAT one), and rush to the screen. You will laugh, you will feel a little choked up, and you will never forget these Muppets.

Jim Henson lives on, through works like these!

Not sure why this one went out of print. In my opinion, this is the funniest thing to come out of Jim Henson's workshop. When I was a kid, it kept me and my brothers and sisters cracking up from start to finish. One line that was memorable and made us laugh till our sides hurt was when the man said to the donkey, "Le-roy! It's all yoooooure fault!" You have to see it to know what I mean. Hopefully this will someday come back in print. This is probably just a cult sort of thing, though; I grew up with the Muppet Show and the Muppet Movies.

I felt very compelled to reading the first commentary about this Muppet special. While it wasn't as good as the other "Tales from Muppetland" specials, it was pretty good. It had puppeteering, full body characters, and something I never noticed on any Muppet program marionettes. Maybe I saw it before somewhere, I don't know. But still, this was a great special.

I noticed that one of the other reviewers for this Jim Henson special said they wish that you could buy this. Well, I couldn't find it for sale either, though it is currently posted on YouTube. The downside is that there are no captions and the print is pretty blurry. But, it is a neat old show....and I'll take what I can get!

I looked for this show because I remember loving it as a kid...and was curious if it's as good as I remembered it. Is it worth seeing?

Well, the show begins with Kermit narrating and introducing the characters. I think this was wise, as it begins at the end...and younger kids will know because of this that the animals will all be fine. This is important because the humans in the show are very frightening....and for young kids they would be terrified if they thought the animals might die...as the humans DO threaten to kill them or mistreat them!

The story is about four unwanted farm animals, a donkey, a rooster, a cat and a dog. The four hate their lives on the farm and as they meet up, they decide to join up and head to the big city to make their fortune singing. However, their plans turn out a bit different than they expected...and they have to deal with some very nasty people in the meantime.

The puppetry in this one is amazingly good. I didn't think that Jim Henson and his muppeteers did such complicated creatures back in 1972. Long before audiences were wowed by seeing Kermit and Miss Piggy riding bicycles in "The Great Muppet Caper", you see an entire walking, talking donkey! You also have some amazing 'humans'....enormous costumes of very well made muppet magic. You just have to see all this to take in how well made and beautiful it all is.

So what did I think of the show now that I am a heck of a lot older? Well, I thought occasionally the songs were a bit too long and too often. Also, the story a bit scary for very young kids (at 8, I loved it...I am talking younger...perhaps 2-5). I warn you, the humans in this are pretty cruel and awful! So, you might just want to watch this with them and keep reassuring them that everyone will be okay...which, of course, they will. A truly unusual and beautiful show....as pretty as anything the Muppets ever made...and one that really SHOULD be on DVD or, perhaps, on Disney+.