Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino

There were good intentions in this Muppets adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic Emerald City story of Dorothy’s journey to see the Wizard with hopes of fulfilling her dream of stardom: the film is a ...( read more  read more... )nostalgic nod to the original 1979 Muppet Movie, where Kermit leaves the swamps for Hollywood to become a star, picking up some friends along the way. Grammy winner Ashanti plays Dorothy Gale, an aspiring singer who serves meatloaf to truckers and lives in a Kansas trailer park with her Aunt Em (Queen Latifah). In the ensuing chaos of a giant tornado, she gets dumped in the Land of Oz—along with her pet shrimp, Toto (Pepe the Prawn). Dorothy soon meets the familiar Scarecrow, Tin man, and Lion (Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie, respectively) and together they journey to see the Wizard (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor) who promises to grant her celebrity wish if first she defeats the Wicked Witch of the West (Miss Piggy). While the Muppets have survived a few cinematic flops before, this film is bereft of all they represent--the endearing innocence, engaging silliness, and cagey humor of Jim Henson’s legendary variety series. Instead, a mean-spirited cynicism with sexual subtext prevails that is not only unfunny, but also mildly offensive. In a desire to appear edgy and culturally relevant by the filmmakers (and executive producers Brian and Lisa Henson), the timeless spirit of the vintage Muppets is missing, as are the signature voiceovers by Frank Oz and Brian Henson. Onscreen chemistry between actors and Muppets feels contrived, not to mention Quentin Tarantino’s bizarre cameo. When Kermit delivers a religious joke of questionable taste, viewers might yearn for the swamp years, when Kermit the frog and the Henson Company could do no wrong. (Ages 4 and older) --Lynn Gibson

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48% liked it

2,789 ratings

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Directed by: Kirk R. Thatcher

Release Date: December 31, 2005

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DVD Release Date: August 9, 2005

Stats: 583 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (583)


  • September 22, 2009
    It has some good gags and some funny in jokes in it. Loved the bit with Quentin Tarantino and the 'Are you related to Frank Oz'? bits but hated Ashanti being in it. It?s the Muppets and I love them but it?s not the same as it was.
  • May 22, 2009
    A disapointment, really wanted to like this but its so flat and a huge anti climax :(

    Dont get me wrong there are all the usual Muppets and afew nice touches but this really could of been done better. The tunes are uninspired and the look is poor and obviously done on sets but ...( read more)the costumes are good and the feel is pure Muppets, I just feel they could of gone to town abit more with locations and human casting.
  • December 9, 2007
    Mainly watched this for the Tarantino cameo which was AWESOME!!! The Muppets were adorable as usual, and there are some great adult/inside jokes, but mostly the jokes fall flat. It's fun, but doesn't really offer anything special. Or maybe, it's because I just found Ashanti annoy...( read more)ing. Watch it if you're a scarecrow without a brain.
  • April 4, 2007
    Ashanti is a pretty terrible actress. But I find it hard to really dislike anything that involves muppets. Though i still don't get why Toto turned into a Latino King Prawn.
  • March 26, 2007
    It was funny, I liked the adaptation from the original movie with the most popular characters of the muppets. The special appearance by Quentin Tarantino making a mock of himself and his movies was excellent. The fx and the music are fairly good.
  • September 26, 2009
    It's the Muppets again :-)
  • September 18, 2009
    I love the Muppets!! This is really funny and great to watch with the whole family.
  • August 23, 2009
    i loved this movie, you know why? because i love the mupets! im muppets fan # 1!!!!
  • August 6, 2009
    Pretty good considering i dont really like the muppets
  • June 9, 2009
    I may be in my 20s but I love a good kid's movie once in a while. This is not one of them. Ashanti is yet another singer that wants to do more but like a great many of them she fails miserably. Her songs are fine; it's mostly everything else in this movie that bothers me.

    The ...( read more)script is bland with nothing of interest for the older viewers but some mild innuendos and celebrity references. As much as I disliked it, however, I did think that it was nice that they had a few extra tidbits from the book.

    Oh, and I'm all for making Dorothy stronger than the original movie but why a wannabe star? Miss Piggy is amusing but not enough to block out the blah performances of the usually wonderful Muppet cast. Oh, and I love Aunt Em and Uncle Henry but their blah reactions to finding Dorothy alive made me laugh out loud.

    Bottom Line: An okay rental but nothing to add to your Muppet collection.

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The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Trivia


  • in the muppets the wizard of oz what did pepe the king prawn grab of gonzo's that made him feel dirty  Answer »
  • Who played the part of Dorothy Gale in the Muppet's Wizard of Oz?  Answer »
  • This Actor/Actress was in the following movies Ice Age: The Meltdown Ice Age 2: The Meltdown The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Arctic Tale   Answer »
  • just had this question who star in the muppets wizard of oz They put that brandy was the corrext answer well i'm sorry cuz ashanti was in that movie.  Answer »

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