The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

48% Liked It
liked it

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah

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

Id: 10964045

Do you want to see this movie?

My Friends Said...


Recent Reviews


  • 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.
  • October 18, 2009
    This is like the wizard of oz but with muppets
  • 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

Opening This Week

Top Box Office

Upcoming Movies

New on DVD