We reported a while ago on the new Muppet movie in development, with Jason Segel (I Love You Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) on board both as human star and script-writer. Hollywood Reporter is now saying that key principals involved in the film have travelled to Pixar for a round-table meeting with members of Pixar’s Brain Trust.
Much like the makers of Tron Legacy did recently, Segel and others involved in the Muppet film (still tentatively titled The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made) essentially seem to have picked the collective brain of Pixar to try to identify any obvious problems with the project and any ways in which it might be able to be improved. The makers of Tron Legacy carried out some re-shoots after their meeting with Pixar and although TGMMEM has yet to go before the cameras it was clearly felt by Disney to have been a sufficiently worthwhile and productive exercise with Tron to make a similar meeting for the Muppets appealing.
To be honest, it seems to be an obvious step to take. The quality and consistency of Pixar’s output is literally second to none at the moment and they appear to adopt a ruthless rigour when reviewing and critiquing their own work. Peer review every few months can apparently be a “brutal” experience but it is clearly hugely effective in keeping the quality of their films sky-high.
As part of the Disney family, Pixar seem to be willing to offer their help and it would appear foolish to decline the offer. Muppet films have not been up to scratch since Christmas Carol and clearly need an injection of quality is required if they are to return to the high water mark of Muppets take Manhattan and The Great Muppet Caper.
Given Pixar’s peerless ability to entertain children and engage with adults, mixing laughter and emotion so seemingly effortlessly, their input looks like being exactly what a Muppets project needs. Let’s see if this can get off the ground.
