Since Jim Henson's death and the popularity of his Muppets, some films he made for some reason was never made available to the public, and that's a shame since he only seems to be known or remembered for Kermit the Frog and "Sesame Street." If films like this were made available, they too would be classic hits and thoroughly enjoyed by his fans that his sense of humor transcends the children's level to adult humor and satire. What's rather sharp is that Jim Henson took great care to make these Muppets look like people who work in a Corporate Office, with 3-piece suits and everything. And I feel Disney (who owns Jim Henson's creations) is doing his memory a disservice by not making this and other "lost" Muppet films available on DVD.
"The Muppet Meeting Film" is a 10-minute satire poking fun at Corporate America. It's divided into 4 parts. Part 1 is the introduction where we meet Leo and Grump, two businessmen wondering what the meeting is about.
Part 2 is the main one where Leo stands upon a platform in front of his colleagues talking about "The New Plan." Using a slide projector and boards, he focuses on key words about planning and using the letters of each key word to describe it. For example, he says, "I know when and how to PLAN, Put Long Abbreviated Names on everything to make it EASY, so that Every Awkward System Yields!" Very clever and smart.
Part 3 is about breaks during one's business day. Another businessman (I'm assuming is Leo's Supervisor since Leo and Grump are seated in the audience) speak about how breaks are wrong, a waste of time, and will decrease productivity. "Eating, drinking, going to the bathroom," he says, "are just basic human needs. Grow up. Be strong. Commit yourself." Then, another worker pokes his head into the room to say the coffee's ready. Then, in true Muppet fashion, the men and women in the audience stampede over the supervisor to get at the coffee, even knocking the door off a hinge.
Part 4 is a "Sum-Up" with Leo in front of his colleagues again (who now all have balloons for heads that inflate as he talks) as he pokes fun at confidence-building clichés: "At the risk of inflating a few egos....you have every reason to swell with pride and confidence....I want to expand my horizons...I can tell you're bursting with enthusiasm (as one balloon-head blows up)." Very funny, and very clever.
Let's see if we can petition Disney to release this prime sample of Jim Henson humor onto DVD along with any other "lost" Muppet films we (or I) don't know about.
"The Muppet Meeting Film" is a 10-minute satire poking fun at Corporate America. It's divided into 4 parts. Part 1 is the introduction where we meet Leo and Grump, two businessmen wondering what the meeting is about.
Part 2 is the main one where Leo stands upon a platform in front of his colleagues talking about "The New Plan." Using a slide projector and boards, he focuses on key words about planning and using the letters of each key word to describe it. For example, he says, "I know when and how to PLAN, Put Long Abbreviated Names on everything to make it EASY, so that Every Awkward System Yields!" Very clever and smart.
Part 3 is about breaks during one's business day. Another businessman (I'm assuming is Leo's Supervisor since Leo and Grump are seated in the audience) speak about how breaks are wrong, a waste of time, and will decrease productivity. "Eating, drinking, going to the bathroom," he says, "are just basic human needs. Grow up. Be strong. Commit yourself." Then, another worker pokes his head into the room to say the coffee's ready. Then, in true Muppet fashion, the men and women in the audience stampede over the supervisor to get at the coffee, even knocking the door off a hinge.
Part 4 is a "Sum-Up" with Leo in front of his colleagues again (who now all have balloons for heads that inflate as he talks) as he pokes fun at confidence-building clichés: "At the risk of inflating a few egos....you have every reason to swell with pride and confidence....I want to expand my horizons...I can tell you're bursting with enthusiasm (as one balloon-head blows up)." Very funny, and very clever.
Let's see if we can petition Disney to release this prime sample of Jim Henson humor onto DVD along with any other "lost" Muppet films we (or I) don't know about.
