Tag: Disney

Visiting The Magic Store–45 years later

Visiting The Magic Store–45 years later

by MichelleMcHatton

When “The Muppet Movie” was first released in 1979 I saw it in the back of a station-wagon at a drive-in theater with my mother and siblings. Fast-forward forty-five years and today I saw it in a decently crowded air-conditioned theater with my daughter and husband. Not that I haven’t seen it numerous times in the past on DVD. But when my daughter learned Fathom was going to be showing it in theaters to celebrate the 45th anniversary, she said she had to see it on the big screen. And see it we did.

As many times as I’ve seen it, “The Muppet Movie” never gets old. It’s even good to know that all these years later there are a handful of guest stars in the movie who are still alive.

I never grow tired of hearing “Rainbow Connection”. Along with the “The Muppet Movie” itself, that song, to me is the epitome of Jim Henson. He had finally “made it”. His “Muppet Show” was a great success by this time and “The Muppet Movie” was a symbol of that proof. That you can take a kid (frog) out of the swamp in Mississippi and if you keep believing and keep pretending, you’ll accomplish just what you set out to do. As the lyrics go:

Life’s like a movie, write your own ending
Keep believing, keep pretending
We’ve done just what we set out to do.
Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you.

I couldn’t agree more.

My Thoughts on “Jim Henson: Idea Man”

My Thoughts on “Jim Henson: Idea Man”

by MichelleMcHatton

The newly released Disney+ documentary, “Jim Henson: Idea Man”, directed by Ron Howard, is a well put together dive into the behind the scenes of Henson’s life. But for someone who grew up with The Muppets and especially for someone who lives with a self-professed Henson/Muppets/Fraggles connoisseur (my daughter), many of the clips they incorporated into the documentary have been seen before. Many times.

Some of the stuff was new, to me, anyway, such as the interview with Orson Welles, and it was nice to see interviews of Jim and his late wife Jane from years ago. It was essential for Howard to include interviews with as many people that Jim worked with as possible (and he did) because many of them (Frank Oz especially), were there from nearly day one. Working interviews in with Rita Moreno (the first guest star on “The Muppet Show”) and Jennifer Connelly from “Labyrinth” was a nice touch as was showing clips from “Sesame Street”.

But I feel the most important part of this documentary were the interviews with Henson’s children. Many Muppets fans are grateful for their continued contributions to what their father created and left behind. They could have all chosen other fields but instead decided to walk in their father’s footsteps to continue providing Henson entertainment for future generations to enjoy.

Many Musical Memories Left Behind

Many Musical Memories Left Behind

by MichelleMcHatton

Yesterday we learned of the passing of Richard M. Sherman, the other half of the Sherman Brothers. Robert passed away in 2012.

Who are the Sherman Brothers, you may ask? Believe it or not, until I saw the movie “Saving Mr. Banks”, I had no idea who they were either. Richard is portrayed by Jason Schwartzman and Robert is portrayed by B.J. Novak in the movie.

The Sherman Brothers were brothers who were a songwriting team that worked for Disney. If you have ever seen the movie “Mary Poppins”, among many other Disney classics, or have visited Disney World or Disneyland, I can guarantee you have heard their songs. They are Academy Award winners. And if you have ever had the song “It’s A Small World (After All)” running through your head, you can thank the Sherman Brothers.

They may be gone but they have left behind many wonderful songs for future generations to enjoy.