Any Chance Jim Henson's Creature Shop Coming Back For the Next Movie [Archive]

Jester

11-29-2011, 04:08 AM

I've been re-falling-in-love with Jim Henson and the Muppets and so I wondered what you guys think the odds are that Viacom will bring the Henson team back? I know it's a long shot, but look at what they did in the 90's and think what they could do now that now with technology as advanced as it is now. In fact in this interview with Kevin Clash, it's referenced...and he said he'd be game to reprise Splinter.
YehdC4ztiSs

rufus

11-29-2011, 05:16 AM

Would be cool to see what they could do with the costumes these days. The Movie 1 suits hold up pretty well 21 years after the films release considering no one had really attempted anything like that. Speaking of Jim Henson,I always felt that Movie 1 should have featured the In memory of him when it hit VHS as that was the last film he worked on.

pannoni1

11-29-2011, 05:31 AM

The latest Muppets movie just grossed $42 million over the weekend, a solid second place. While I'm not sure that the actual JHCS would return, but if the same crew behind that film worked on the next TMNT film, it would work fine.

SherlockJr

11-29-2011, 07:23 AM

I think it'd be cool if they came back. The costumes a la the 1990 film would probably impress me more than mo-cap or CGI would. I doubt it will happen though.

Jester

11-29-2011, 07:32 AM

I've always been a fan of conventional on camera effects opposed to CG.

gobo

11-29-2011, 08:45 AM

Oh, I thought you were saying The Creature Shop had closed or something. I doubt there'd be any need for them in a CGI movie, but I'd love seeing the suits again in a new, feature-length adventure... especially since they were so perfect in SotO. They just didn't put enough focus on the writing. :ohwell:

oldmanwinters

11-29-2011, 11:04 AM

Kermit tipped his hand to Rico Rodriguez when he answered that "Are you one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" question. It's a go!

me = delusional

EDIT: Jester, what is the time point where the Splinter discussion comes up in the video?

Powder

11-29-2011, 12:06 PM

I would imagine the chances are slim, but I'd love to them return.

Raph's Girl

11-29-2011, 02:58 PM

Kermit tipped his hand to Rico Rodriguez when he answered that "Are you one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" question. It's a go!

I noticed a large turtle shell on one wall of Kermit's office near the start of the Muppets when Walter went in.

Jester

11-29-2011, 03:05 PM

EDIT: Jester, what is the time point where the Splinter discussion comes up in the video?
Around 6:15.

oldmanwinters

11-29-2011, 05:15 PM

Great interview! (I need to watch the whole thing now!)

He's got some unique insights into the first movie. It's interesting he thought the opening scene was the skateboarding bit. Perhaps, that was the original plan that got moved to later on in the film?

Jade

12-06-2011, 09:42 AM

I too have been hit by the Henson bug again, i miss his work/influence.

Vegita-San

12-06-2011, 09:57 AM

Jade

12-06-2011, 10:16 AM

I asked the guy who played Leonardo in all three movies if he would think of auditioning for the suit in the new movies...

He knows the producers, and he told me the producers where looking to go in a different direction. I took that into meaning that the turtles will probably be CGI....

Yea i doubted anybody from the 90s movies would be involved.

CGI is not a good idea imo, not gritty enough.

gobo

12-06-2011, 11:03 AM

I took that into meaning that the turtles will probably be CGI....
Wasn't that the plan from the beginning: CGI Turtles and live-action everything else?

Powder

12-06-2011, 03:17 PM

I asked the guy who played Leonardo in all three movies if he would think of auditioning for the suit in the new movies...

He knows the producers, and he told me the producers where looking to go in a different direction. I took that into meaning that the turtles will probably be CGI....

Or it could be the fact that he's 20 years too old...

Wasn't that the plan from the beginning: CGI Turtles and live-action everything else?

No. Live action turtles with CGI mouths, is what we were initially told.

gobo

12-06-2011, 03:36 PM

Live action turtles with CGI mouths, is what we were initially told.
They said CGI "appliances". That doesn't necessarily stop at mouths.

Powder

12-06-2011, 03:59 PM

I'd like to give you a source, but I can't. Surely somebody will back me up, there was an article that said specifically that the suits and heads would be real though the mouths (and possibly eyes at times) would be CGI...

pl212

12-06-2011, 05:16 PM

I remember them stating it was going to be treated in a similar manner as the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are movie.

BubblyShell22

12-06-2011, 07:46 PM

I think it'd be cool, but I honestly really liked the CGI film myself. I think it's because you can do more with CGI with action scenes and the like. While the scenes in the 90's movies were good, the CGI movie did better, especially with Mikey's skateboarding through the sewers.

Powder

12-06-2011, 07:56 PM

I'd rather see a really badass anime style film like Akira, Animatrix, etc. as opposed to another entirely cgi flick.

Andrew NDB

12-06-2011, 07:58 PM

They won't do another CGI movie and expect different results than the last one. Won't happen.

Donnie

12-06-2011, 09:07 PM

Thanks for sharing this, I had no idea he did Splinter's voice as well. Wow. Talented guy.

Mikey860

12-06-2011, 10:10 PM

I remember them stating it was going to be treated in a similar manner as the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are movie.

i second this and further back it up by this link:
http://www.newsinfilm.com/2009/04/23/live-action-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-reboot/

it sates it "...as according to executive producer Peter Laird"

:twink:

pl212

12-06-2011, 10:13 PM

I'd rather see a really badass anime style film like Akira, Animatrix, etc.

That would be a dream come true!
Turtles with Samurai Champloo action.. but not going to happen :/

Cowabunga Carl

12-07-2011, 09:47 AM

marcelangelo

12-07-2011, 10:39 AM

there is truth in your comment, old hob..yet there is more to concider to paint the whole picture here...for example there is a video of kevin eastman at this year's san diego comic con where he did a sketch for someone(someone with a camera..) and they were talking about the upcomming movie...about it being similar to christopher nolan's batman movies in terms of going back to the mirage roots....so that statement is from summer 2011...and kevin is in touch with what's happening to the turtles obviously...also the two main producers galen walker and the other one(sorry for not having the names right now) are still headlining this production....
to me it seems they are just cooking on it and it would be too early to say anything or show anything...and of course it is also wise for them to bring this movie to the theaters at the right moment...now the new cartoon and toys for instance don't come out for about a year from now...(thinking back to playmates' press release from a few weeks ago 2013 the show and merchandise will hit worldwide...fall 2012 is 'just' united states)..think about it for a moment from a moneymaking standpoint...in order to gain enough momentum and make the best profit from something that has so many branches comming out in the near future you should cleverly await the right moment to take the succcess to yet another level with your product(the movie)....I think(or hope?)the facts -live action in combination with just cgi eyes/face expressions-darker in tone- are still true...I also had the feeling that they would try to hire steve barron back on board...for he was a guest at the showing of the movie in central park in 2009 and at san diego comic con in that turtles 25 pannel and there even the two producers mentioned that they loved his visoin and work in the first movie and loved to work with him( the last part at least in my memory, can someone else confirm this once more?)...

Cowabunga Carl

12-07-2011, 10:58 AM

I'd love to see suits my self. But at the same time I fear that suits would be very limiting to what could be done. The apes in the new Planet of the Apes come to mind when I think of way to do the turtles. I just really want to see this movie do well, to spawn a few sequels. Now if they can do that with suits then I'm all for it.

Mikey860

12-07-2011, 09:40 PM

Bmaga123

12-08-2011, 11:42 AM

Cowabunga Carl

12-08-2011, 03:22 PM

See I still think the suits would limit what the actors could do physically. I mean think about the movement that the actors would need to do some of those moves. Motion capture would be the most effective way to do them I think.

marcelangelo

12-09-2011, 10:51 AM

well, but this is movie making we shouldn't forget...so if there is the need for a salto or something acrobatic NOT ALWAYS does it need to be shown in full movement...remember a film is done with MANY tricks...when done right the viewer doesn't even notice that he's being tricked(well, until one day when he sees some making off)...think of a scene like this for example:
foot delivers a hard punch in raphael's direction, but raphael jumps straight up into the air, above the hitting arm of the foot and delivers himself a mighty kick in his head with his right foot.
now, you could shoot it like so:
frame a)foot swinging his arm back and leaning into what is to become the punch
b)quick close up of raphael's eyes(notices the punch)
c)showing raph's body below waistline jumping up and pulling in his knees(as to jump really high)
d)back to the fist of the foot now strinking the wall that was behind raphael for example
e)total(showing both now from behind the foot soldier maybe 5 meters away):raph kicking the bummer into the gutter...;)

think of all the wonderful tricks that together can create great illusions(like movies like jurasssic park still holding up using animatronics, computer graphics, animation and puppets and masks AT ONCE..) another awesome example is the introduction scene in batman returns...with the baby cart of the penguin floating through that huge sewer system..that was ALL shot in MINIATURES...I still cannot believe how great and real that looks...

all that being said, I would love for them to work together with british film studios for the special effects things...watching all these documentaries on movies I like(including also the christopher nolan batman movies or ghostbusters...) I feel like there is a major school of craft still there that big blockbuster hyped movies, especially comic book adaptations, really miss these days..
just my two cents...

Andrew NDB

12-09-2011, 11:19 AM

The whole thing about suits and that quote is that it was given when Peter Laird still owned TMNT and was making a new film. THe new movie is being made by Viacom now and all the info out there about it before the acquisition is null and void.

But Paramount was always going to make the movie, even before the sale. And Paramount was owned by Viacom then, and Paramount is still owned by Viacom now... so nothing is really changing.

John Pannozzi

12-09-2011, 12:37 PM

But Paramount was always going to make the movie, even before the sale. And Paramount was owned by Viacom then, and Paramount is still owned by Viacom now... so nothing is really changing.

Actually, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were going to make the movie.

Cowabunga Carl

12-09-2011, 01:37 PM

That's what I thought, that Paramount wasn't the same studio.

Plasticplayhouse

12-16-2011, 09:11 AM

I remember them stating it was going to be treated in a similar manner as the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are movie.

that would make for the best approach in my oppinion. when i think of the CGI over live actors such as Avatar and Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribean, it gives me great hope that this movie CAN and hopfully WILL be done to its full potential. but yeah, i'm sure they're going to hold off until the new series has aired and begins to climb the ratings charts.

John Pannozzi

12-22-2011, 04:03 PM

Here's an interesting tidbit from an old issue of People (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20114846,00.html):

HENSON'S KIDS: SHELL-SHOCKED

The five children of Jim Henson, who died last May, were surprised to learn that the producers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze had included a tribute to the memory of Jim Henson in the film's opening credits. (Henson and his staff at Jim Henson's Creature Shop in London designed the Turtles costumes worn by the sewer-dwelling reptiles in the first movie.)

Henson's children, ages 18 to 31, are "quite unhappy" about the credit, according to a source close to them, because it implies that Henson's experience on the original Ninja Turtles movie was a rewarding one.

The source says the credit now is "inappropriate" because Henson viewed the violence in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as "excessive, pointless and not his style."

A spokesperson for the producers of the Turtles sequel says, "We did it as a tribute to Jim Henson's memory." The rep adds that "key people" at the Henson organization were aware of the credit's inclusion.

Hmm... Maybe Isaac's documentary will shed some light on this. I should note that in the commentary to the German DVD of the first film, Steve Baron made an off-hand about Henson having concerns about the content of the film.

Vegita-San

12-22-2011, 04:33 PM

Here's an interesting tidbit from an old issue of People (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20114846,00.html):

Hmm... Maybe Isaac's documentary will shed some light on this. I should note that in the commentary to the German DVD of the first film, Steve Baron made an off-hand about Henson having concerns about the content of the film.

Too be honest, I would have kind of doubted the kids, considering their great business sense sold the muppets to a un head of German company called EMTV a few years ago. Steve Barron's words I'd have a bit more faith in.

But if they really where upset, they are a tad uptight...

marcelangelo

12-26-2011, 08:26 AM

Too be honest, I would have kind of doubted the kids, considering their great business sense sold the muppets to a un head of German company called EMTV a few years ago. Steve Barron's words I'd have a bit more faith in.

But if they really where upset, they are a tad uptight...

what was that all about, can you tell a little bit of information on this?....and what si an un head?

Powder

12-26-2011, 10:10 AM

A typo. "Unheard"

marcelangelo

12-26-2011, 03:25 PM

ah okay...but still, more information about what he was talking about exactly?...I just saw some christmas muppet stuff on the telly two days ago and noticed some minor things that felt as if the producers of the show were inexpirienced with the muppets...

Master of the Foot Clan

03-24-2012, 01:31 AM

It would be a dream come true for me if Henson's did the suits for the new movie. I still feel the original 2 movie suits look amazing and still hold up to this day so with todays advancements in animatronics I can only imagine how fluid the expressions would be. :-)

Henson's Creature Shop doing the new TMNT movie. That's what I've been dreaming of but nowadays everyone wants to see how digital they can possibly make something. Until nothing is real and everything is digital. I hope Henson's will be involved in Michael Bay's version of the TMNT.

zkarlette

03-25-2012, 12:16 AM

Still till today the suits from TMNT II are my favourite , hopefully whatever they come up with will some what resemble that...

Mikey860

03-25-2012, 08:53 PM

Henson's Creature Shop doing the new TMNT movie. That's what I've been dreaming of but nowadays everyone wants to see how digital they can possibly make something. Until nothing is real and everything is digital. I hope Henson's will be involved in Michael Bay's version of the TMNT.

well according to Michael Bay theyre going to be aliens....

Leonardo87

03-25-2012, 09:31 PM

well according to Michael Bay theyre going to be aliens....

They aren't going to be aliens! I am getting annoyed of you people keep saying this crap. Read a comic for my sake.

Jester

03-25-2012, 09:40 PM

They aren't going to be aliens! I am getting annoyed of you people keep saying this crap. Read a comic for my sake.
There is a lot of difference between, "The mutagen is of alien origin." and, "These Turtles are from an alien race." though.

shezcrafti

03-26-2012, 11:04 AM

I still feel the original 2 movie suits look amazing and still hold up to this day so with todays advancements in animatronics I can only imagine how fluid the expressions would be. :-)

I totally disagree. I thought the Turtles in the second film looked really cartoonish and over exaggerated, especially Donatello. Their eyes were too big, they had too many spots, and they made ridiculous-looking expressions. Of course, SOTO's costumes weren't nearly as bad as the third film, but still not as believable as the first.

To sum up:

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt1_yes.png

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt2_no.png

1984TMNT

03-26-2012, 01:00 PM

I totally disagree. I thought the Turtles in the second film looked really cartoonish and over exaggerated, especially Donatello. Their eyes were too big, they had too many spots, and they made ridiculous-looking expressions. Of course, SOTO's costumes weren't nearly as bad as the third film, but still not as believable as the first.

To sum up:

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt1_yes.png

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt2_no.png

Couldn't agree more. You hit the nail on the head - especially with the above pic.

Master of the Foot Clan

03-26-2012, 01:08 PM

I totally disagree. I thought the Turtles in the second film looked really cartoonish and over exaggerated, especially Donatello. Their eyes were too big, they had too many spots, and they made ridiculous-looking expressions. Of course, SOTO's costumes weren't nearly as bad as the third film, but still not as believable as the first.

To sum up:

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt1_yes.png

http://shezcrafti.com/wp-content/gallery/forums/tmnt2_no.png

Exactly right. This should be a meme. I'm surprised it's not already.

Candy Kappa

03-26-2012, 01:20 PM

yeah, theres a thing as too much expression. especially in a live action film.

I personally hope for more CG model use, like in Iron Man, use costumes and props for close-ups and with emotional scenes where an non-CG'd character needs to show some proper feelings.

Unless you are an excellent actor, I'm sure it is difficult to take things serious next to a guy in a neon green condom suit. But it worked in Pirates of the Caribbean

VaughnMichael

03-26-2012, 02:12 PM

Well Jim Henson passed away before movie 2 so I'm going to say the quality may have had something to do with that.:ohwell:

Donnie

03-26-2012, 02:18 PM

shezcrafti

03-26-2012, 02:35 PM

I really hope that Nick and everyone involved with Turtles sees just how much MOVIE 1 is valued by Turtles fans. Plot, costumes, mood, action, dialogue, characterization... it's all spot on. I really hope people up high pay attention to this.

Me too. But then I look at the original film's ratings and think there's no way they'd take it that seriously.

Speaking of, has there ever been an organized campaign among Turtle fans to get the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film rated higher on sites like IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, etc? For example, on IMDB it's only rated 6.4 / 10 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100758/) and only 44% Fresh (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_the_movie/) on RT. :teek:

I think that's a little harsh. We can do better than that, can't we?