Having taken on Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, Kermit and his puppet pals have put their own unique spin on L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. The made-for-television feature, Muppets Wizard of Oz, debuts tonight, May 20, at 8 p.m./7 p.m. central on ABC as part of its The Wonderful World of Disney.
Based on the classic Baum novel, the puppet-populated Oz tells the story of Dorothy Gale (Ashanti), an aspiring performer who is transported to a magical world where she teams up with the Scarecrow (Kermit the Frog), the Tin Thing (Gonzo) and the Cowardly Lion (Fozzie Bear) to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West (Miss Piggy). Queen Latifah (Chicago, Bringing Down the House) also shows up as Auntie Em and Quentin Tarantino appears as himself, popping up to tell Kermit how the climactic fight scene should be shot.
The telepic is directed by Kirk R. Thatcher, who helmed 2002’s Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Jim Henson Co. produced the latest Muppet caper in association with the Muppets Holding Co. and Touchstone TV, with Jim Henson Co. co-chairmen and co-CEOs Lisa Henson and Brian Henson serving as exec producers. Producing duties were handled by Martin G. Baker and Warren Carr.
More information and images from the movie can be found at:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/muppetsoz/index.html
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