The Adventures of Bert and Ernie
Sesame Workshop is currently producing two 26-episode seasons of "The Adventures of Bert and Ernie", an international stop-motion series slated to debut in March 2008. Each 5-minute episodes finds Bert and Ernie recalling stories sparked by photos and memorabilia in their scrapbook. Viewers are transported to the vibrant world of the duo's imagination, where the story springs to life. The series is set to air in several European, Australian and Asian markets; no American television deal is planned, however producers have stated that the episode may reach American audiences on various DVD releases.
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Alt-Reality
"Alt-Reality" is an upcoming Henson Alternative web series being produced by The Jim Henson Company for Warner Bros and RealNetworks. The series is a puppet-based reality-show spoof and is being written and directed by Mike Upchurch. 15 episodes are in development and expected to hit the web in late 2008 or early 2009.
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The Boggart
Based on the 1993 book by Susan Cooper, "The Boggart" tells the story of a family from Toronto who inherits a Scottish castle and all its contents - including the gleeful spirit who has been playing tricks on the castle residents for generations. The story is in development as a "live-action family film" with Brian Henson attached to direct. No release date has been set.
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The Dark Crystal Animated Series
In 2005 the Jim Henson Company announced that they are developing an animated television show based on "The Dark Crystal". The show will be geared for the Cartoon Network's "Toonami" anime block, and is being designed as a 2D animated follow-up to "Power of the Dark Crystal". The show's look and feel is being designed by David Slack, who did the same for Cartoon Network's popular Teen Titans series. The series is expected to debut on Cartoon Network in conjunction with the theatrical release of "Power of the Dark Crystal" in late-2009.
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Disney Channel Interstitials
In the summer of 2007 Muppet Studios began to develop a series of short interstitials for the Disney Channel. These interstitials would star the classic Muppets along side some of the popular Disney Channel stars. The idea behind these interstitials is to give the Muppets exposure to a new generation of fans. No word on if or when these short films are expected to start airing.
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The Doubtful Guest
"The Doubtful Guest", based on the 1957 book by Edward Gorey, is an upcoming film that tells the story of an inexplicable and mysterious creature that shows up unannounced, and unwelcome, at a family-owned bed and breakfast. Brad Peyton is attached to direct the film while Matthew Huffman is writting the screenplay. Lisa Henson, Brian Henson and Jason Lust are producing the film, which will be distributed by 20th Century Fox and Walden Media. Jim Henson's Creature Shop is currently working on the creature creation, aiming to faithfully bring Gorey's character to life on the screen.
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Elbo Elf
The Jim Henson Company is currently adapting "Elbo Elf: P.M.O.C.", a book by Ralph Romano and Joe Burke, into a feature film. The screenplay is being written by Bill and Gene Barretta, with Bill Barretta lined-up to direct. The holiday tale is about an unusual Christmas Elf with four uncoordinated arms that works at Santa’s workshop, and how he became "The Package Master of Christmas". The film will mix CGI effects with puppets and live action elements. No release date has been set.
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Farscape Webisodes
The Jim Henson Company and SCIFI.com teamed up in 2007 to start production on a 10-part webseries based in the beloved Farscape universe. The series is being executive produced by Brian Henson and Robert Halmi, Jr., and produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with RHI Entertainment. No word on when the series will arrive on the net, however production is expected to begin in 2008.
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The Fraggle Rock Movie
The Jim Henson Company is currently developing a feature film based on the television series "Fraggle Rock". The screenplay is being written by Ahmet Zappa, and Brian Henson has been said to direct. The film will take Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red on an adventure outside of Fraggle Rock as they travel into Outer Space. A theatrical release for the project has been projected for 2008 or 2009.
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Frances
"Frances" is a children's series being produced by The Jim Henson Company and HIT Entertainment. Based on the classic storybook character created by Russell and Lillian Hoban, each half-hour episode of "Frances" will be made up of three short stories all about taking on the challenges of childhood. The show uses the revolutionary Henson Digital Performance Studio, which allows puppeteers to control computer generated characters in real-time. The series features the talent of Julianne Buescher, Michelan Sisti, Arturo Gil, Bruce Lanoil, Tony Prince, Leslie Carrara, Nameer El-Kadi and Kristen Charney.
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Henson
"Henson" is an upcoming biopic focusing on the life of Muppet creator Jim Henson. Empire Films acquired the motion picture production and distribution rights to the film in February 2008. The original screenplay for the film was written by Robert D. Slane. Filming is planned to begin in the summer of 2008 and a theatrical release is currently slated for 2009.
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Monster Blood Tattoo
"Monster Blood Tattoo", based on a series of books by D.M. Cornish, tells an adventure story set in a magical Victorian world where an orphaned boy embarks on a perilous quest to become an apprentice to an esteemed line of monster bounty hunters. No writer or director have been officially announced, however Lisa Henson, Brian Henson, and Jason Lust are serving as producers for the film.
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The Muppets on DxD
In the summer of 2007 Muppeteer Dave Goelz announced that Muppet Studios was beginning to develop a new web content starring the Muppets. These original webisodes star the classic Muppet characters and hope to attract a new generation of fans. The videos began to debut on February 1, 2008 at the new Muppets.com, part of Disney's DxD network. New videos are currently planned to be posted each week throughout the spring and summer of 2008; additionally Muppet Studios is planning to film even more content for the site in the not-so-distant future.
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Power of the Dark Crystal
The Jim Henson Company is planning to a sequel to its 1982 fantasy classic "The Dark Crystal", entitled "Power of the Dark Crystal". The movie is being written by David Odell and Annette Duffy. Genndy Tartakovsky is attached to direct the theatrical feature film which is set for a late 2009 release. "Power of the Dark Crystal" will combine live-action animatronic characters with CG environments. Set many years after the events of the first movie, the film will follow the adventures of a female U-mun who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.
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Puppet Up! - Uncensored Webisodes
The Jim Henson Company presents a demonstration of what happens when traditional comedic improvisation is mixed with a bunch of puppets. With a motley group of characters brought to life by the world renowned puppeteers of The Jim Henson Company, "Puppet Up!" is a unique Henson Alternative show. Based on the popular improv stage show, "Puppet Up! - Uncensored" is now being developed as a full web show for Warner Bros and RealNetworks. Ten original episodes of "Puppet Up! - Uncensored" are planned to hit the web sometime in 2008.
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The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show - Plus Singing!
"The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show - Plus Singing!" is an upcoming web series from the Jim Henson Company. Developed in 2007, the show comes from the creative minds of creators/directors Paul Rugg and Mitch Schauer. The series is a comedic throwback to the American western/cowboy television serials of the 1950s. Several live-action episodes of "Sam Plenty" have been produced and will be released at SamPlenty.com in the spring of 2008.
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Sid the Science Kid
"Sid the Science Kid" is a childrens television show being produced by the Jim Henson Company for PBS. The show will use sketch and stand-up comedy to teach lessons of science and discovery. Forty half-hour episodes of the series have been ordered and are in production. The program is utilizing the Henson Digital Performance Studio, the revolutionary system that allows puppeteers to perform digital characters in real time. The show is set to debut on PBS in September 2008.
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Simian Undercover Detective Squad
The Jim Henson Company, in cooperation with RealNetworks and Warner Bros.'s Studio 2.0, are preparing to launch an irreverent detective comedy entitled "Simian Undercover Detective Squad" (or "S.U.D.S." for short). The web series will follow the inept undercover adventures of a grizzled orangutan detective and his rookie simian partner as they try to make it in a human world. The show is set to premiere sometime in early 2008.
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The Skrumps
The Skrumps is an upcoming Jim Henson Company television project based on characters created by John Chandler. The series features real-time computer-generated puppets, brought to live via the Henson Digital Performance System. Several short videos, directed by Brian Henson, were posted on Yahoo Kids! in 2007. The company is currently working to bring the characters to television with a full TV series with the help of writer/producer Craig Bartlett.
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Talk, Listen, Connect
Sesame Workshop is producing an educational resource video production designed to help military families deal with the serious issues that affect the children of injured military veterans. In the new production, Rosita struggles to cope when her father comes home in a wheelchair. Sesame Workshop plans to distribute the video to military families as well as make the video resource available, for free, via the web.
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Tinseltown
"Tinseltown" is a Henson Alternative television series that focuses on the lives of a two gay puppets living in Hollywood. The short-form sitcom follows the life Bobby Vegan (a pig) and Samson Knight (a bull) – as they work to balance their careers, relationship, family and lives in Hollywood. Bobby (Bill Barretta), an entertainer whose best days are probably behind him, is an outspoken individual, however his occasional reckless "self-medicating" often leads to embarrassing and problematic situations. Luckily, his understanding and supportive life-partner and soul mate Samson (Brian Henson), who also happens to be Bobby's manager, is there for every storm. A 10-minute pilot for the series aired on the Logo Network in November 2007 as part of the Alien Boot Camp anthology series.
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T. J. Bearytales
The Jim Henson Company has joined forces Hasbro with to produce a series of direct-to-video adventures based on the popular character T. J. Bearytales. T. J. and his friends will star in two musical, comedy adventures that will teach viewers about the importance of friendship and the fun of using their imagination. The Jim Henson Company is producing these titles using the Henson Digital Performance Studio, the Company’s proprietary animation system that allows digital characters to be performed by puppeteers in real-time. "My Beary Outer Space Adventure" and "My Beary Colorful Adventure" are planned to hit store shelves sometime in 2008.
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The Twiddlebugs
Sesame Workshop, in association with Magnetic Dreams Animation Studio, is currently producing 52 episodes of "The Twiddlebugs", an international computer-animated series slated to debut in March 2008. Each 3-minute episodes shows the misadventures of the Twiddlebug family living in Ernie's flower box. The series is set to air in several international markets as a short stand-alone program; no American television deal is planned, however theses shorts will reach American audiences as sketches integrated into the regular episodes of "Sesame Street".
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Unstable Fables
The Jim Henson Company is producing a new series of direct-to-video movies entitled "Unstable Fables". The computer animated video series features irreverent retellings of well-known stories that incorporate modern twists on the classic tales. The first batch of videos will be released in the spring of 2008 - "3 Pigs and a Baby" was released in March 2008, "Tortise vs. Hare" and "The Goldilocks & 3 Bears Show" are planned to follow. The films include all-star casts, including Brad Garrett, Steve Zahn, John Cryer, Jesse McCartney, Danny Glover, Jay Leno, Vivica A. Fox, Keke Palmer, Drake Bell, Tom Arnold, Brooke Shield, Jamie Lynn Spears, and others.
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Untitled Muppet Project
At a Jim Henson Legacy event in June 2007 Muppeteer Dave Goelz (along with Gonzo) publicly hinted at a "very cool" Muppet project being in the works for 2008. Then, during a panel discussion at Comic-Con International in July 2007, the Jim Henson Company also mentioned that Disney was developing an "exciting" project with the Muppets. There is little information known about the details of this project, however in November 2007 it was revealed by several writers that development and production of this big Muppet project was placed on hold due to the Writers Guild Strike. Production is expected to resume once the strike is settled; but as a result the original mid-2008 release will likely be delayed.
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Varjak Paw
The Jim Henson Company is currenting adapting the SF Said fantasy novel "Varjak Paw" into an animated film. Dave McKean, who illustrated the original book, is attached to direct the feature, while McKean and Said are writing the script together. The story centers on a Mesopotamian blue kitten who embarks on a journey to save his family and in the process discovers he is part of a mystical tradition of magical martial arts. Pre-production began in 2006 with release targeted for 2009 or 2010.
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When Muppets Dream of Peace
A documentary focusing on the development and production of "Sesame Stories", the Israeli co-production of "Sesame Street", is being produced by Highlander Pictures. Directed by David Van Taylor, the film aims to shed light on the making of the international Sesame production. The one-hour film is set to debut on PBS in the fall of 2008.
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Where the Wild Things Are
A theatrical adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" is currently in production at Warner Bros with effects and creatures being provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The film is being directed by Spike Jonze and The Creature Shop is providing the gigantic animatronic puppets for the Wild Things. Release is currently set for October 2009.
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In Development...
