Frank Oz is probably the most iconic puppeteer working in the business and, along with the late Jim Henson, helped create some of the most prolific work working on various Muppets projects. You would think that talent would be respected to maintain the legacy of the brand but after Disney purchased the IP in 2004, the puppeteer and director claims that they won’t work with him.
During a recent interview with “The Guardian“, Oz stated that he would love to work on another Muppets project but Disney hasn’t expressed working with him because, as he puts it, he doesn’t follow orders. Here is what Oz had to say:
“I’d love to do the Muppets again but Disney doesn’t want me, and Sesame Street hasn’t asked me for 10 years. They don’t want me because I won’t follow orders and I won’t do the kind of Muppets they believe in.”
Oz, who also voiced Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle, Animal, and Marvin Suggs for several Muppets film and TV projects, says he doesn’t watch current Muppets or Sesame Street projects, on which he voiced Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster, because “the soul’s not there.” He goes on to say, “The soul is what makes things grow and be funny. But I miss them and love them.”
Oz made it very clear that he believes Disney’s acquisition of the brand forever changed The Muppets. According to Oz, “There’s an inability for corporate America to understand the value of something they bought. They never understood, with us, it’s not just about the puppets, it’s about the performers who love each other and have worked together for many years.”
Oddly enough, Frank Oz did work for Disney when he returned to voice Yoda in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Somewhere in all this, the relationship between Oz and Disney soured and it’s a shame because he was an integral part of what made some of the classic Muppets we know and love actually work. I swear, the more I hear about Disney sometimes the more I can’t stand how much of a corporate machine they actually are.
What are YOUR thoughts on Frank Oz’s claims against Disney regarding The Muppets?