Frank Oz says Disney kicked him out of Muppets’ job – The Hollywood Reporter



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Iconic puppeteer and director Frank Oz is persona non grata with Disney, he revealed in a recent interview with The Guardian.

Known for his work on the Muppets’ projects alongside the late and legendary Jim Henson, as well as for making classic films such as Small Shop of Horror and What On Bob?, Oz said in an interview published Monday that he would like to work on another Muppets project, but Disney, which bought the intellectual property in 2004, will not be working with him.

“I would love to remake the Muppets but Disney doesn’t want me, and Sesame Street hasn’t asked me for 10 years, ”he said. “They don’t want me because I won’t follow orders and I won’t be the kind of Muppets they believe in.”

Oz has voiced Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle, Animal, and Marvin Suggs for several Muppets film and television projects. At Sesame Street, he voiced Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster.

Oz said he doesn’t watch the current Muppets or Sesame Street projects. And he doesn’t say why. “The soul is not there,” he said. “The soul is what makes things grow and be funny. But I miss them and love them.

Oz is steadfast when he explains how he believes the Disney acquisition changed the Muppets forever.

“There is an inability for American companies to understand the value of something they have purchased. 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, ”he said.

Oz worked with 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.

A Disney representative could not immediately be reached for comment.



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