The Muppets' Wizard of Oz/Archive 1

The Muppets' Wizard Of Oz/Archive 1

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 musical television film directed by Kirk Thatcher and starring Ashanti and The Muppets. The film was produced by Bill Barretta and written by Debra Frank, Steve L. Hayes, Tom Martin, and Adam F. Goldberg.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz follows a young woman named Dorothy Gale who dreams of becoming a singer but is unable to pursue her dreams. After being swept up by a tornado with her pet prawn Toto, she embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard of Oz, the person who both she and the citizens of Oz believe can help make her dream come true.

The film was produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with Fox Television Studios, Touchstone Television (instead of Walt Disney Television perhaps), and the Muppets Holding Company. Preproduction on The Muppets' Wizard of Oz took place throughout February 2004, and filming occurred during September 2004. ABC made several changes to the film after the initial script was written, ultimately deciding to base the film on L. Frank Baum's original novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz instead of the 1939 film. As with the preceding Muppet films, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz became a musical, and included five new songs written and composed by Michael Giacchino.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz premiered on April 27, 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film's television premiere was broadcast on ABC on May 20, 2005. Overall, the film ended up receiving negative reviews from critics. Most critics agreed that the film was too mature for young audiences, and that the cameo scenes and popular culture marks were unnecessary.