THE MUPPETS WIZARD OF OZ, the recent TV movie in which the lovable Jim Henson characters recreate L. Frank Baums famous story, comes to DVD on Aug. 9, 2005 (Buena Vista Home Ent., $24.99) in an extended version thats 20 minutes longer. The Emerald City will never be the same after Kermit, (as the Scarecrow) Miss Piggy (as the Wicked Witch of the West), Pepe (as Toto) and all of their friends wreak havoc along with Ashanti (as Dorothy), Jeffrey Tambor (as the Wizard), Queen Latifah (as Auntie Em) and Quentin Tarantino (as himself). Directed by Kirk R. Thatcher, the telefeature boasts voice work by Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson and Bill Barretta, among others.
Extras include:* Outtakes & bloopers* Pepes Exclusive Making Of* Extended interview with Tarantino and Pepe
Also released this week is THE MUPPET SHOW SEASON ONE (BVHE, $39.99), containing all 24 episodes from the 76 season. Starring Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Eren Ozker, John Lovelady, among others, and directed by Peter Harris and Philip Casson, the legendary Variety Show mixes famous celebrities singing, dancing and hamming it up with Hensons famous troupe headed by Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef and their pals. Celebrities include Charles Aznavour, Joel Grey, Candice Bergen, Ruth Buzzi, Twiggy, Ethel Merman, Paul Williams and Vincent Price.
Extras include:* The original pilot, Sex and Violence!* The original pitch reel of the show* Muppet morsels viewing mode with fun facts about the Muppets* Promo gag reel
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
