Famous puppeteer Frank Oz would love to return to the Muppets but likely won’t anytime soon given that the Walt Disney Company “doesn’t want” him.
In an interview with The Guardian, Oz reflected on his career and noted that, while he hasn’t worked with the Muppets since 2007, he’d “love” to return to the franchise. He continued to explain why that reunion likely won’t happen anytime soon, as Oz believes Disney doesn’t want anything to do with him right now.
“I’d love to do the Muppets again but Disney doesn’t want me, and Sesame Street hasn’t asked me for 10 years,” Oz said. “They don’t want me because I won’t follow orders and I won’t do the kind of Muppets they believe in. The soul’s not there. The soul is what makes things grow and be funny. But I miss them and love them.”
Frank Oz: Miss Piggy, Yoda, and so much more
Oz began working for The Jim Henson Company in 1963. He’s known for puppeteering various characters on the Muppets (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Same Eagle) and Sesame Street (Cookie Monster, Bert, and Grover), while he also performed as Yoda in the Star Wars franchise. Oz has also directed several films, including 1982’s The Dark Crystal, 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan, 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, and more.
While the Muppets were created by Jim Henson in 1955, the Walt Disney Company acquired the franchise in 2004. According to Oz, former Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner was also trying to buy Sesame Street from Henson, but Henson wouldn’t allow it.
Following Disney’s purchase, Oz says a “demarcation line between the Jim Henson Muppets and the Disney Muppets” quickly became noticeable.
He continued, “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.”
