Press Release SPHE Press Release: The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) (4k UHD Combo) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

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​ THE NOSTALGIC FAMILY FAVORITE FROM DIRECTOR FRANK OZ AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JIM HENSON

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​ FEATURING AN ALL-NEW DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY, DEBUTS ON 4K ULTRA HD™ OCTOBER 24TH

​ SYNOPSIS Broadway bound, the Muppets take Manhattan by storm in this magical musical about breaking into show business! Fresh out of college, Kermit, Fozzie and the entire cast of Kermit’s musical “Manhattan Melodies” head for the Big Apple with plans to turn their small play into a big hit! All they need now is someone to produce their show! But when no one in town will even meet with them, it’s up to Kermit to believe hard enough for all of his friends that the show WILL go on! Family entertainment has never been more fun than this comedy marking Frank Oz’s solo directorial debut. DISC DETAILS & BONUS MATERIALS 4K ULTRA HD DISC Feature remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision, plus all-new Dolby Atmos immersive audio 4K picture and Atmos sound mix approved by director Frank Oz Also includes English 5.1 + mono Special Feature: NEW: Feature Commentary with Director Frank Oz BLU-RAY DISC Feature presented in High Definition 5.1 audio Special Features: Interview with Jim Henson Muppetisms: Miss Piggy™ & Kermit the Frog™, Pepe™ and Fozzie Bear™ CAST AND CREW Directed By: Frank Oz Produced By: David Lazer Executive Producer: Jim Henson Story By: Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses Screenplay By: Frank Oz and Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses Starring the Muppet Performers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson Cameo Guest Stars: Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin, Joan Rivers SPECS Runtime: Approx. 94 minutes Rating: G 4K Ultra HD Feature Picture: 4K Ultra HD: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 1.85:1 4K Ultra HD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Mono

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[WillG]

Hmmm, did “Movie” and “Caper” get UHD releases, I don’t recall. If not why start with Manhattan?

 

[Ross Gowland]

Hmmm, did “Movie” and “Caper” get UHD releases, I don’t recall. If not why start with Manhattan?

Do Sony own those?

 

[jayembee]

Hmmm, did “Movie” and “Caper” get UHD releases, I don’t recall. If not why start with Manhattan?

Do Sony own those?

I believe they are with Disney.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Hmmm, did “Movie” and “Caper” get UHD releases, I don’t recall. If not why start with Manhattan?

I believe they are with Disney.

Correct. The only Muppet or Muppet-adjacent properties under Sony control are Manhattan, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Muppets From Space. The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper were originally released by AFD [North American film distribution arm of ITC ultimately absorbed by Universal], but rights reverted to Henson sometime in the 90s and these were included in the sale of Muppet properties to Disney. The Jim Henson Company retained The Dark Crystal and granted distribution rights to Sony, following a brief release by Disney under its Henson label on VHS and LaserDisc. Both Manhattan and Labyrinth were TriStar releases and retained by Sony.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Both Manhattan and Labyrinth were TriStar releases and retained by Sony.

Labyrinth was licensed to Nelson Entertainment for home video (even though Tri-Star handled theatrical distribution), which then was absorbed by New Line (pre-Warner acquisition). When that license ran out, it was then licensed to Sony. The Tri-Star logo was removed by Nelson Entertainment and was not restored until Henson Associates licensed it to Sony. I just wish Sony had restored the exit music that was included on the New Line laserdisc release (an extended mix of Underground).

 

[Justin Ray]

Thrilled by this release! One of my three favorite Muppet films, along with The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

 

[Rick Thompson]

I believe they are with Disney.

And, as we know, Disney cares zip about their catalog, even important ones like the Muppets. We're still waiting for "When Love Is Gone" to get into the blu of "Muppet Christmas Carol."

 

[jayembee]

That may well be true, but that wasn't the question being asked here. WillG was wondering why Sony was releasing Manhattan before Movie and Caper, and I was simply implying that Sony couldn't release those two because Disney owns them.

 

[Jake Lipson]

And, as we know, Disney cares zip about their catalog, even important ones like the Muppets.

The recent gorgeous restoration of Cinderella for its 4K release indicates that at least some people at Disney seem to care about their catalog. I don't have a 4K player and even I was stunned at how much better the remastered Blu-ray looked as compared to its original release.

Obviously, you are correct that catalog releases haven't really been a priority for them for the last several years. But as evidenced by Cinderella being so excellent, they can still put out high-quality stuff when properly motivated. Whether that passion would extend to Muppets stuff under their care is another question.

We're still waiting for "When Love Is Gone" to get into the blu of "Muppet Christmas Carol."

I think they added this sequence to the version on Disney+ last year. Of course, that's not the same as physical media. But it's better than nothing.

 

[B-ROLL]

Ahem ....my first DVD copy came on a box of cereal (including the AOL Online program ) !

No AOL Online NO SALE !

 

[Jake Lipson]

Looking at that press release, good for Sony for including new audio commentary. That feels significant. However, it sucks that they aren't also including that on the Blu-ray disc in the package. I'm sure this is because the Blu-ray is going to be the same one already available. But as somebody who isn't 4K equipped, I would consider buying this edition if I had access to the commentary. As-is, no sale for me.

This appears to be a pattern now with Son. They are also including exclusive new commentary on the upcoming 4K disc of Matilda without reauthoring its included Blu-ray.

I'm grateful to Sony for redoing the Blu-ray disc of Big Fish and did buy the 4K edition in order to get the new Blu-ray. It's a shame they aren't continuing in that approach here.

 

[Rick Thompson]

The recent gorgeous restoration of Cinderella for its 4K release indicates that at least some people at Disney seem to care about their catalog. I don't have a 4K player and even I was stunned at how much better the remastered Blu-ray looked as compared to its original release.

Obviously, you are correct that catalog releases haven't really been a priority for them for the last several years. But as evidenced by Cinderella being so excellent, they can still put out high-quality stuff when properly motivated. Whether that passion would extend to Muppets stuff under their care is another question.


I think they added this sequence to the version on Disney+ last year. Of course, that's not the same as physical media. But it's better than nothing.

They have no choice about the major animated classics. Otherwise, they don't care about the huge catalog they now own. Don't look for any of the Fox archive to show up, nor even their own releases like Mr. Holland's Opus, a Touchstone release I have on blu only because MGM owns the home video rights in Australia. As for Disney+, not going for their cash grab.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Amazon preorder is live. See top post

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Correct. The only Muppet or Muppet-adjacent properties under Sony control are Manhattan, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Muppets From Space. The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper were originally released by AFD [North American film distribution arm of ITC ultimately absorbed by Universal], but rights reverted to Henson sometime in the 90s and these were included in the sale of Muppet properties to Disney. The Jim Henson Company retained The Dark Crystal and granted distribution rights to Sony, following a brief release by Disney under its Henson label on VHS and LaserDisc. Both Manhattan and Labyrinth were TriStar releases and retained by Sony.

Interestingly though, Universal still retains North American theatrical distribution rights for THE MUPPET MOVIE and GREAT MUPPET CAPER (and I think THE DARK CRYSTAL) to this day.

I just wish someone would find the original theatrical audio for CAPER, as the version we've had since the 90s Disney releases has a few odd differences (most notably, it's missing Miss Piggy's "Hi-yaaaaahh!!!" when she crashes through the gallery window and jumps off the motorcycle).