Posted on 02/17/2004 8:30:59 PM PST by GulliverSwift
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:11 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2004
LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it will buy the "Muppets" characters, including Kermit, Miss Piggy and others, as well as the "Bear in the Big Blue House," franchise from The Jim Henson Co.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal culminates a decades-long pursuit of the Muppets by Disney, which came close to acquiring the characters in 1990. The deal fell apart shortly after the death of company founder Jim Henson.
The company then was bought by German media company EM.TV, which sold it back to the Henson family last year.
The deal includes a four-year consulting arrangement with the Jim Henson Co. to provide strategic advice on the use of the characters and a three-year production deal to develop movies, television shows and other projects using the characters.
The Jim Henson Co. will retain its "Creature Shop," which builds the puppet characters, as well as the rights to its film and television library, including "Fraggle Rock" and "Farscape," among others.
The announcement is a much-needed boost for Disney, which has been under attack for weeks from ex-board members and is the subject of a hostile takeover bid from cable television giant Comcast Corp.
It is also a coup for Disney chief executive Michael Eisner, who has been attacked by some who claim he lacks management skills.
"Michael Eisner's long-standing passion and respect for the Muppets gives me and my family even more confidence in Disney as a partner," said Brian Henson, who with his sister Lisa is co-chair and co-chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Co.
Yesss....Aeryn Sun....growwwwl.
They gave up their principles when they brought Kermit the Frog back -- remember when they said that in honor of Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog would be retired?
What's the story on that? I thought the show was over.
Sc-fi canned the show and dumped down their network to almost all reality TV and bad b-movies, because of that, they are on teh verge of bankrupcy.
But anyway, Sci-fi broke it's contract for a Fifth Season and told Henson they were not going to fund it on the last day of shooting for the Fourth Season.
Sci-fi has burned a lot of bridges with a lot of insulting stunts to kill Farscape. But the Henson Company wants to continue it, the production crew wants to continue it, the actors want to continue it and the fans want it continued, so they are making a Four part min-series to rap up the major loose ends to the Fourth Season and make it more attactable for syndacation. What happens after that it anyone's guess but Farscape will continue.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.