March, 2004
Disney Buys the Muppets
for real this time
Yeah, apparently it's true, after all this time... Here's the official press release, from Business Wire:
The
Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company Sign Agreement for Disney to Buy
the "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House"
BURBANK & HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- (BUSINESS WIRE)
February 17, 2004
The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Disney will acquire the beloved "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" properties from Henson.
The transaction includes all Muppet assets, including the Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal characters, the Muppet film and television library, and all associated copyrights and trademarks, as well as all the "Bear in the Big Blue House" characters, television library, copyrights and trademarks. The parties have signed a binding purchase agreement and expect the transaction to close within two months, subject to receiving the necessary regulatory clearances. The transaction does not include the "Sesame Street" characters, such as Big Bird and Elmo, which are separately owned by Sesame Workshop. The deal also includes non-exclusive production and consulting agreements under which Henson will develop potential new programming featuring the "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" for Disney.
Brian Henson, who with his sister Lisa is co-chair and co-chief executive
officer of the Jim Henson Company, said, "This new and very important
relationship will enable our two companies to combine our respective talents and
resources in ways that will fully realize the tremendous potential of the Muppet
and Bear franchises. Michael Eisner's long-standing passion and respect for the
Muppets gives me and my family even more confidence in Disney as a
partner."
Lisa Henson said, "In the months before his death in 1990, my father Jim Henson pursued extensive discussions with The Walt Disney Company based on his strong belief that Disney would be a perfect home for the Muppets. As such, the deal we announced today is the realization of my father's dream, and ensures that the Muppet characters will live, flourish and continue to delight audiences everywhere, forever. My brothers and sisters -- Brian, Cheryl, John, Heather -- and I are so proud to have the Muppets living under the same roof as Walt Disney's own timeless characters. We could not possibly be more pleased."
"Since the time I worked with Jim Henson on the first Muppets TV special in
the 1960's, it was obvious to me that his characters would make a deep imprint
on the hearts of families worldwide, and this announcement is the culmination of
a long-time desire to welcome them into The Walt Disney Company," said
Michael Eisner, Disney chairman and chief executive officer.
"Kermit and Miss Piggy are well-known and beloved around the world and will have an opportunity to be seen and loved by millions more well into the future through Disney's distribution channels at home and abroad, including home video, family television programming and consumer products, in addition to the existing theme park presence at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. We are honored that the Henson family has agreed to pass on to us the stewardship of these cherished assets. We are also pleased that this transaction puts us in a position to work with the Henson company on future projects," Mr Eisner said.
Disney, which owns broadcast and cable networks reaching over 120 million
households worldwide, operates or licenses theme parks on three continents, and
offers home video and consumer products worldwide, is planning to re-launch the
Muppets with new TV specials and series. Disney also expects to expand and
enhance the global licensing and home video initiatives based on this new
production for the Classic Muppets, the infant/preschool property Muppet Babies,
and Bear in the Big Blue House.
The Jim Henson Company, which was purchased by the Henson family in July 2003 from the German media company EM.TV, will retain all other assets of the company including Jim Henson's Creature Shop and ownership and rights to all other characters and entertainment properties in The Jim Henson Company's extensive film and television library, including Fraggle Rock, Farscape, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Storyteller, The Hoobs, and various other properties. The Jim Henson Company will also actively pursue partnerships and other strategic arrangements to exploit these and other existing and new properties and to build their value over the long term.
Added March, 2004:
Since the announcement, fans have been speculating about exactly what bits of the Muppet library are being split between Disney and Henson. At least, they are on the Tough Pigs forum. Boy howdy.
Kenny, an enterprising TP forum member, e-mailed John Spelich, the Vice-President of Corporate Communications at Disney, and asked for details. Here's what Mr Spelich said:
"In this transaction, Disney purchased all titles with Muppet content. This includes from television the three main Muppet series (Muppet Show, Muppets Tonight, Muppet Babies), the Muppet-related segments (but not the Storyteller segments) of The Jim Henson Hour, the Muppet interstitials (Muppet Time / Muppetisms) and the three episodes of Little Muppet Monsters.
"From the movies, the deal included The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper as well as Muppet Meeting Films and the Henson company's ownership of all other Muppet movies.
"In terms of TV specials and direct-to-video, the transaction included Muppet-Show related titles as well as The Frog Prince, Hey Cinderella, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, Tale of the Bunny Picnic, and Mr Willowby's Christmas Tree.
"Like you, we're big fans of the Muppets as well, and we're also well aware of the passionate dedication of Muppet fans worldwide. We hope to do right by the fans. Thanks for your interest."