Abstract short films, underappreciated Christmas specials, and the first “scratch and sniff” crime drama?
They’re all Henson productions… As the man behind The Muppets, Henson became almost as famous as his creations.
But The Muppets are far from Hensons only interesting work.
Working both with and without puppets, Henson made or oversaw some truly brilliant non-Muppets movies.
The short was eventually nominated for an Oscar.
Nowhere is this more obvious than this one-off drama made for NBC.
The otter puppets are adorable, and theres a host of great original songs.
But its the key differences that it has withToy Storythat make the special really remarkable.
In this world, if the toys are ever seen moving by human being, they permanently freeze.
They never use the D-word as such, but they clearly die if this happens.
relationships when a key character is frozen.
Im not saying its better thanToy Story, but its an interesting sidepiece.
LikeEmmet Otter, an introduction from Kermit has also been cut from recent releases.
Occasional episodes would be dedicated to longer TV movies, of whichDog Citywas one.
You know exactly where this is going, but its the sheer scope that makes this one such good.
Henson builds a massive living, breathing city filmed with dog gangsters and cops.
It was later spun-off into a Saturday morning animated series, but the original film is where its at.
Its a simple, uneventful coming of age tale, but its just so beautifully told.
Its the perfect use of magical realism used to accentuate character.
Im really surprised its not a regular TV fixture in Britain.
