Frank Oz: Disney 'Doesn't Want Me' For New Muppet Projects

Frank Oz, the puppeteer and actor/director who was key in growing the worldwide popularity of the Muppets, claims Walt Disney Co. DIS has shut him out of future projects involving the beloved franchise.

What Happened: Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from Jim Henson Productions in 2004, but the deal didn't include the “Sesame Street” characters. In an interview with The Guardian, Oz — the creative force behind the “Sesame Street” characters Bert, Cookie Monster and Grover and “The Muppet Show” staples Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal — revealed he hasn't worked on any Muppet project since 2007.

“I’d love to do the Muppets again but Disney doesn’t want me, and ‘Sesame Street’ hasn’t asked me for 10 years,” he said. “They don’t want me because I won’t follow orders and I won’t do the kind of Muppets they believe in.”

Oz added that he avoids watching the current incarnation of the “Sesame Street” or Muppet characters.

“The soul’s not there,” he said. “The soul is what makes things grow and be funny. But I miss them and love them.”

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What Else Happened: Oz’s work beyond the Muppet sphere included the voice performances as Yoda in the “Star Wars” films and as the director of diverse films including “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986) and “What About Bob?” (1991). When asked if his Muppet work gave him the greatest sense of career pride, Oz avoided self-praise.

“Pride gets into hubris and I’ve learned to avoid that,” he said. “Maybe ‘satisfied’ is a better word. I’m satisfied with some of the movies I’ve done, but I can’t say I ‘did’ the Muppets, because it was always a combination of the writers, the other performers, Jim and me.”

Photo: Frank Oz and Miss Piggy, courtesy of Muppet Wiki.