Frank Oz On Star Wars, The Dark Crystal & Jim Henson
The legendary Frank Oz reminisced, a bit, when he spoke recently to IndieWire.com’s Eric Kohn.
However, Kohn warned that Oz doesn’t have an opinion on Baby Yoda.
“But I heard it’s very cute, and I’m sure Disney has a whole plan for it.”
More Than Just The Muppets
![Oz](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Frank-Oz-Yoda-e1521647421266-1024x576.jpg)
![Oz](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Frank-Oz-Yoda-e1521647421266-1024x576.jpg)
Image: Lucasfilm
Of Yoda, his Yoda, Oz added: “I love doing Yoda. The only thing that bothers me is if people think that I only do Yoda. That’s not a good feeling.”
But the multi-talented entertainer has a very good feeling about his late boss, Jim Henson. You see, Oz and three other Muppet performers (Fran Brill, Dave Goelz, and Bill Barretta) will reunite for “Muppet Guys Talking: A Special Conversation To Honor Jim Henson.”
The boilerplate reads:
![Oz](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MGT-Event-1024x577.jpg)
![Oz](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MGT-Event-1024x577.jpg)
Image: MuppetGuysTalking.com
“We knew him for so long,” said Oz of Henson. “He was a very singular person and saw life from a very singular perspective. I think it influenced me because it showed me that working collaboratively can be joyful, without any sense of backbiting or jealousy. I know that sounds namby-pamby, but that’s what Jim instilled in us, so we could work like hell and enjoy it.”
Funny, but that sounds an awful lot like how Walt’s people talk about the late Mr. Disney.
But Oz doesn’t view the current Walt Disney Company in the same way; he doesn’t expect there to be a resurgence on the Muppet side of The Mouse.
“It depends on if Disney trusts the performers, and to what degree they can relinquish control of creativity, and bring it back to the people who know it best,” Oz said to Indie Wire. “Jim was underground.
“Without Jim’s spirit, there’s no reason to go on.”
Pleased With Age of Resistance
You see, Frank is also usually frank about the current state of The Jim Henson Company.
However, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance — now streaming on Netflix — was a hit with the man behind Miss Piggy, What About Bob?, and Yoda.
“[I]t was terrific,” he told Kohn. “I thought they did it with care, there was a lot of thought behind it, and they opened it up. I was very pleased.
“They did a great job,” he said.