''The Frog Prince'' (released on home video as ''Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince'') is a 1971 musical fantasy comedy
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
directed by
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
, and jointly produced by Robert Lawrence Productions in Canada and
Henson Associates
The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...
in the United States. It is a retelling of the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
's classic
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
of ''
The Frog Prince
"The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" (german: Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich, literally "The Frog King or the Iron Henry") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 1). ...
'' featuring
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
as the narrator, Kermit's nephew
Robin
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
**Forest rob ...
as Sir Robin the Frog Prince, and
Sweetums
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...
. This special marked the debut of both Robin and Sweetums to the world of
The Muppets
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
.
Plot
Kermit and several other frogs are sitting around a well, when a small frog they do not recognize appears. The frog introduces himself as Sir Robin the Brave, explaining that he is actually a prince. He recounts, in flashback, how he once fought an
ogre
An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...
named Sweetums and was transformed into a frog by a
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
named Taminella Grinderfall. Nearby, they hear King Rupert the Second proclaiming that he will retire as king that afternoon; and his daughter, Princess Melora will be crowned queen. Robin is overjoyed, as he must be kissed by a princess in order to restore his human form.
The princess comes to the well, and Robin learns that she is under an
enchantment that prevents anyone from understanding what she says. As she sits by the well, singing to herself, she accidentally drops her golden ball in the water. Robin offers to retrieve it for her if she will befriend him and take him to the palace. Melora reluctantly agrees and Robin fetches the ball.
At the palace, Robin asks Melora to kiss him, saying he will turn into a prince, but Taminella catches them. Melora tells Robin the only way to destroy Taminella's power is to "bake the hall in the candle of her brain," which Robin does not understand. Taminella takes Robin to Sweetums's lair in a cage.
Robin lulls Sweetums to sleep with a
lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
, and Kermit tries to free Robin. Sweetums wakes up intent on eating Robin. Kermit and Robin escape, but learn that the coronation is starting. Kermit and the frogs help Robin disrupt the coronation. Amidst the chaos, Melora yells out "The candle of her hane!"; and Robin realizes "bake the hall in the candle of her brain" really means "break the ball in the handle of her cane." He bites Taminella on the arm, causing her to drop her cane and shatter the glass ball in its handle. Taminella's power destroyed, she turns into a bird and flies off. Melora's enchantment is broken, and she kisses Robin in gratitude. Robin turns back into a prince and professes his love for Melora.
Back at the well, Kermit reveals that Robin and Melora were eventually married.
Notes
Later
syndicated alongside ''
The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...
''.
Cast
*
Trudy Young
Trudy is a diminutive of Gertrude. Notable people with the name include:
People
* Trudy Adams (born 1964), American actress
* Trudy Anderson (born 1959), New Zealand cricketer
* Trudy Bellinger, British music video director
* Trudy Benson (b ...
as Princess Melora
*
Gordon Thomson as Sir Robin the Brave
* Heather Henson as Baby Prince Kermit
Muppet performers
*
Jerry Nelson
Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...
as
Robin the Frog
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...
(voice), Featherstone,
Sweetums
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...
(in-suit performer)
*
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
as
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
, Garth the Frog, King Rupert the Second
*
Frank Oz
Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz; May 25, 1944) is an American actor, puppeteer, and filmmaker.
He began his career as a puppeteer, performing the Muppet characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle in ''The Muppet Show ...
as Gawain the Frog,
Robin the Frog
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...
(puppeteer)
*
Carl Banas
Carl Banas (born January 23, 1929) is a Toronto-born retired radio personality and actor. He is best known for his voice roles in ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1964) and '' The Raccoons: Let’s Dance!'' (1985). As a television actor, he ...
as
Sweetums
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...
(voice)
*
Richard Hunt as Taminella Grinderfall (in-suit performer)
*
Jerry Juhl
Jerome Ravn Juhl (July 27, 1938 – September 27, 2005) was an American television and film writer, best known for his work with The Muppets.
Biography
Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when ...
as Kay the Frog, Taminella Grinderfall (voice)
Additional Muppets performed by
Faz Fazakas
Franz "Faz" Fazakas (April 5, 1918 – September 28, 2013) was an American puppeteer, engineer, and special effects designer, best known for his work with The Muppets. He is the namesake for Fozzie Bear for whom he created the puppet's ear-wiggli ...
,
John Lovelady
John Lovelady is an American puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on the PBS series ''Sesame Street''. Lovelady is originally from Oxford, Mississippi. He was one of the puppeteer troupe in the first season of ''The Muppet Show'' (1 ...
, and
Daniel Seagren.
Home media
''The Frog Prince'' was first released on
LP, then
VHS,
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...
and
LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
in the United States in 1983 by the
Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the Home video, home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films ...
through the Muppet Home Video imprint. A
CED release was also issued by
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
.
On January 14, 1994,
Buena Vista Home Video
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the Home video, home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films ...
through the
Jim Henson Video imprint re-released the special on VHS.
References
External links
''Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince''at
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
''The Frog Prince''on Muppet Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frog Prince (Muppets), The
1971 television specials
The Muppets television specials
1970s musical films
Films about witchcraft
1970s American television specials
Films based on Grimms' Fairy Tales
Television shows directed by Jim Henson
Hughes Television Network
Television shows written by Jerry Juhl
The Frog Prince