It's been a while since we saw The Muppets. Last heard, they had all gone their own ways. Choreographer Michael Rooney, who spent a considerable amount of time with the characters, choreographing dance sequences for the upcoming film “The Muppets” tells us what they are up to.
The suave Miss Piggy is now a fashion editor at Vogue, Paris; Fozzie is busy performing with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets; Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management; Gonzo has made it as a high-powered plumbing magnate; and dear old Kermit has the task of re-uniting them all, for a cause… to fight back Tex Richman, an oil man who plans to demolish the Muppet theatre for the oil beneath it.
Celebrating life
Having grown up watching the big-mouthed, bug-eyed puppets, the choreographer says he was very excited when he found out he was a part of this project. “My choreography in this film is inspired by musical comedy. It's very happy, stylised, inspirational and exuberant. Most of my inspiration comes from being alive… from celebrating life and being happy,” says Rooney who is trained in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance forms.
Rooney's works include videos choreographed for Kylie Minogue, Bon Jovi, Bjork, and Fatboy Slim, among others. So, how different was it to get puppets to get into the groove? “It has been a wonderful experience, but it had its share of challenges too. Since each muppet comes with two people who control it, the first day went into training them on how to move the wire, stick and rug.”
In this film, the muppet family gets bigger with the introduction of a new member — Walter. “He is my absolute favourite. Walter is a humanoid muppet. I like him because he is just amazing and represents the child within everybody.” Apart from that, the film also has cameos by celebrities. But that apparently is a “secret”, and we will just have to wait till for the film's release on November 25.
Meanwhile, the man with the moves has other plans too. “I have been in this industry for nearly 12 years, and now I plan to start directing movies. Another dream of mine is to choreograph a Bollywood dance. In fact, my favourite dance film is ‘Koi Mil Gaya' I hope I am pronouncing it right,” he laughs as he signs off.
