I Liked It, But Would Henson Approve?

I'm guessing he wouldn't approve of this abomination. Me? I bet it's misunderstood and just wants a second chance.

A few years ago, Tim Burton produced a film called ‘Nine’. I loved the film from an aesthetic standpoint; it was a dark, creepy CGI film about dolls fighting demon robots in the post-apocalyptic future. It was unique and interesting; very few theatrically-released CGI films use this aesthetic and the dark themes that go with it. The story was disjointed, yes, but the art style left me wanting to experience more films in that art style.

Now, if there was one thing Nine skimped on, it was humor. When Professor Leeper showed us Overtime, I immediately made the connection between the art styles, but Overtime tossed out the tension and terror of Nine in favor of a macabre and yet somewhat inspiring sense of humor. I can see how some people would be offended by Overtime’s humor, and I have no idea how Jim Henson would have actually reacted to this short, but I really enjoyed it. Despite them depicting the puppeteer’s corpse as a puppet, I found the film very respectful of Henson at the same time. They never did anything inappropriate with his likeness or the likeness of his characters, and the Kreepy Kermits all treat their creator with respect despite their happenin’ attitudes around the house. As Professor Leeper said, this was obviously a tribute to the man behind the Muppets, and I think the film does an excellent job of it.

I just wonder if Henson would have enjoyed it. As Leeper has said, Henson was a man who wanted to cater almost exclusively to children with lighthearted humor and loveable characters. Overtime, while still tongue in cheek and starring the iconic Kermit (albeit Kreepy), has a drastically different style than Henson’s work, with its moody lighting and darker humor. Deep down, I think he would have. I grew up on the Muppets Christmas Carol, and that film was very dark in places, especially as the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Future began to creep up on the horizon.

All in all, I loved Overtime, and I’m looking forward to personally looking up more of Subinfocom’s work.