Quentin Tarantino’s Cameo In A Muppets Movie Is Wholesome (And Strange)

In the 1990s, the Muppets began a trend that, sadly, was interrupted. In 1992, the troupe of puppets starred in “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” which cast Muppet players as characters in Charles Dickens’ immortal Christmas story. The Muppets followed that with the excellent “Muppet Treasure Island” in 1996, which took a similar tack; the Muppets were mere actors putting on their own modern production of a literary classic. This was a clever use of the Muppets, and there was every reason to believe they would continue with high-end literary adaptations.

Sadly, the trend ended in 1999 with the release of the lackluster “Muppets from Space,” the troupe’s last theatrical feature film for 12 years.

In the intervening span, though, there was one additional visit to the world of literature. In 2005, ABC aired the TV movie “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz,” starring Ashanti as Dorothy Gale. Kermit the Frog played the Scarecrow, Gonzo played the Tin Woodman (er, the Tin Thing), and Miss Piggy played all four of the story’s Witches. There was also a brief scene at the beginning wherein Dorothy got to meet the “real” Muppets, as they were also a traveling performing troupe in this world.

“The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” also features a fun, and somewhat surreal, aside. Near the end of the film, right before Dorothy is about to throw water on the Wicked Witch of the West, melting her into oblivion, the film stops dead and cuts to a Hollywood boardroom where Kermit is serving as a studio head. Across from his desk is Quentin Tarantino, playing himself, making pitches as to how Dorothy might more violently murder the witch. Tarantino, a famously violent filmmaker, was an odd choice for a celebrity cameo in a Muppet film.

Tarantino came to the fore in 1992 with the release of his well-written and notoriously violent heist film “Reservoir Dogs.” His 1994 follow-up, the sprawling crime film “Pulp Fiction,” was a massive awards darling and still often tops lists as one of the best movies ever made. He then adapted Elmore Leonard’s book “Rum Punch” into his most mature movie, “Jackie Brown,” in 1997. Curiously, most of the films Tarantino has made since 2001 have been genre exercises that use extreme movie violence to correct a grievous social injustice. In 2005, when he appeared in “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz,” his most recent film was “Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” the second half of a martial-arts-inflected revenge film starring Uma Thurman. That film had gallons of blood and a lot of swords.

Hence, when Tarantino pitches ideas to Kermit the Frog, he suggested that Dorothy whip out a samurai sword — perhaps smelted by Hattori Hanzo — and dispatch the Wicked Witch of the West with it. “I’m talkin’ kung-fu! I’m talkin’ walking on walls! I’m talkin’ explosions everywhere!” Kemit points out that it would be too violent for a family film, so Tarantino says that, yes, one can pull back on the violence a little. Instead, he suggests using CGI to transform the Wicked Witch into various other characters, including a busty vampire vixen. (“All done in the classic anime style, y’know, for the kids.”)

Kermit says that would be too expensive, so Tarantino suggests Dorothy kick the Wicked Witch. In the face. “Now that,” Kermit says, “we can afford.” And, lo, that’s what’s in the final film.

It’s a good thing that the makers of “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” included Tarantino in their film because, as we all know, little kids love the cinema of Quentin Tarantino. From what I understand, eight-year-olds adore “The Hateful Eight” in particular. 

In May 2005, Tarantino appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and the chatterbox director had a lot to say about working with the Muppets. Like many human actors, he expressed astonishment at the skill of the puppeteers who operate the Muppet characters and found that he was having conversations with, well, the real-life Muppets and not a puppet operator. Tarantino also admitted to having a special affinity for Rowlf the Dog, the pianist on “The Muppet Show,” and the original co-star with Kermit the Frog (both of whom were originally played by Jim Henson, although Bill Barretta has played Rowlf since 1996). Tarantino said he loved Rowlf in the early days, and Rowlf responded with a note of lamentation, hating that his role in the Muppets had been diminished since the 1970s. “It’s like I was having a legitimate conversation with a bitter old movie star!” Tarantino noted.

Tarantino also spoke with Janis (played by Tyler Bunch in 2005), the Muppet member of the Electric Mayhem, and he admitted to having a crush on her. Without warning, he gave her Muppety mouth a smooch, only really acknowledging afterward that he was kissing Bunch’s hand. O’Brien, and indeed anyone else who has met the Muppets, admitted to being similarly starstruck when seeing Kermit the Frog.

Since 2005, the Muppets have starred in two additional feature films: “The Muppets” in 2011 and “Muppets Most Wanted” in 2014. They were also featured in an unsuccessful 2015 TV series likewise called “The Muppets,” as well as 2020’s “Muppets Now” and 2023’s “The Muppets Mayhem.” They’ve additionally appeared in a holiday variety show with Lady Gaga and the Disney+ special “Muppets Haunted Mansion.” Quentin Tarantino has not directed any of these.