I am very excited to get more of the muppet show, but holy cow this comparison shows how much better lit the 1976 set was.
Look at the third from last gif comparison specifically. In the 1976 version Kermit is lit so that he clearly stands out from the background. His silhouette is strongly defined and his face is fully lit so that his eyes and mouth stand out against the green felt that makes up the rest of the puppet. The lighting also emphasizes the definition of his character with strong shadows to reinforce his form. (Something that is very important for believability when you are working with puppets. They should feel solid and real in the space.)
Now look at the lighting in the 2026 version. The lighting flattens out Kermit into one singular tone. What definition we do get doesn’t reinforce the scene or the character, we’re just highlighting the tops of his arms and legs and the crown of his head. Oddly, his face isn’t lit at all. The flat lighting blends his eyes and his mouth into the green felt, and without defined shadows we don’t even get a sense that he is particularly occupying the space.
(Do not even get me started on the shot composition, how you mess up centering a shot with two framing pillars is a mystery to me.)
((Do not go after the filmmakers, there are so many reasons why this may have happened, mostly having to do with the fact that every day Hollywood strays further from the craft of filmmaking in their execs desperate bid to squeeze every penny they can from artists.))
snowghoul
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