Turkey Hollow (Dir: Kirk R Thatcher, 2015).
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, to give the movie its full on-screen title, is based upon a Henson project unrealised during the Muppet master’s lifetime.
As originally co-written by Henson and Jerry Juhl, The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow, would presumably have taken the form of a holiday special along the lines of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas (Jim Henson, 1977) and the Easter special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (Jim Henson & David G Hiller, 1986). Instead Turkey Hollow is a feature length TV movie combining puppets and humans, produced by The Jim Henson Company for the Lifetime Network.
Following their parents divorce, teenagers Tim (Graham Verchere) and Annie (Genevieve Buechner) are forced to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their Aunt Cly (Mary Steenburgen) in the rustic town of Turkey Hollow. Learning of a local 10 foot mythical monster The Howling Hoodoo, Tim sets out to find the beast. Instead he encounters the friendly forest monsters Squonk, Zorp, Burble and Thring as well as uncovering the illegal activities of a neighbouring turkey farmer, who poses a threat to his Aunt's farm.
As dictated by its made-for-TV budget, Turkey Hollow is not as lavish as Henson's fantasy epics The Dark Crystal (J Henson & Frank Oz, 1982) or Labyrinth (J. Henson, 1986). Neither is it the Muppet-fest you may have hoped for. The puppets are used fairly sporadically and serve the otherwise human led story. However, when they do appear, the puppets, as you would expect, are excellent. Their time on screen is the undoubted highlight of the low key movie and the foursome are as appealing as any other monsters to emerge from the Henson stable. The humans almost take a backseat whenever the puppets appear, although performances are solid throughout, especially the always dependable Mary Steenburgen.
The plot of Turkey Hollow is simple and not particularly original; the movie equivalent of a light snack rather than a Thanksgiving feast, with an unnecessary narration by Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges as the stuffing. Nothing against Mr Bridges; he is personable enough in his role of narrator and wears some lovely knitwear. However, these breaks in the narrative are merely exposition where none is needed. Presumably the lead in and outs for commercial breaks during TV airings, these segments seem intrusive when the feature is viewed on DVD without intermissions. A romantic subplot between Aunt Cly and local Sheriff Grover (Reese Alexander) feels both under developed and slightly out of place and the one dimensional bad guys will only seem like a genuine threat to the youngest audience members. Otherwise the movie is a mostly endearing tale which, while not approaching the genius high standards of his best work, does nothing to tarnish the legacy of Mr Henson.
Following their parents divorce, teenagers Tim (Graham Verchere) and Annie (Genevieve Buechner) are forced to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their Aunt Cly (Mary Steenburgen) in the rustic town of Turkey Hollow. Learning of a local 10 foot mythical monster The Howling Hoodoo, Tim sets out to find the beast. Instead he encounters the friendly forest monsters Squonk, Zorp, Burble and Thring as well as uncovering the illegal activities of a neighbouring turkey farmer, who poses a threat to his Aunt's farm.
As dictated by its made-for-TV budget, Turkey Hollow is not as lavish as Henson's fantasy epics The Dark Crystal (J Henson & Frank Oz, 1982) or Labyrinth (J. Henson, 1986). Neither is it the Muppet-fest you may have hoped for. The puppets are used fairly sporadically and serve the otherwise human led story. However, when they do appear, the puppets, as you would expect, are excellent. Their time on screen is the undoubted highlight of the low key movie and the foursome are as appealing as any other monsters to emerge from the Henson stable. The humans almost take a backseat whenever the puppets appear, although performances are solid throughout, especially the always dependable Mary Steenburgen.
The plot of Turkey Hollow is simple and not particularly original; the movie equivalent of a light snack rather than a Thanksgiving feast, with an unnecessary narration by Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges as the stuffing. Nothing against Mr Bridges; he is personable enough in his role of narrator and wears some lovely knitwear. However, these breaks in the narrative are merely exposition where none is needed. Presumably the lead in and outs for commercial breaks during TV airings, these segments seem intrusive when the feature is viewed on DVD without intermissions. A romantic subplot between Aunt Cly and local Sheriff Grover (Reese Alexander) feels both under developed and slightly out of place and the one dimensional bad guys will only seem like a genuine threat to the youngest audience members. Otherwise the movie is a mostly endearing tale which, while not approaching the genius high standards of his best work, does nothing to tarnish the legacy of Mr Henson.
The Thanksgiving special is a far less common beast than the Christmas or Easter special. As such, this movie is a nice addition to that fairly exclusive club and, due to scarcity, is ultimately one the better examples of the genre. Turkey Hollow may not quite rank as a holiday classic, but it is a sweetly old fashioned treat and one you should find merits re-visiting during the festive season.
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