The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (G, 2005)

In THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ, pop/R&B diva Ashanti plays Dorothy, a sassy wannabe music star who's bored to death living the slow life in Kansas, working at her Auntie Em's (Queen Latifah) diner. Dorothy misses her chance to audition for a travelling "Star Search" type show run by the Muppets, then she's swept up by a tornado and deposited in Oz. To get back to Kansas, she must appease the mysterious Wizard by going on a quest to get the magic eye of the Wicked Witch of the West. In clever casting, Kermit the Frog is the Scarecrow, Fozzie Bear is the Cowardly Lion, and Gonzo is the Tin Man. Miss Piggy plays three different witches, good, bad, and narcissistic. Honeydew and Beaker show up as high-tech henchman who pull off the illusions of the Wizard (Jeffrey Tambor), and -- in a very clever touch -- the Wizard of Oz takes a completely different form depending on whoever gazes upon him.

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz premiered on prime-time TV in America, and the video box bears the curiosity of two sets of ratings: a TV "PG" and a theatrical equivalent of a "G." This does seem to be edgier in its humor than previous, G-rated Muppet-brand-name fare. But it never stops reminding you that it's only a movie, making mention that one of the top Muppet talents is actually named Frank Oz. At the climax, action-director Quentin Tarentino appears as himself, excitedly describing to a quivering studio-exec Kermit how violent he can make the next scene.

Ashanti is pretty good when it comes to reacting to Muppets, but the ending moral is a little questionable -- Dorothy, returned to Kansas, gets Auntie Em's blessing to go seek music celebritydom after all. Translation: There's no place like stretch limos and lots of bling, either. We wish this were made into another Muppet joke, but it seems more like the filmmakers wanting their hip-hop heroine to have it both ways.