DENVER, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Two
heartwarming holiday specials that many of today's parents grew up
with on television are making their cinematic debuts when Fathom
Events and The Jim Henson Company present "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" and
"The Bells of Fraggle Rock" on December 10 and 16 only.
This first-ever "Jim Henson's
Holiday Special" brings together these two holiday classics –
each recently remastered – as well as an all-new featurette,
"Memories of the Jug-Band," with a surprise celebrity guest, along
with a special greeting from Cheryl
Henson, daughter of Jim
Henson and president of the Jim Henson Foundation.
Tickets for "Jim Henson's
Holiday Special" are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at
participating theater box offices.
"Jim Henson's Holiday
Special" will play in nearly 600 movie theaters nationwide on
Monday, December 10, at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00
p.m., and Sunday, December 16,
at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (all local times).
The touching musical holiday fable "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas," directed
by Jim Henson and featuring
songs and music by Paul
Williams, was hailed as an instant classic when it
premiered on HBO in 1977. "Emmet
Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" tells a simple but timeless
tale of devotion between a mother and her son: Ma Otter (performed by Frank Oz, voiced by Marilyn Sokol) and Emmet Otter (performed by Jerry Nelson) have no money, but they want
to do something special for each other at Christmas. They both
decide to enter the local talent show to win the first prize of
$50 -- money that could change the
holidays for them. "Emmet Otter's
Jug-Band Christmas" also features performances by
Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Jim
Henson and Eren
Ozker.
"'Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas' was a favorite project for
my dad since it included such sweet characters, Paul Williams' delightful music, and a timeless
holiday message. Also, the special was a great opportunity for him
to experiment with puppetry techniques and effects that would be
seen in his later works," said Cheryl
Henson. "The citizens of Frogtown Hollow are sure to look
their best in this remastered version. And it is exciting for
families to share this holiday classic along with the special
episode 'The Bells of Fraggle Rock,' a rare opportunity to
see the Fraggles on the big screen, and to introduce these beloved
characters to a whole new audience."
"The Bells of Fraggle Rock" was first seen on
December 24, 1984, when it premiered
as a holiday-themed episode of the critically acclaimed,
award-winning series "Fraggle Rock." Deftly addressing the
melancholy many people feel during the holidays as they struggle to
find meaning in this special time of year, "The Bells of Fraggle
Rock" begins as Gobo Fraggle (Jerry
Nelson) wonders why he doesn't have his normal
excitement over The Festival of the Bells, the most wonderful day
of the year for Fraggles. Though his friends (Dave Goelz, Karen
Prell, Kathryn Mullen,
Steve Whitmire) try to cheer
him up, Gobo ventures on an expedition to the center of Fraggle
Rock – a journey that teaches him the importance of individual
faith.
"These two unique and well-loved classics from Jim Henson offer an exciting new way for
families to spend the holidays together, enjoying classic
entertainment that will be nostalgic for parents and delightfully
new for kids," said Tom Lucas,
Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations.
In addition to the in-cinema presentation of "Jim Henson's Holiday Special," Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment will debut "Emmet
Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" on Blu-ray™ December 18, which will include the all new "A
Jug-Band Revival" featurette and more. Fans can also enjoy more
Fraggle fun with "Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series,"
available now, for the first time ever, on Blu-ray™.
For artwork/photos related to "Jim
Henson's Holiday Special," visit the Fathom Events press
site.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is the leading event cinema distributor with
theater locations in all top 100 DMAs® (Designated Market Areas)
and ranks as one of the largest overall theater content
distributors. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC),
Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group
(NYSE: RGC), Fathom Events offers a variety of unique entertainment
events in movie theaters such as live performances of the
Metropolitan Opera, top Broadway stage productions, major sporting
events, epic concerts, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics series,
inspirational events and popular anime franchises. Fathom Events
takes audiences behind the scenes for unique extras including
audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and
crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events' live
Digital Broadcast Network ("DBN") is the largest cinema broadcast
network in North America, bringing
live and pre-recorded events to 967 locations and 1,517 screens in
181 DMAs. The company also provides corporations a compelling
national footprint for hosting employee meetings, customer rewards
events and new product launches. For more information, visit
www.FathomEvents.com.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in
family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized worldwide
as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation.
Best known as creators of the world-famous Muppets, Henson has
received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits
include Dot. (Universal Kids /Hulu), Word
Party (Netflix), and Doozers (Hulu/
Sprout), and the Emmy®-nominated Splash and
Bubbles (PBS), Julie's
Greenroom (Netflix), Sid the Science
Kid (PBS), Dinosaur Train (PBS),
and Pajanimals (Universal Kids). Television
productions include Fraggle Rock, The
Storyteller and the sci-fi cult
series Farscape. Features include Sony Pictures
Animation's The Star and Disney's Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well
as The Dark
Crystal, Labyrinth, MirrorMask,
and Jim Henson's Turkey
Hollow. The Company is currently in production on the upcoming
Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of
Resistance and Guillermo Del
Toro's Pinocchio (Netflix). Projects in development
include the highly anticipated film Fraggle Rock.
With additional locations in New
York and London, The Jim
Henson Company is headquartered in Los
Angeles on the historic Charlie
Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and post production
facilities. The Company is home to Jim
Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building
and visual effects group with international film, television, theme
park and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios,
one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its
world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The
Company's Henson Alternative brand recently premiered The
Curious Creations of Christine
McConnell (Netflix) and is currently
touring Puppet-Up! – Uncensored, a live puppet
improvisational show. Its feature The Happytime
Murders, starring Melissa
McCarthy, was released last summer.
http://www.henson.com
www.facebook.com/hensoncompany
www.twitter.com/hensoncompany
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SOURCE Fathom Events