“Felt” Betrayal as AI Allegations Strike The Muppet Show Revival. The Walt Disney Company, a brand built on the pillars of “hand-drawn” and “handmade,” is facing a growing firestorm from its most dedicated fans. The controversy centers on the long-awaited revival of The Muppet Show on Disney+, where eagle-eyed viewers have uncovered evidence that Disney may have turned to generative artificial intelligence to produce promotional materials for the series.
The Muppet Show returned to TV on February 4th. Airing on both ABC networks and Disney+.
The allegations, which first gained traction via the Kermitment A Muppets Podcast on X (formerly Twitter), highlight a stark contrast between the physical artistry of Jim Henson’s creations and the “uncanny valley” of digital automation. Original post can be viewed below.
The Miss Piggy Problem – The biggest mistake involves Miss Piggy. If you look at the vertical posters on the Disney+ app, her hands look weird. She’s missing her famous purple gloves. It isn’t just missing the purple gloves; she is totally missing the gloves that match her outfit, and can be seen in the officially released images from Disney+ PR.
Instead, she has bare, pink pig hands. For people who love the Muppets, this is a huge deal. Miss Piggy has worn gloves since the 70s to hide the seams of the puppet. Seeing her “naked” hands makes it obvious that a computer, not a human artist, stretched the image out.
The image was also used on the homepage of Disney+, see images below. Compared to the original.
The Muppets are special because they are handmade. Using a computer to “fill in the blanks” feels lazy to many fans. It’s the opposite of what Jim Henson stood for. We say this with the knowledge that Jim Henson always adapted to new technology, just look at Waldo, but he also made sure to hire the best artists to add thier unique talents to whatever Jim Henson was involved in.
Right now, no one is accusing the actual The Muppets of using Generative AI in the show. While some have speculated on the Pigs in Wigs title card show before the segment may have been, there is no proof, and this could be done with Photoshop or any good computer program. We want to be clear in saying this is all about the promotional material on Disney+.
“Felt” Betrayal as AI Allegations Strike The Muppet Show Revival
Disney is in a weird spot. They’re currently suing AI companies for stealing their work. But at the same time, they seem to be using those same tools to save money on their own posters. The Walt Disney Company has also just partnered with OpenAI to use the Sora platform in an upcoming integration into Disney+
It’s a strange move for a company that has thousands of the world’s best artists. Why use a robot when you have the real thing? Disney hasn’t said anything yet. In the past, they’ve quietly removed AI art once people started complaining. For now, the “naked hand” Piggy is still up on the app.
