Robin in "Letters to Santa"

[JJandJanice]

Well there's a difference between changing hair styles and changing personalities too much.

All the Muppets personalities have changed someway, not to a huge exteme, but still have changed. Even the Muppet performers have said this, they got to a point where they mature more into the characters they are now. In the really early days of Kermit, he was more of a "punch guy" than on the Muppet show he become more of a straight man. Rizzo makes this change from his relationship with Gonzo to his relationship with Pepe and Gonzo became a bigger heartful and caring character over the years (at least that's how I see it).

The character of Robin is to be a modern boy now matter what the time is, what Redsonga said (at least how I took it, maybe I'm reading things wrong) is that she doesn't want to see Robin do whatever is "cool" today. The point I'm making is that the Muppets always stay true to who they truly are and still did and dressed in whatever was cool during that time fame. It never truly changed them. Another point I'm trying to make is that characters do change a little as the years go by (well at least the really good ones that have heart to them). That's how writing works, otherwise won't they just become selling icons like that of (dare I say) Mickey Mouse or Betty Boop pretty much are today. That's how they stay interesting and fresh.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah this is something that's discussed a lot. I don't think many fans are against change in itself. Just that there's a fine line between maturing and altering.

 

[Redsonga]

Yeah this is something that's discussed a lot. I don't think many fans are against change in itself. Just that there's a fine line between maturing and altering.

I mainly just saying that unlike how the main muppets have changed with time, if they age Robin Disney might be a bit too tempted (because it prides itself on being in touch with 'all' kids..in the world...who somehow must all act the same..and love the same live action shows -.-) to alter a lot of his core character in favor of making him a child of today stereotype (with all the 'teenager at nine' trappings) rather than him staying himself only older.

Just like if they aged Kermit he wouldn't suddenly blow all of the money he had been saving for his friends on a mid-life crisis..I dunno, motorcycle... or be the old man who screams at kids to get off his lawn .

You could say 'oh, but Robin would rebel because he's sheltered' but that isn't very true to his character IMHO, he may make a bit of a fuss about being treated like he is the little frog he is , but at heart he is a pretty mellow little guy and shares a lot in common with his uncle I think...

Plus, I know this doesn't mean much, I am living realistic proof of the fact that not all sheltered children rebel when they are older..we just get very... opinionated about frogs on online forums later on *lol*

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

As far as Robin; yeah, it didn't sound like him. However, he barely spoke. Not enough performance to judge for me just yet.

Yeah. I checked out Redsonga's link and I haven't noticed much of a difference, but maybe I do need to hear the new Robin again after listening to that and listen more closely. But like someone mentioned, Jerry just has a distinct voice that can't really be duplicated. It's sort of the same with Richard as Scooter. Either way, it's good to have those characters back in the spotlight.

 

[Redsonga]

Yeah. I checked out Redsonga's link and I haven't noticed much of a difference, but maybe I do need to hear the new Robin again after listening to that and listen more closely. But like someone mentioned, Jerry just has a distinct voice that can't really be duplicated. It's sort of the same with Richard as Scooter. Either way, it's good to have those characters back in the spotlight.

Just because it is hard doesn't mean they can't try harder to make it sound like him, no one gave up on a Kermit voice (or made up reasons for a voice change), so why not Robin? I think each character should get the same effort, and that the only choices shouldn't be sounding nothing like the character or no character at all...

As for Scooter I liked the new person that was doing his voice before the one in this, I don't know names but he did a better job I think

 

[RedPiggy]

Teen Robin on a Harley would be such a COOL pic.

J/K


No, I'm not. They should have gone all out for AU Robin in VMX. I love me some black leather jackets

 

[rexcrk]

As for Scooter I liked the new person that was doing his voice before the one in this, I don't know names but he did a better job I think

I believe that was Ricky Boyd... and he was in Muppets' Wizard of Oz.

And I agree, I really liked his characterization of Scooter... but this new one isn't bad.

 

[dwmckim]

Okay, i think just about everyone can pretty much agree that Robin sounded a bit off in his very-first-ever time being done by someone other than Jerry, but three pages about how the character's reaching puberty is really stretching it. I don't sense that's what they're doing - just because someone compared his new voice to sounding like he's going through a bad frog version of puberty doesn't mean that we're going to soon see teen Robin - just that his new performer needs a bit more work. I'm sure making Robin deliberatly pull a "Peter Brady" was never on anyone's mind on the set! We can all calm down on this!

Actually, i always felt Robin did age during his time on the Muppet Show from the first to the last season, i always envisioned him more between 7-9 towards the end - as long as he's still in the "child" range, it works for me. (After all, even though frogs might do things differently than humans, how old does one have to be to be a boy scout?)

Yeah, Jerry could have looped the voice, but you know what would happen? People would still say he didn't sound right. This is what happened a few years back when VMX came out - of all Jerry's looped characters, Robin sounded really off - not even like he forgot to do the voice really, but his whole tone and inflection didn't seem to match the mood of the scene (very much felt like it was looped and detached)...like he was pitching him higher than it should have been - like an even MORE overly peppy Bob McGrath - that's what he reminded me of all throughout VMX.

...and we're basically judging this all over one line that was sung and not spoken. And i think this is actually key to why it sounded weird - not necessarily that the pitch/tone of the voice was off, but the way the line was sung - very staccato, where Robin almost always had a very legato way of singing even upbeat things. Like. Every. Single. Word. Or two. In. That. Sung. Phrase. Was. A Sentence. I think that more than anything else was why it sounded so off.

...and btw - speaking of Jerry's recast characters in LtS, when Lew Zealand gave Clare's mom her present and whispered "it's fishes", that sounded SO classic Lew Zealand at that moment that i TOTALLY forgot it was someone else doing him.

 

[dwmckim]

Oh - an interesting sidenote i forgot to mention...
my dvd player has a feature where you can watch something slightly slowed down or sped up and i've been in the habit of almost watching dvds sped up (great timesaver)...to the point where say if i happen to tune in to Sid the Science Kid as its airing, it always feels like the "Looking for my Friends" song is really dragging since i got so used to it slighly sped up!

Anyway - the first time i watched LtS, i watched it at regular speed of course, but then rewatched it several times sped up...than the next day i happened to watch Muppet Christmas Carol - and Robin in LtS sounded much closer to Robin in MCC when it was slighly sped up!

 

[frogboy4]

I felt Robin sounded a little like he was performed by Dave Goelz in the way he pronounced the few words he uttered. Kind of Bunseny.