Will Walter become the new Pepe?

[LinkiePie<3]

Johnny: Can't exist without Brian Henson.

I'm sure Johnny would do fine solo-- though, it ain't going to be the same without Sal. So, either that, or recast Sal Minella.

Rowlf, Scooter, and The Electric Mayhem (sans Lips) are official again. Sadly, the Muppets Tonight era characters have less spotlight.

 

[Teheheman]

I think, with every movie, we've been introduced to a new Muppet character and none have really gone by the waist side. I mean, we've had Rizzo, and Pepe for years with all the original cast, so I'm SURE there's a way to integrate Walter into the mix but would making this character the focus of the movie(He, I think, is the main Muppet of the movie. The Muppet trying to get all the Muppets together for a benefit to help this theater, if I read the synopsis correctly) kill this movie like when people thought that Gonzo being the focus of Muppets From Space killed THAT movie. Time will tell on the staying power of that Muppet, I guess it all depends on how he's written, and how he's portrayed as to whether he's a one shot Muppet or whether he has staying power as a regular Muppet. I'm just rambling at this point, don't mind anything that starts to sound like something I said a sentence or 2 ago lol.

Daniel

 

[Drtooth]

) kill this movie like when people thought that Gonzo being the focus of Muppets From Space killed THAT movie.

Actually, a passionless newbie director, overly labored script (which said director ruined further), a forced Sci-Fi direction (1999... you know what came out and what that summer's anchor picture was), and overall studio ennui killed that picture. I have no qualms about the film focusing on Gonzo... not any more than I would a film about Fozzie or Piggy (GMC, let's face it, WAS about Piggy). Make a film about Dr. Teeth or Link Hogthrob and I'll crash a cartoony shape in the door to run out and see them the second they hit theaters.

Kermit should NOT have a monopoly on the focus of a film. TMM, MTM, VMX, and of course Kermit's Swamp Years belong to him... his names in one of the titles! Meanwhile, the only ones I have problems with are MCC, MTI, and MOz for having human guests as the focus of the films (though the crazy new Muppet pirates in MTI made it the superior of the three).

 

[LamangoNumber2]

I'm sure Johnny would do fine solo-- though, it ain't going to be the same without Sal. So, either that, or recast Sal Minella.

Rowlf, Scooter, and The Electric Mayhem (sans Lips) are official again. Sadly, the Muppets Tonight era characters have less spotlight.

Lips has been back for a while though.

 

[Drtooth]

Sadly, the Muppets Tonight era characters have less spotlight.

But the thing is, Brian performed some of them, and very key characters to boot. We'd have to recast Sal or have a Sal-less Johnny. I think it could work, but it just loses something without Sal.

Of course, we all know Bobo has a major role as the villain's assistant again. pepe has a diminished role, sure, but mainly because there are so many characters in this film. Link actually has a line... maybe even sings if he's part of the Barbershop that does "Smells like Teen Spirit." That's a first, Link getting more than a spot cameo.

 

[Speed Tracer]

But then he got saddled with S.Chef, Dr. Teeth, Lew Zealand, Rowlf, and who knows who else for this movie, Link Hogthrob probably, since it sounds like him. It's the same thing like with Steve and Rizzo.

Huh, had no idea he was Lew - I thought Matt took over all of Jerry's characters.

I think that Walter could end up being difficult to find a place for in future productions. I could very well see him taking on the role of a very over-eager helper/assistant, i.e. Bean. But I dunno. He could be the Muppet Theater's first "intern," I suppose. Whatever happens to him, I don't want his fame delegated to just this movie. He's us, and I think that says everything about his place in that world.

 

[rowlfy662]

no walter will not become the next pepe in my opnion he and pepe have different personalities pepe loves himself and walter loves his friends and for the muppets tonight thing we know are getting three characters for muppets tonight pepe bobo and clifford personally i would not mind johnny and sal just made a tiny cameo one second would do me and i hope walter will not just fizzle out after the movie

 

[minor muppetz]

Huh, had no idea he was Lew - I thought Matt took over all of Jerry's characters.

Bill Barretta performed Lew Zealand for a brief time before Matt Vogel took over Jerry's characters. He performed Lew in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (which came before Nelson's retirement... The voice wasn't dubbed) and in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (in a scene cut from the original broadcast but included in the DVD).

 

[beaker]

The "main 5" in the 80's and 90's was Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Animal. Every postcard, merchandise, toy line, etc only featured those guys.

But somewhere in the late 90's I noticed Rizzo started getting merchandise, and got added to the main core. Then later the main core changed to Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Pepe. Pepe was almost overshadowing Kermit by the 2000's with saturation. Even I, a massive Pepe fan, was feeling it was a bit much.

The original "core" of the Muppets was Kermit, Rowlf, Harry the Hipster, Yorick and Sam. Actually Kermit and Rowlf were pretty much the only main standout muppets for about 15 years.

By the late 70's the core became of course Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf and Scooter. So it's quite nice to see Scooter back.

I do see Walter as more a Bean character. A regular character, but perhaps not a focal point. Then again Johnny Fiami and Sal became main characters after awhile

Overall, with the movie...as much as Im disappointed Rizzo and Pepe aren't in it save for a couple cameos...Im even sadder Carl is relegated to a background character. Since 2008 Big Mean Carl was being positioned as one of the main regular muppets with a number of scene stealing roles *still a huge Carl fan*

 

[Drtooth]

But somewhere in the late 90's I noticed Rizzo started getting merchandise, and got added to the main core. Then later the main core changed to Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Pepe. Pepe was almost overshadowing Kermit by the 2000's with saturation. Even I, a massive Pepe fan, was feeling it was a bit much.

The thing about Pepe that I didn't get is that the character was so much a focal point, but other than a couple action figures (and by couple, it means one's a variant), a push puppet that blatantly copied the designs of them, a regional fast food toy promotion, and an impossible to win Carny plush (I've never seen in any crane machine in my life... and I've seen Apu from the Simpsons in one of them), there wasn't much merchandise with Pepe. I'd venture to say Pepe's the Telly of the Muppet show characters. He's always there, yet you don't see him on everything. Conversely, I'd say Animal is the equivalent of Elmo, at least in merchandising. Other than a handful of shirts that are solo Kermit, he's like on EVERY one of them. I keep getting SOOOO many Animal shirts as gifts.

I was absolutely SHOCKED and delighted to see a Pepe plush toy as one of the Disney The Muppets movie merchandise. Of all the characters I didn't expect to see, that was him.

I do see Walter as more a Bean character. A regular character, but perhaps not a focal point. Then again Johnny Fiami and Sal became main characters after awhile

If there was to be a show after the movie similar to the original, I think my ideal is that Walter takes on Scooter's role, as Scooter gets promoted to do more technical behind the scenes work, yet still manages to appear in songs and segments. Walter does all the gofer/intern stuff and looks up to Scooter as an example. I'd say the two would share a Doofus/Launchpad dynamic. The difference between Walter and Scooter is that Kermit would have a little more patience with Walter... both for everything he's done in the events of the movie and the fact that Walter would take it quite hard if he makes a mistake or lets his idols down.

Overall, with the movie...as much as Im disappointed Rizzo and Pepe aren't in it save for a couple cameos...Im even sadder Carl is relegated to a background character. Since 2008 Big Mean Carl was being positioned as one of the main regular muppets with a number of scene stealing roles *still a huge Carl fan*

It's kinda the same reason we don't see Link Hogthrob or Strangepork much in the movies. There's just TOO many characters to all have lines and fit in. Wayne and Wanda are in the film. We were amazed by Scooter and Rowlf making comebacks, but we'd NEVER think to guess that characters abandoned after the first season would get to be on the big screen. It's like the finale in the Muppet movie in every scene. Beautiful Day is in there.

However, I notice that Pepe is heavily in the marketing of the film, at least the newly filmed television stuff. There's no doubt after the film, if there is a show, Pepe will go back to his regular focus. But for the sake of the film considering how many characters are in here, I'd be more disappointed if he was relegated to a photo in the background like Clifford was in VMX.