So is someone who interviewed Steve as you can see here
Clearly Cameron Garrity slash "Team Kermit" is not as much obsessed with character authenticity as Steve and Frank.
Somebody posted very good argument right under his video on Youtube -- it is kinda long but has valid points:
@CptDrHawkeye4077 said:
Fans continue to complain NOT out of toxicity, negativity or spite, it's because we deeply CARE about the characters and feel we shouldn't settle for less than what this character deserves.
Please click thru to "Watch it on Youtube" above if you care to read it in full.
To follow up with a longish post of my own =)
 For now, Steve has removed his post from public space -- either because the original formatting on the website cut off half of the lines when he first posted it, or because he is going to amend or expand the post -- not sure if we should discuss it as such, before he makes it public again.
All the rest of the matter has been discussed over and over for the past 10 years, and sums up as follows: |
The whole reason is that
us, Muppets viewers, are spoiled customers, overindulged and pampered by the sheer ability of Muppeteers to pick up the characters with such talent and skill that the change in character traits and behavior after recast is negligible, or at least fully tolerable, and the joy of "recognition" of the character as we would recognize an old friend is preserved. We've been entertained by Jim Henson and his original TMS team, and we expect that the joy continues unaltered -- or, rather, that changes go by in gradual "evolutionary" small steps fashion. The changes bigger than that can throw us off, and many of us start complaining and making all sorts of "
These are not the Muppets i know" comments.
Now, from the recasts of colorful "archetype" characters with a few definite traits, that the rest of the Muppets are, it eventually came to the character with unique, full-fledged personality given to him by Jim, who is a zillion times harder to "
emulate" for a new performer smoothly (as opposed to "
doing a fresh take" on the old role, or "
making the character your own").
Like I sad
before, it's not Matt's fault or his lack of ability - he does a perfect job with other characters, and his puppeteering and even his tonality for Kermit are actually pretty close. It is sheer enormity of the task of reconstructing the full "personality" of what Jim put into Kermit.
(Even at that, i half suspect that somebody actually told Matt to keep his Kermit different from Steve's, which might account for most of the differences, maybe?)
So, the "character jump", the discontinuity related to new performer is bigger than usual. My own feeling (to put it in much simplified form, now that i have words for it) is that instead of very special "
inquisitive Southern gentleman Kermit" we got a "
honest hard-working Midwest manager Kermit" -- though with the same appearance and a very similar voice. Both are decent, masterfully performed characters with their own charm. But there
IS a personality difference.
Hence, the argument ensues.
The Fans are divided into two sides as follows:
- First side feels that Kermit is no longer the one they used to know, and the issue should be fixed somehow. They feel that since Kermit is also making public appearances as himself: events, TED talks and whatnot, he must be bigger than just the "role" (e.g. "Ladies and Gentlemen, today for the first time Othello will be played by The Great Gonzo!" is OK, "The Great Gonzo played by Othello" not so much), and that not having "real", recognizable and consistent Kermit on stage can lead to collapse -- as it is hindering Muppets popularity and jeopardizing their future. Fans in this camp offer the solutions of their choice: adjust vocal pitch, recast, restore.
- Second side ardently wishes that the first one would stop complaining about new Kermit and stop putting spokes into Muppets wheel -- as it is hindering Muppets popularity and jeopardizing their future. Fans in this camp offer the arguments of their choice: previous Kermit had same issues; we actually can believe it's the same Kermit if we really try; or maybe we cannot but the change is for the good; Steve was so unspeakable that everybody should be glad of the change anyway; etc. (all of these are matters of opinion without much solid proof, at least per my own research and experience).
Myself, i can understand both positions and sympathize with both sides -- with the provision that the biggest spoke, which came close to overturning the cart -- and started the whole thing of hindering Muppets popularity and jeopardizing their future, was put into their wheel by Mr J.P. Grosse himself, the fact largely forgotten by either party. Plus, personally, i do love the Muppets i grew up with, and wish they could all remain recognizable as such, or close, as long as possible, so i could keep finding joy in their presence.
(Purely personal opinion, again -- but it may be shared by a lot of viewers. My personal dream is to see both Steve and Frank involved in Muppet projects again, even if it's only as "creative consultants". )
Steve, not without reason, thinks that the best way to restore Muppets to their own is to let him perform Kermit while he still is able to, and not let all the hard work he had masterfully done restoring Kermit personality by crumbs from his knowledge, his background, and his experiences working with Jim, go to waste.
Matt (this is a pure guess on my part) had probably been told to ignore critics and "
make Kermit his own". I think he is far too talented not to feel there is a difference, but likely considers it to be for the better for Kermit.
The Studios (again, pure conjecture based on recent recasts) is
(i'm afraid) still not over whatever bone it had to pick with Steve ten years ago, and in case of viewers backlash it might just wait for 10 years more, for the fans who remember "their" Kermit to die off, and/or stop complaining. Meanwhile, they are probably making some small but stable money from all those extra graduation ceremonies they keep sending Matt to, as well.
But all the parties above (except, of course, Disney), though devotedly vocal and/or insistent, do not decide the Muppets fate, at least not directly by this argument. It will be decided on Feb 4 or around, by viewers with Disney+/ABC subscription, with their fingers on their remotes. Their "
meh" or "
wow" will be defined by the
quality of the production, and will make all the difference in the world -- for Muppets popularity and their future. We'll see.
There is not long to wait.
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