Steve Whitmire has left the Muppets, Matt Vogel to continue as Kermit

[Muppet Master]

I was thinking about Frank Oz's interview and how he didn't like muppets 2011 because it was too cute and muppets 2015 because it was too mean. While I respect his opinion, this guy worked on freaking muppets from space, what did he think about that muppet production?

 

[D'Snowth]

All he did for MFS was loop his characters' voices.

 

[Oscarfan]

Frank was there for all the stuff in the UFO Mania studio and that's pretty much the extent of it. He ADR'd everything else.

 

[Censored]

If it really is Steve's fault that Kermit's personality has suffered all these years, then I guess that makes sense after all. I mean, I guess it was Jerry Nelson's fault that Snuffy was a terrible character up until the 80s, likewise it was Brian Meehl's fault Telly was even worse: both characters were always so depressed and whiney all the time, and what fun is that? Once Marty Robinson took over both characters, they suddenly had emotional range, and could really be fun and entertaining characters.

It’s not that a depressed character is necessarily bad, it’s just a question of whether it fits the personality of that character. Disney got the character of Eeyore and his depression just right, but if they tried to make Winnie The Pooh or Christopher Robin act that way, it would seem all wrong. I think many saw a depressed Kermit as being out of character.

 

[Censored]

I was thinking about Frank Oz's interview and how he didn't like muppets 2011 because it was too cute and muppets 2015 because it was too mean. While I respect his opinion, this guy worked on freaking muppets from space, what did he think about that muppet production?

I think he was saying the original Muppets under Jim got the balance just right: Not too nice, not too mean.

 

[Censored]

Telly was even worse:

Telly was more about anxiety than depression. He took the simplest thing and worried about it until it reached an absurd worst-case-scenario. It’s what made his character very, very funny too.

 

[D'Snowth]

My point was people who put all the blame of Kermit being "bitter and depressed" on Steve's performance would be like blaming Snuffy and Telly being whiney depressed characters all on Jerry and Brian's performances.

 

[BlakeConor14]

The Henson kids are trying to get Steve to react aggressively back towards them to show they are right but he isn't that's why I still don't believe them

 

[Censored]

The Henson kids are trying to get Steve to react aggressively back towards them to show they are right but he isn't that's why I still don't believe them

I'm sure they'll work it out eventually.

 

[ErinAardvark]

The Henson kids are trying to get Steve to react aggressively back towards them to show they are right but he isn't that's why I still don't believe them

That's what's making me confused about the whole thing. When I told my family about this debacle, my dad began to wonder if Disney is paying the Hensons to say what they've been saying. Keep in mind this is speculation, and we (my family and I, that is) don't know if that's really the case, so please don't jump down my throat. I'm just trying to look at this from every possible angle, and every possible situation.