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

[Sylinde Bren]

Im just going to leave this here!

http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire1.shtml

"We did puppets that day. That afternoon he [Jim Henson] called Frank in, and I met Frank for the first time. He came in and did a couple of puppets with me and we played for a little bit. It was a very playful day. The next 2 or 3 days I was there, it was just meeting people and talking. I met David Lazer, who was executive producer of The Muppet Show. Then we just sat around Jim’s office and talked. I had some of my puppets that I showed them. It was just talking, and it was so much less about seeing how good I was, because I was not that good, than seeing what type of person I was. It was all about that, and how you were going to mix with the group. I was very nervous. I was just in awe of the whole experience… Just in shock."

I reiterate: Jim was an excellent judge of character and talent.

I don't believe for a second that Steve changed, or let the fame go to his head.

If they did have a hard time getting Steve to set, as the Henson children claim, it was to a set where he would be forced to make Kermit do and say things that were completely out-of-character.

 

[dwayne1115]

This interview was done back in 1999, and you can just see how grounded the man was.

 

[dwayne1115]

Speaking of interviews here is the best story on this whole issue.

http://people.com/tv/fired-kermit-f...rs-disney-could-destroy-iconic-character/amp/

 

[ErinAardvark]

I'm glad Steve's decided to take the high road when it comes to the allegations of Brian, Lisa, and Cheryl. I kind of agree with him on some of the points he made in the article, though. Especially about Disney destroying the Muppets, if the 2015 series is anything to go by.
(I apologize to those who liked this series)

 

[JJandJanice]

I would say it's perfectly fine for Steve to disagree with the correct direction of the Muppets and maybe make some notes to try to improve upon the product.

I'm glad Steve's decided to take the high road when it comes to the allegations of Brian, Lisa, and Cheryl. I kind of agree with him on some of the points he made in the article, though. Especially about Disney destroying the Muppets, if the 2015 series is anything to go by.
(I apologize to those who liked this series)

Please.

The 2015 series might be considered a failure overall, but the Muppets have a long history of such. You think everything Jim Henson himself did was an automatic success? The Jim Henson Hour had low ratings too and only lasted a mere one season and the films "the Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" while enjoy a huge following today, were considered box office bombs when first released. Even later years, Muppets Tonight didn't exactly reach the acclaim the original Muppet show did and Muppets from Space was also a box office bomb.

Disney isn't "destroying the Muppets." They tried something a little different with the series and it didn't really take, end of story, nothing more, nothing less. Steve has every right to disagree with the direction of the product, as fans like yourself agree, but that doesn't give him the right to publicly bash it or try and make things difficult for Muppet projects present and future. I respect the man's work greatly, but if these comments from Disney and the Henson company are correct, I can understand why they let him go. (As much as I do hate to say that)

 

[ErinAardvark]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[JJandJanice]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

It's perfectly fine if you didn't like the show. But that doesn't mean Disney is "destroying the Muppets." That's just lame fanboy over dramatic nonsense.

 

[ErinAardvark]

You're right, it doesn't mean that they're "destroying" the Muppets. But it's just what it seems like sometimes. Just my opinion. What, am I not allowed to have a negative opinion on Disney?

 

[Sylinde Bren]

The 2015 series might be considered a failure overall, but the Muppets have a long history of such. You think everything Jim Henson himself did was an automatic success? The Jim Henson Hour had low ratings too and only lasted a mere one season and the films "the Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" enjoy a huge following today, were considered box office bombs when first released. Even later years, Muppets Tonight didn't exactly reach the acclaim the original Muppet show did and Muppets from Space was also a box office bomb.

True, not everything Jim Henson did was a success, but even the failures kept to his spirit and the characters always behaved in-character. Not so with the 2015 series and other projects done under Disney's control.

 

[JimAndFrank]

True, not everything Jim Henson did was a success, but even the failures kept to his spirit and the characters always behaved in-character. Not so with the 2015 series and other projects done under Disney's control.

Which is why it's all the more a pity that Steve didn't end up becoming a creative producer. He may not have been able to 'fix' the Muppets, but giving him some control over the direction The Muppets will take into the future would have been beneficial. Same goes for Dave Goelz.