Muppet character
Fictional character
Walter
is a
Muppet
character that first appeared in the 2011 film
The Muppets
. Performed by
Peter Linz
, he is one of the film's main characters, along with
Kermit the Frog
and the rest of the Muppets. Walter also appears in the 2014 sequel film,
Muppets Most Wanted
; though still a major character, he plays a smaller role than he does in the previous film.
[3]
The character was received positively by most critics and fans, praising his storyline in
The Muppets
. Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick wrote, "Even Walter, despite being the new Muppet on the block, holds his own alongside his non-human friends, and will no doubt be a fan-favorite for years to come."
[4]
E!
referred to the addition of Walter as "an inspired choice".
[5]
Betsy Sharkey of the
Los Angeles Times
said that Walter "is adorably insecure and a good addition to the house that
Jim Henson
built, which included so many iconic characters."
[6]
Biography
[
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]
During his adolescence in Smalltown, Walter frequently watched
The Muppet Show
, collecting
memorabilia
and finding the cast as a source of inspiration during his upbringing?which is why he often refers to himself as the "world’s biggest Muppet fan".
[7]
While on vacation in
Los Angeles
, Walter assists the Muppets in regaining both their popularity with the public and control of their acquired studios from oil baron Tex Richman.
Later in the film, Walter starts to question whether he is
man
, which he was believed to be his entire life, or actually a Muppet, which was why he always felt a strong connection towards them. This emotion eventually leads him to sing the
Academy Award
-winning song, "
Man or Muppet
", where the human version of Walter is portrayed by actor
Jim Parsons
.
[2]
The scene is pivotal to the
character's arc
as it resolves Walter's internal issues with himself. The character's solo act of whistling in the telethon's finale was performed by musician
Andrew Bird
.
[8]
At the conclusion of the film, Walter deduces that he is a Muppet, adopts
whistling
as his sole talent and joins the group as their newest member.
A 2010 article from
Entertainment Weekly
described Walter by writing;
Meet the newest member of the Muppet repertory company: Walter, a sweet, slightly naive twenty-something every-puppet who, in the movie, is the best friend and roommate of
Jason Segel
's character, Gary. Both Gary and Walter are die-hard Muppet fans. "Walter is the kind of guy who faints when he sees Kermit,"
[James] Bobin
says. Of course, Walter's Muppet fandom is complicated by the fact that he is a Muppet himself. "Walter has a bit of a self-confidence issue because he's the only person like him that he's seen aside from the Muppets," Segel explains. "His dream is to meet the Muppets and be around people who are like him." When Gary and Walter learn that the Muppet Theater is in danger of being torn down, they set out to save it by reuniting Kermit, Piggy and the entire troupe to stage an old-fashioned extravaganza.
[9]
?
Entertainment Weekly
Development
[
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]
Characterization
[
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]
In the process of conceptualizing Walter,
Nicholas Stoller
said; "We wanted a simple character, who was pure innocence and pure enthusiasm as an entry point for kids who aren't necessarily as familiar with The Muppets as their parents."
Jason Segel
, added: "He's a stand-in for me, a hardcore Muppet fan who wants to know what the hell happened to them."
[10]
He also revealed a shared ambition with the character; "He sets out to make them as famous as they once were ? which was sort of our goal in making this movie."
[11]
Stoller and Segel's screenplay had described Walter as the adopted younger brother of Gary and had set Walter's age to be approximately 30 years old.
[10]
Much to the producers' surprise,
Disney
granted them the creative license to conceive a new Muppet without any initial
marketing research
, a technique Disney often employs when creating characters for their
consumer products franchisees
.
[10]
Segel and Stoller, however, were responsible only for creating Walter's personality and character traits?his physical appearance was crafted by the
Muppets Studio
and
Puppet Heap
.
[11]
"I was sitting on their sofa, and I got the phone call, and I remember just kicking my legs in the air and screaming like a little girl... it's just an absolute dream come true."
? Peter Linz on receiving the role.
[12]
Peter Linz
came to the producers' attention after a screenplay
read-through
, where he assisted fellow Muppet performer
Eric Jacobson
.
[10]
The producers called Linz, asking if he were interested in auditioning for the role. Linz, however, did not initially win over the film's producers, and he was asked to audition again. During his second audition, Linz was told to emulate actor
Michael Cera
in his demeanor, because the producers wanted Walter to be quiet and shy, similar to the way Cera acts.
[13]
Linz received the role after completing his second audition, where he improvised dialogue with Segel and performed several music duets, including "
Love Will Keep Us Together
".
[10]
As Walter's characterization became more defined, Linz identified a comparative bond between him and Walter; "The character of Walter hits really close to home for me. I’ve always been an enormous Muppet fan who dreamed of one day working with the Muppets, and that’s basically who Walter is."
[14]
Producer
Todd Lieberman
remarked, "The emotional core of the movie is Walter. The idea is that he's not comfortable where he is now but he ends up finding a place where he's comfortable at. That's a really great lesson."
[5]
Design
[
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]
In the screenplay for
The Muppets
, Stoller and Segel described Walter as having the feel of "an old
dishrag
" that wore a blue suit.
[10]
The writers stated that they wanted Walter to be small, because even though he was an adult, he needed to feel like he was "out of place in the human world." Walter's actual height has been recorded as being 18 inches tall.
[15]
Paul Andrejco, president of
Puppet Heap
, showed the producers 14 different iterations of the basic puppet, each of them different in size and shape. Andrejco and the producers had to choose from 25 different possibilities for color and texture, ranging from "pink and scruffy to orange-y speckly to flat gray".
[10]
Lieberman spoke about how Walter couldn't be a joke, and said, "At the end of the movie, you want to shed a tear for him when he finds his place."
[10]
Appearances
[
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]
Walter also appeared with the rest of the Muppets on several promotional posters and images. He also appeared several times to promote the film, including appearing on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, along with
Jason Segel
.
[16]
Walter appeared as part of the Muppets ensemble in
Cee Lo Green
's "
All I Need Is Love
" in 2012. He also appeared in Kirk Scroggs’ “Tales Of A Sixth-Grade Muppet” book series.
Filmography
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Shemin, Craig (2014).
Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia
. New York:
DK Publishing
. p. 182.
ISBN
9781465417480
.
- ^
a
b
Burlingame, Jon (February 10, 2012).
"Nominees for best song | Eye on the Oscars: The Music - Song"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
August 3,
2020
.
- ^
Vejvoda, Jim (19 April 2012).
"Nick Stoller Talks Muppets Sequel"
.
IGN
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Kendrick, Ben (23 November 2011).
"
'The Muppets' Review"
. ScreenRant
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Grossberg, Josh (22 November 2011).
"Five Things You Need to Know About the New Muppet Movie (for Starters...It's Really Good!)"
.
E! Online
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Sharkey, Betsy (23 November 2011).
"Movie review: 'The Muppets' are sweet and subversive"
.
The Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Erbland, Kate.
"Interview: Walter the Muppet Talks 'The Muppets,' Doing His Own Stunts, and His Hero Kermit the Frog"
. Film School Rejects
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Gallo, Phil (10 October 2011).
"
'Muppets' Movie Soundtrack Features Feist, Flight of the Conchords, Andrew Bird"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
20 August
2013
.
- ^
Entertainment Weekly-Rottenberg, Josh. Entertainment Weekly. First Look: Exclusive Sneak Peek at the New Muppet Movie. November 12, 2010.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Barnes, Brooks (16 November 2011).
"Wocka, Wocka, Wocka! Muppet Antics Resume"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"The Muppet Fans Who Made 'The Muppets' Movie"
.
NPR.org
.
National Public Radio
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Mann, Allyson (March 2012).
"Becoming Walter: Alumnus brings a new character to life in "The Muppets"
"
.
Georgia Magazine
. Alumni Profiles: 1. Archived from
the original
on 30 October 2012
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Dobbins, Amanda (21 November 2011).
"Walter the Muppet Was Modeled on Michael Cera"
.
Vulture
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Hiskey, Michele.
"Atlanta Muppeteer Peter Linz fulfills quest for identity with Walter's fame"
. Saporta Report
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Alexander, Bryan (22 November 2011).
"New character Walter pulls movie's heartstrings"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Cavin, Cory.
"Jason Segel and Walter The Muppet!"
.
NBCUniversal
. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Archived from
the original
on 2011-11-29
. Retrieved
18 September
2012
.
- ^
Graser, Marc (August 1, 2014).
"Disney Launches The Muppets Digital Series"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
August 2,
2014
.
External links
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]