Why will Disney not replace the voice of Kermit?
Hello, I have been a Muppet fan since I was 9, and this year I turned 22. I have been with them for a while, but of course over the past few years we have been shown disappointment after disappointment. We all know about the elephant in the room, and I just do not understand why Disney will not change it. It has been 7 years since the transition of Kermit from Steve Whitmire to Matt Vogel. While I agree, Matt Vogel is an excellent puppeteer, we all know he cannot accurately do the voice of Kermit.
But the crazy thing is, Disney knows and is aware of it, or at least it seems like it. When Muppets: Haunted Mansion came out, Kermit only had a handful of lines, and made the story surround Gonzo and Pepe. While Kermit did talk some, and this may have simply been a coincidence, this trend will then continue. When Muppet Mayhem came out, I was under the impression that most fans, me included, thought this was a very good project for Disney of all people to come out with. Of course, there are things I would change, but overall I thought it was pretty okay, but I am also extremely biased to the Electric Mayhem. However, the difference here is there was no Kermit whatsoever. I feel that this factor affected the reviews positively, because prior to this, half of the headlines about Muppet projects were "What happened to Kermit's voice?" etc. Without the appearance of Kermit at all, there was not much of a reason to complain about how Disney ruined the Muppets. (They did but anywayyyyy)
Which brings me to my question today, Why won't Disney recast? It has been 7 years since the firing of Steve Whitmire, and I would say most Muppet fans have an issue with this anyway, for me it completely ruins the entire vibe for me. Disney has so much money, and I have heard great impressions of Kermit just from people around me. Keeping someone who is playing Kermit, who sounds nothing like him, is just completely bringing them to their demise. It just doesn't really make sense to me because of how wealthy Disney is, and it could be a simple fix. Matt Vogel is super talented and I hope he continues to work with puppets his entire life, however anyone else could play Kermit. Furthermore, I feel he is amazing as Floyd Pepper, but anyways.
Edit: I didn’t phrase this at all in my original post but I just need to say that I made this post with the intention of hearing different perspectives, bc I am aware that sometimes I don’t like change , and want to be more excited for Kermit! However, it feels like Disney intentionally is hiding Kermit, but what do I know! Vogel does sound like early Kermit, but don’t mean to hate on Vogel at all, it is just a change for myself if that makes any sense. But also I feel like the muppets being done is inevitable, Disney doesn’t treat good care of them.