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Walter (Muppet)

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Walter
The Muppets character
First appearanceThe Muppets (2011)[1]
Created byJason Segel
Nicholas Stoller
Performed byPeter Linz
Portrayed byJim Parsons (human form)[2]
In-universe information
SpeciesMuppet human
GenderMale
OccupationWhistling
FamilyGary (brother)
Mary (sister-in-law, once she marries Gary)
NationalityAmerican

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 connection towards them. This emotion eventually leads him to sing the Academy Award-winning song, "Man or Muppet", where a human version of Walter is portrayed by Jim Parsons.[2] The scene is pivotal to the character's arc as it resolves Walter's internal issues with himself. At the conclusion of the film, Walter deduces that he is a Muppet, adopts whistling as his talent and joins the group.

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."[8] 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."[9] 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.[8]

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.[8] 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.[9]

"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.[10]

Peter Linz came to the producers' attention after a screenplay read-through, where he assisted fellow Muppet performer Eric Jacobson.[8] 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.[11] 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".[8] 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."[12] 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.[8] 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.[13] 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".[8] 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."[8]

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.[14] 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

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  1. ^ Shemin, Craig (2014). Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 9781465417480.
  2. ^ a b Burlingame, Jon (February 10, 2012). "Nominees for best song | Eye on the Oscars: The Music - Song". Variety. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (19 April 2012). "Nick Stoller Talks Muppets Sequel". IGN. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  4. ^ Kendrick, Ben (23 November 2011). "'The Muppets' Review". ScreenRant. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Sharkey, Betsy (23 November 2011). "Movie review: 'The Muppets' are sweet and subversive". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b "The Muppet Fans Who Made 'The Muppets' Movie". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Dobbins, Amanda (21 November 2011). "Walter the Muppet Was Modeled on Michael Cera". Vulture. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  12. ^ Hiskey, Michele. "Atlanta Muppeteer Peter Linz fulfills quest for identity with Walter's fame". Saporta Report. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  13. ^ Alexander, Bryan (22 November 2011). "New character Walter pulls movie's heartstrings". USA Today. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Graser, Marc (August 1, 2014). "Disney Launches The Muppets Digital Series". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
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