Honestly the D23 Kermit line sounds almost TOO much like Steve. It’s weird like I didn’t even think Matt COULD sound like that….not that I’m complaining it just seems weird and suspicious to me how he suddenly sounds like that!

Matt’s Kermit sounds better when he’s singing than when he’s talking

I think a main issue is that Steve is still available and able to perform. The switch from Jim to Steve happened out of tragedy...there was no other choice. We are being robbed of *years* worth of Good Kermit, Rizzo and a host of other characters because of Disney and the bitter Henson family members.

His singing voice is spot on and I hope he applies it more to his talking voice as well I really appreciate Matt since he's been around for a long time I'm sure with his range it can be uncomfortable but the more he works in that range he can only get better!

To be fair his Kermit singing is a lot better then his general talking as the frog.

Matt sounds MUCH better than ever before. A surprise to be sure but, a welcome one.

I think people tend to forget how many skills he's juggling here. First he has to be a great puppeteer, good isn't going to cut it. Second he has to be a great Kermit puppeteer, giving him the right mannerisms and the right gestures. Third he has to imitate a well-established vocal performance. Fourth, if he's performing without a script, he has to become Kermit, and react to other muppets and people as Kermit. This is incredibly hard to do all at once, and it's a shock to find even two people that could do it half well, so I'd be surprised if there was a genuine queue of people that could take over this role.

I've been wincing at that voice the last few years precisely because I can tell how deeply Vogel loves the Muppets and the character of Kermit. There's so much to juggle in the role, and I know it would kill me on the inside if I just couldn't get the voice right. Thank you for pointing this out, it makes me happy!

I never really hated Matt’s deeper Kermit voice but Steve’s had such a place in my heart and it just felt odd like I didn’t want to get it a chance but this new one is PERFECT!! And you can tell he’s really passionate about his craft and wants to do right by the fans, that I can appreciate

Some voices hit the ground running, however Matt had to go through a tadpole metamorphosis. And so far, he’s grown his legs and he’s almost a frog.

Jim and Steve share the same birthday. Steve just turned 63 and Jim would have been 86.

This was an incredible performance. Thank you for this video. A lot of people forget, anytime there is a performer change up, it takes time for both sides to get used to it. And some people just never will, Pointiness it fight it, change will always come eventually. Nothing lasts forever.

The day after this came out I was listening to rainbow connection and I thought that Matt Vogel sounded really like Jim’s singing voice for Kermit. Any it’s really great that people are starting to warm to his Kermit voice.

I know Matt Vogel semi personally. I was trained by him at a puppeteer workshop. He's legitamitly one of the best puppeteers you will ever see. His manipulation is off the charts.

I'm just a random person who's a fan, but what I noticed was Kermit's **speaking** performance before the panel started, alongside Miss Piggy and Gonzo. His body language and facial expressions were better than I'd seen them in a long time! There is a LOT more to a puppeteering performance than just the voice. I'm old - I was 17 in 1990 when Jim died, so OG Kermit was the Kermit of my childhood. I rewatched The Muppet Show when it came out on Disney+ a couple of years ago, and I was struck by how fluid Kermit's face was. Jim had multiple hand positions that conveyed Kermit's emotions (mostly disbelief and exasperation at the antics of his colleagues!). I've felt like that fluidity and elasticity had been mostly missing from Matt's performances in the past, but at D23 it was back! It felt like Kermit being comfortable in his own skin again.

I'm really glad for him. From what I have heard, Matt said only 20 people went to the auditions, as it's not just the voice, but also the performance, which I personally think that his performance was always good, it's just the voice. Matt did say in an interview that he was trying to aim more towards Jim Henson's Kermit, and I think this might be what he's referring too. It truly is not just about the voice, as have to keep in mind that Matt is also the current Big Bird, and his current Big Bird voice isn't the best, you have to remember is that he's in a giant costume where he has to keep holding his arm up, and his Big Bird performance itself is good. I was honestly starting to think that they should of gotten Peter Linz (current performer of Ernie, as Kermit and Ernie almost have the exact same voice) or someone like one of the many people that do Kermit impressions online to do it, but Matt is really stepping up his game. If Jim Henson's own son liked him as Kermit, maybe we should too.

Yeah, Matt's singing Kermit sounds really great! I'm sure it isn't easy maintaining a voice as a performer, especially if it is far from your normal speaking voice. Here's to hoping Matt further refines Kermit's voice for the speaking roles as well. It is tough for such a legacy character like Kermit to switch voice actors/actresses, but it is inevitable as voice talent retires or passes away. I think the same thing happened with Mickey Mouse as I think they are now on his fourth voice actor when Wayne Allwine had passed away years ago.

Funnily enough marvel just made a she-hulk trailer for a character called leapfrog and kermit made a cameo with his voice reverting back to matt’s regular lower pitch voice

One thing I always thought, but most people will most likely not agree with: Matt’s performance in that ‘The Rainbow Connection’ I swear sounded not like Steve Whitmire, but Jim Henson himself. Something about the slightly deeper tone while performing seemed a bit more like Jim

I wish Steve was still Kermit

Vogel's singing is spot on with Henson, it's his talking that is loses the magic. Steve took what Henson did and brought Kermit to another level, he made it his own. Vogel is simply trying to imitate Henson and it only is good when singing a number.

That actually really surprised me, I’m glad Matt is improving!!

I think that part of him struggling to maintain the voice in the panel is most likely due to the melodic contour and rhythm of the line he was singing in "It Feels Like Christmas". It's a line that Jerry Nelson could pull off flawlessly in the character he played due to the fact that the Ghost of Christmas Present is not too far off from his regular voice, while Matt is trying to go at that speed, that rhythm, and in that part of his tessitura doing a voice very unlike his own. It's pretty clear the song wasn't written for Kermit, as composers of music for the Muppets have the voices that the puppeteers are performing the character with. Rainbow Connection would not work well for Cookie Monster to sing solo and "It Feels Like Christmas is tough to sing in a voice far from the performer's. I really love Matt's performance, here. He's an awesome veteran of the Muppet performers and I had faith for him to improve over the years!

What’s funny is that when A Muppet Christmas Carol first came out, I distinctly remember many people (myself included) saying how wrong Whitmire’s Kermit sounded because we were all so used to Henson’s Kermit. So it’s funny to now see people saying that Whitmire’s voice was the “right” one. It’s just evidence that people get used to things over time. In another 20 years, Vogel’s Kermit will be the “right” one, and whoever replaces him will sound wrong.

Honestly if Kermit can continue to sound more rubbery like he did in that one part you mentioned, I will see no problem with Matt Vogel continuing the legacy.

1:44 Yo whattt It’s like Jim Henson’s spirit possessed him and was like “THIS IS HOW YA DO IT!!”

I feel like Matt just needs to keep at it. The trouble is The Muppets have had like, 3 whole things since his casting. Like, his first performance as Kermit was a 10 second KZfaq clip or something.

I'm so glad someone pointed this out... Kermit is such an iconic, beloved character, and when he stopped sounding like...Kermit, everyone who has been a fan since the original Muppet Show knows it was off... I wish I had been able to see this 30th Anniversary performance, Muppet Christmas Carol is one of the best Christmas movies ever made, and I watch it year round. Now, all we need is Rizzo back because I loved Gonzo and Rizzo over Gonzo and Pepe.

I went to D23 and was able to watch this performance!! It was actually pre-recorded as not all the muppet performers were there to do the voices.

3:15 was actually pretty flawless. still not sold on his voice but I think he is improving

Matt Vogel seems like a really dedicated performer. I don't doubt he's doing his absolute best and it's great he's improving!

I'm glad his performance has kind of settled into place, it's a big role to fill. And it's funny, because I was watching the in between parts of a Muppet Babies storybook VHS rip last night, and I could tell it was an early part for Steve because you can tell he's trying almost a little too hard to sound like Jim. I don't think he fully nailed it until Xmas Carol, so patience pays off.

1:44. Wait, what? Where did that come from? While I miss Steve and have his full support this was a pleasant surprise. I guess like Steve it's been daunting taking over an iconic character and it's just taking longer for Matt to perfect the voice. I wish him well.

Vogel has been doing an excellent job as Kermit

I’m pretty sure that the way Matt Vogel auditioned for Kermit was by singing Rainbow Connection. I never really minded his voice for Kermit, but he does sound especially good when singing.

I personally got used to the new voice somewhat faster than other people, and I’m glad of how far he’s come with Kermit💖

Vogel sounds much more like Henson than Whitmire ever did.

I’m glad to see he’s growing into his puppet. I hope this new new voice is gonna continue on

All of you listen, that's not Kermit the Frog! That's Constantine the World's Most Dangerous Frog

This video made me smile. Thanks for posting

Honestly, I was initially convinced that it had to be lip syncing because it sounded so much like Steve 😅

Matt Vogel sounded really good when singing in the Hollywood Bowl and O2 back in 2017 and 2018 respectively, especially during the part where he sings Rainbow Connection

i always watch your muppet videos, keep making themmm

I’m going to be honest, I think I’m one of the few that had faith in Matt Vogel that he would one day nail the voice for Kermit, as he does perform some characters spot on. I’ve always seen the potential, and have jokingly said he needs to watch Constantine’s Kermit tapes again. (I made this joke because he performs Constantine as well as Kermit now) and I did see potential when I saw videos of his performances of Kermit in the Hollywood Bowl. It somehow sounded closer to Jim Henson’s Kermit right out the bat, I admit that I’ve had my doubts recently. But maybe he’s finally getting it. I know I’ve worked hard to perfect some of my Muppet and Disney impressions over the years, and it is hard. One thing I also believe, is that Matt Vogel also brought back Kermit to how Jim Henson performed him, while Steve was rapidly changing Kermit’s character near the end, like how he acted in abc’s The Muppets, it was more out of character for Kermit. At least it was for me, to have Kermit saying curse words, or say how he is attracted to pigs. When in the first place he’s denied it, and said the only way he would touch pork with with a knife and fork (that was The Muppet Show during Limbo”) I grew up with Steve as Kermit, and I was just shocked at where he was going with Kermit. I did mention before that I was relieved that Matt brought Kermit away from that. But in all, I think Matt will do a wonderful job once he truly gets the voice right. He’s so close now, he probably just needs to get his voice used to it some more before he can do it for longer periods of time, for now it’s a start. Good job sir 👏🏻

This was great to see I hadn’t seen this! Hopefully, like you said this improvement continues to happen because that was completely indistinguishable from Steve!

Yeah That surprise me when I saw Matt Vogel’s performance as kermit in Disney Expo 2022 Not Only The Talking has gotten better but the singing as well it put a smile in my face when I heard Kermits voice🙂😀

It sounds like he's able to do the voice proper now, but it likely wrecks his throat to maintain so he has to slip back to the lower register. If he can hit a spot somewhere in the middle, combined with the improved movement, he should be all good. I'm glad to see/hear it though. I suspect the last several years have been rough for Vogel, having to find that spot performance-wise, all while under intense scrutiny from the public after taking over as the third generation of performer to tackle such an iconic character in pop culture. I simultaneously do not envy him for that position while also remain jealous that he gets to play THE Kermit the frog lol. *looks over to my own weak ass puppeteering*

Seem like my patience for Matt's Kermit voice has paid off.

i love him so Much!

Vogel’s Kermit has always sounded more like Jim’s Kermit than Steve ever did.

Great video! My hope is that over time that he will continue to get closer and closer to that singing line that he sung.

i LOVE matt vogel

what I also rlly like abt Matt's performances are the subtle facial expressions of Kermit and his gestures 🥰

While I think Steve sounds more like an evolution of Jim’s voice for Kermit I do feel bad for Matt, he was given an almost impossible situation that both Henson’s kids and Disney gave him to deal with, he had to both continue the legacy of the legend who started it all while replacing the one that Henson had personally mentored and who had played him for 30 years that’s a tough situation to be thrown into, while I hope he refines the voice more and more I think the people just mindlessly attacking him are unfair and need to give him a break

I grew up with Kermit and Ernie, so I am very used to Jim Henson's one and only voice. I'm sure it must be hard for anyone to live up to that. For as much as I wince at the changes, I greatly appreciate the puppeteer's respect and honor towards Jim's original heart that he put into these characters.

Matt’s voice was a drastic change from Steve, but I can only imagine that’s how people saw his whenever Jim Henson died. If you compare Steve to Jim’s voice, his is actually much higher while Jim’s was slightly lower. It seems like Matt wasn’t trying to imitate Steve’s Kermit, but do more by Jim’s Kermit, which is where I think he lost many fans despite having good intentions. Not to mention that Disney did consult with Henson’s children for the firing of Whitmire and choosing who would inherit their father’s most beloved role.

I grew up with Jim Henson's Kermit so to me Kermit has sounded off since he died in 1990. To be honest, I kinda like Matt Vogel. He sounds a little closer to Henson than Whitmire did.

Yay!

My main thing for me is as long as he's maintaining that good-hearted nature and the mannerisms of Kermit, thats all I care about. Matt clearly loves what he does with a good range to work with, but as for Kermit having a deeper tone? Maybe frog puberty hit him or something I dunno, lol.

You had me at Kermit

At d23 expo Me who didn’t watch it thinking it would have no mention of the muppets: wait what

This whole thing just reminds me of how Steve's Kermit used to sound like back when he started. He too was awful, but then gradually improved.

He’s singing voice as always sounds phenomenal as Kermit!

It's also good for me I liked that you're doing it

I’ve never really had a problem with Matt Vogel’s Kermit voice, but I’m happy he’s finding his footing more.

1:48 I know right that actually sounds good and also don’t bully Matt he’s only trying to keep a legacy alive for us and Jim

I love that an entire generation is upset about Kermit's voice not being right as it changed from Steve to Matt. NOW you all know how I felt when Jim Henson died. I'm 50 years old and watched the original Muppet Show on television, when it was a BRAND NEW show and the original Muppet movies IN theaters. Jim was Kermit and he was the leader of the Muppets. The Muppets were never the same after Jim's death.

The funny thing is, Jim's Kermit was always a lower pitch than Steve's. While I eventually grew to like it, Steve's falsetto Kermit was jarring to me for a long time. I don't blame Matt for trying at first to sound more like the deeper-voiced Kermit. It just ironically is causing the same level of jarring-ness for those who grew up with Steve. That said, a lot of Matt's original Kermit voice was indeed a bit too deep, and (as has been noted in this video and this thread) his singing voice is much better. If you haven't yet, check out 2019's "Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration" with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Matt does a spot-on "Bein' Green" with Kermit in that one. And, yes, he sounds phenomenal here. While it's unrealistic to think that Disney would ever let Steve return as Kermit, I hope one day that the rift heals enough that they ask him back to perform Rizzo and other characters. And let's hope Matt (who, to be fair, hasn't had a ton of productions to grow in) gets even more comfortable playing our favorite frog!

perhaps i treated you too harshly, matt vogel

Ever since the death of Jim Henson, the Muppets have never been the same...

So much better when he can emulate the way Jim Henson did Kermit . It’s still sad that Jim passed too soon.

Strangely enough: Matt Vogel's Kermit singing "Bein' Green" for the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street was the worst Kermit performance ever, but he's improved so much since then he sounds more like Henson's Kermit than Steve ever did. It must've taken him a long time to get it to sound right.

Honestly I feel like now Matt can do Kermit at least in song but he can’t hold it for long. I think they should bring Steve back if Matt can’t hold Kermit’s voice

How similar he sounds to Kermits of the past is one conversation, but for me the real problem so far for Matt has been the acting itself. He hasn't found the _soul_ of Kermit. I'm cheering for him though, that's a huge task and I'm sure he's doing his best to overcome the obstacles placed in front of him!

I've never been a fan of the treatment of Muppets and Muppeteers as a whole, be it by Disney or the Henson family. Vogel's setting into the role more, which is good to see. As long people remember he won't be a 1:1 recreation of Jim or Steve and more of this own tone on the character. It's clear his passion's there.

All I said was, “Yay Kermit is back!”

I still hate Disney for what they did to Steve.

It’s like Ben Whitehead with Wallace and Gromit. At first Ben sounded a little off when doing Wallace’s voice. But as the years went on he started to sound more like Peter Sallis’ Wallace.

Even if Matt’s Kermit isn’t as memorable as Jim’s or Steve’s, he still makes it his own.

Honestly I don’t know if I’ve said This before but Matt’s Kermit always sounds like he’s congested….

I do love Steve's Kermit the most. But I'm still frustrated and upset without Rizzo

They aren't wearing their "typical" head mounted mics there at the Disney event, I suspect Kermit's voice (and the other muppets) were on backing tracks. I think it would be really hard to capture their voices with Lavalier mics in that open setting.

Matt's Kermit singing voice is fantastic, and his speaking voice has improved somewhat, even if it is kind of deeper. Reminds me of how Jim Henson's Kermit voice sounded in the 1960s.

When you think about it, the only Muppet movie Matt has done since his takeover as Kermit was Muppets Haunted Mansion (and the two live shows).

Has nobody noticed that Matt is not mic'd up? I think this is a recording from the Muppet Christmas Carol that he's just puppeteering to.

I'm honestly impressed, I was not happy with the replacement, and a part of me still isn't, but, at the same time, I really appreciate his decision to not ignore what was obvious and, instead, improve on what wasn't hitting the mark. He really cares about the character and this demonstrates the care he has for the craft, deep down, despite the initial display.

As a former cartoon animator, I stand firm with his view of a character staying as consistent as possible. In fact, the slight changes that make a single characters look like brothers or cousins in different scenes is a derogattory joke in our circle, telling one off about a lousy job done. In making the traditional animations like Tom & Jerry, there are hundreds of us drawing the same character. Thousands if one considers those that were before us and those that came after. Yet the viewer see and hear the same character, over and over throughout the years. That is what made their fans love them. To change the character is to kill it. And that was what Disney has been doing for many years now. Even the stories have change, not only the characters. A black mermaid, an arrogant lady hulk... their sins have gone up to the stars. RIP starwars... Disney is all about money now. They have forgotten to keep the dreams. I love Kermit and would only keep that for the old Kermit, when he still has a soul. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qMeUd8-Wx8uXnYk.html

What’s interesting is that I thought he might have been singing along to a Whitmire track, but in the original movie, Kermit does not sing any of those lines.

Matt Vogel works better as a singing voice rather than Kermit’s speaking voice.

Honestly, I like Vogel's Kermit. He is a great performer and makes Kermit feel like Jim's Kermit. Steve's Kermit was a different kind of Kermit. Not bad, but not what I know as Kermit. Steve made Kermit act younger, more childish or teenager-ish. Vogel's Kermit feels more like an adult. Perhaps it is because Steve likes to perform with a lot of quick movement and be a bit more erratic. Vogel is more deliberate in his movement and speaks in a bit of a calmer more mellow tone.

I think in general singing voices sound different from the speaking voices to the point that many characters have a different actor singing than they do for speaking

I've always liked his version of the voice. Sounds more like Jim's.

have you heard Matt Vogel in the live Muppet Show? The Muppet Show on O2? he sounds really great there, maybe it's because it's coming from a speaker and recorded from a phone. the o2 was very faithful to the original muppet show. this was from 2017/2018 so it's strange he hasn't that good sense. i really hope he is improving because at times you can tell he's really trying his best to capture jim's spirit in the character

Bro, I’m being serious when I say my dad has the best kermit impression like it sounds so like Jim Henson

The one thing I am looking forward to with AI is bringing back the real (Henson) Kermit voice

I have heard Matt talking before back when he first took over but when they went to England and did those shows you can hear and later for the Muppet Now video he sounds better than he did before. You can clearly hear it in the Muppets Halloween special. Nowhere close to the last two Kermit actors but Matt's doing the best he can and getting better all the time. Besides the last voice actor for Kermit got himself fired. One of the best I have heard of him singing and talking was when Matt as Kermit was on the masked singer as a snail.

Here's the thing, I appreciate Matt improving, of course I do. Disney still used Matt to replace Steve out of fear and control. Matt's probably a great guy, but Steve still should be brought back. He's Henson's successor. If he goes, he should be the one to pick the successor. Not Disney.

As I understand it, part of the reason Whitmire was fired is that he was supposed to be training a protégé and he wasn't. It's plausible that if Whitmire HAD been training Vogel behind the scenes he'd have been getting Kermit right from the start.

In my opinion, definitely a better improvement than from the voice in muppets now

Have you seen Muppets take the O2 or the Hollywood Bowl?