D23 Expo 2015 Highlight: The Magic Behind The Muppets Panel

While a lot of people were flocking to see the Disney Legends Panel at D23 Expo this year, a few of us decided there was something more important to attend, and that would be The Magic Behind the Muppets Panel. We really didn’t know what to expect, but was hoping we would hear more about the upcoming TV show (which just started shooting) and maybe see a Muppet or two. What we got was, in my opinion, a once-in-a-lifetime treat.

The first thing that I loved was seeing a group of amazing puppeteers, some of them I look up to, being there on stage together. Dave Goelz (the one, and only, Gonzo), Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat), Bill Barretta (Pepe, Rowlf), Eric Jacobson (Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal), and Matt Vogel (Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly) were all on hand for this panel.

 

 

 

 

 

After viewing an extended preview of the upcoming TV series, a round table started where the puppeteers talked about the upcoming show. Highlights of this round table included:

~ The new TV show on ABC, titled The Muppets, is really two shows in one.  First, it’s a “mockumentary” of sorts (I would liken it to The Office or Parks and Rec in that respect) and Piggy’s new late night talk show.

~ 90% of the show is backstage antics, composed of modern, adult humor.

~ Most of the Muppets are involved in Piggy’s show somehow. Kermit is the show runner, Uncle Deadly runs wardrobe, Gonzo, Rizzo and Pepe are the show writers, the Swedish Chef is craft services, Bunsen and Beaker are props and Sam Eagle is head of Standards and Practices.

~ As Dave Goelz put is, Kermit’s one mistake was “hiring his friends” to be part of the show.

~ Rowlf the Dog owns a Tavern where the gang comes to unwind after a long day of shooting. (to me, it sounded like he is considered a secondary character).

~ The crew has only been shooting the show for a week, but they have already done some shooting (including continuous shots) that they have never shot with the Muppets before.

~ In addition to the TV series coming this fall, there will be 4-5 all-new “Pigs in Space” shorts released online sometime in the near future!

Then there was a brief Q&A with the puppeteers before the craziness started… in the form of Muppets live on stage. Dave brought out Gonzo to start, with Steve showing up with Rizzo, Bill with Pepe, Eric with Fozzie, and Matt with Floyd.

 

Of course, during a Q&A with the audience, this cute British girl got to the microphone and, after asking to go on a date with Pepe and saying how she loved Floyd, asked how Animal was… and Animal had to appear.

 

At one point during the questioning with this girl, Pepe, Animal, Floyd, and Gonzo agreed to have a foursome with this girl. Yup. This is definitely not a children’s take on our loveable Muppets.

 

Dave Goelz in all his Gonzo awesomeness.

After the Q&A, Steve, now joined by none other than Kermit the Frog, got volunteers out of the audience for a little tutorial on how to be a puppeteer. At one point, he was joined by Matt and Uncle Deadly for some critique, of which the banter was pretty funny. Overall, I think that the one girl who played as the bunny did the best job. Here are some pics from that segment.

 

 

 

At this point, there was another guest to appear… Rowlf the Dog. After having a “wardrobe malfunction” with Rowlf’s left hand, Steve helped Bill show off using a two-handed puppet, where they promptly spilled water on Rowlf. Whoops.

 

 

I will say that Bill and Rowlf was probably the highlight of the panel, especially when Rowlf impersonated Donald Trump. Pretty spot on, if you ask me.

You’re FIRED!

After talking about the show a bit more, including Kermit & Piggy’s breakup (and her subsequently not being at the panel), it was time to conclude the panel. Overall, it was an amazing experience that I will treasure always. It’s always great when that 4th wall is broken and you see the artist working with his or her medium. I loved seeing the guys interact not just with the Muppets themselves, but how they interacted with one another, as this is not their first rodeo together. For the most part, it flowed like a well oiled machine.