Walter (Muppet)
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]
Walter
The Muppets (2011)[1]
Jim Parsons (human form)[2]
Male
Whistling
Gary (brother)
Mary (sister-in-law)
American
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]
Development[edit]
Characterization[edit]
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]