Muppet Babies a labour of love for animator
Matt Danner has been working in animation for more than two decades, starting while he was still in high school. Over the years, he’s worked on a variety of programs, including Gravity Falls, The Looney Tunes Show, Dan. Vs., Wander Over Yonder and WWE Slam City. None of those projects has excited him as much as being named the supervising director for the new version of Muppet Babies.
His excitement isn’t just being in charge of a franchise he’s loved since he was a youngster. It’s even more of a thrill because Danner will supply the voice of the young Kermit. His passion is so real for the group, in his office is the plush Kermit the Frog toy his parents would put in his crib with him.
“If I go back in time to the first TV friend I had, it would be Kermit because I grew up watching Sesame Street. My first memories of comedy and character and friendship were with Kermit the Frog,” Danner says. “This is a longtime commitment to the franchise.”
As the supervising director of the new Muppet Babies, airing on the Disney Channel, Danner has taken on a huge responsibility. He’s now riding herd over part of an entertainment franchise that dates back more than 60 years and has been presented through multiple television shows, movies and stage productions. Instead of thinking about all of the mistakes he could make, Danner is just concentrating on making the best product with the characters he’s loved his entire life.
“I think more about whatever we mine from the project comes from what made it pure in the first place,” Danner says. “There was no part of any of us when we were developing this show that said ‘Oh, I want to do my own version of Muppet Babies.’ It was more what we liked it in the first place, where did it come from and then playing to those strengths.”
The biggest difference between this version and the original one in 1984 is the animation world has advanced and now the characters come closer to looking like puppets rather than twodimensional drawings. To get the design right, the team went back to the 1984 film The Muppets Take Manhattan, where the idea was first shown. It was a dream sequence in which Miss Piggy imagined what it would be like if she and Kermit had grown up together.
The new series ages the babies just slightly to being toddlers for Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal. Joining the group is Summer Penguin, a new character designed to add a female perspective and a way of introducing young viewers to the group. Along with Danner as the voice of Kermit, the cast includes Jenny Slate as Miss Nanny, Melanie Harrison as Piggy, Dee Bradley Baker as Animal, Ben Diskin as Gonzo, Eric Bauza as Fozzie and Jessica DiCicco as Summer.
The gang will hang out in the playroom of an urban brownstone with an expansive backyard. This will give them everything they need to go on their fantastical adventures.