Kermit the Frog's new voice has finally made it's grand debut and it's not as croaking awful as some had anticipated.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Disney confirmed that Matt Vogel's ribbiting reveal was made Monday on The Muppets YouTube page as part of their recurring segment, "Muppets Thought of the Week," in which fan-favorite characters offer up their silliest advice and passing ideas.
Vogel's 27-second clip was the perfect way for him to introduce himself, as it centered on dreams and getting to where you want to go in life. Of course, it stayed true to Kermit's nature and didn't get too serious.
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"Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go; life is how we get there," the lovable puppet said before he wandered off camera and got lost.
Vogel's breakout performance was met with mixed reactions as commenters on the YouTube video both offered their support and criticisms.
"People desperate for encouragement should steal jobs from beloved industry veterans," one viewer wrote. "Voice sounds like a copy of a copy, and the Muppets are more or less corporate mascot garbage at this point."
Another echoed the above concern, stating "Vogel is not even trying" and using the hashtags #NotMyKermit, #BringBackSteve, and #TheMuppetsAreDeadToMe.
Others pointed out that while it is strange to hear a new voice, they believe Vogel will do a great job in the long run.
"This is going to take some hardcore getting-used-to," one commenter wrote. "However Matt is a terrific performer, and while this is weird now, I have no doubt that it was just as weird 27 years ago when Steve's Kermit made his debut. We just have to give it time."
Disney announced in July that Steve Whitmire, who had voiced Kermit for over two decades after Jim Henson handed down the role, had been fired. While they initially released a short statement thanking Whitmire for his time with The Muppets franchise, they kept their reasoning behind the decision vague.
As EW points out, that all changed after Whitmire penned a long blog in which he stated he wished he and the studio execs could have "looked each other in the eye, and discussed what was on their minds before they took such a drastic action." In response, The Muppets Studio issued another statement saying that their decision was inspired by Whitmire's "unacceptable business conduct."