Rizzo the Rat: Difference between revisions
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| first =''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (episode 418)<ref name=MuppetBook>{{cite book|last1=Shemin|first1=Craig|title=Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia|date=2014|page=151|publisher=[[DK Publishing]]|location=New York|isbn=9781465417480}}</ref> |
| first =''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (episode 418)<ref name=MuppetBook>{{cite book|last1=Shemin|first1=Craig|title=Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia|date=2014|page=151|publisher=[[DK Publishing]]|location=New York|isbn=9781465417480}}</ref> |
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| creator = [[Steve Whitmire]]<br>[[Jim Henson]] |
| creator = [[Steve Whitmire]]<br>[[Jim Henson]] |
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| voice = [[Steve Whitmire]] (1980-2016) |
| voice = [[Steve Whitmire]] (1980-2016) <br> [[Ben Diskin]] (Muppet Babies 2018) |
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| alias = |
| alias = |
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| species = Muppet [[rat]] |
| species = Muppet [[rat]] |
Revision as of 22:18, 30 April 2018
Rizzo the Rat | |
---|---|
The Muppets character | |
File:Rizzo the Rat.jpg | |
First appearance | The Muppet Show (episode 418)[1] |
Created by | Steve Whitmire Jim Henson |
Voiced by | Steve Whitmire (1980-2016) Ben Diskin (Muppet Babies 2018) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Muppet rat |
Gender | Male |
Nationality | American |
Rizzo the Rat is a Muppet character, created and performed by Steve Whitmire.[2] He is a fictional rat who appeared on The Muppet Show and numerous films, with a starring role in the 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol.
The character is particularly associated with Gonzo the Great, with the two sharing a double act since 1992. Whitmire based the character on Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy and performed him until 2016.
Character
Rizzo is a streetwise and sarcastic rat with a New Jersey accent.[3] He is a self-proclaimed acrophobe.[4] His humor can be risque, as in the TV series The Muppets he was given the line, "Is ABC going to be OK with 'Mother Teresa on a stick'?" To avoid potential difficulty with real-life censors, alternative lines were filmed.[5]
Rizzo's family has been mentioned in Muppet media. He has 1,274 brothers and sisters, as told to Gonzo in The Muppet Christmas Carol. In 2016, Disney announced Rizzo came from a family that traditionally cooked pizzas.[6] This addition to his story was in light of a new pizzeria at Disney's Hollywood Studios dedicated to Rizzo, called PizzeRizzo.[7]
History
Rizzo's name is derived from Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo character in Midnight Cowboy.[8] Steve Whitmire created the character,[9] based on rats he had previously made out of bottles.[8]
Rizzo first appeared in episode 418 of The Muppet Show, as one of many rats following Christopher Reeve backstage.[8] He can be seen mugging and reacting to practically every line of dialogue. He remained a scene-stealing background figure through the final season, occasionally performing with Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem.[8] By the time of The Muppets Christmas Carol, Whitmire had been performing Rizzo for around 12 years.[9]
After the series, he appeared in The Great Muppet Caper as a bellboy in a fleabag London hotel. He has appeared in most later Muppet projects, including The Muppets Take Manhattan[10] and Muppets Tonight. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, he developed a double act with Gonzo,[11] with director Brian Henson and the crew envisioning Rizzo as "pain-in-the-neck sidekick."[9] The characters narrate, break the fourth wall, and Rizzo challenges Gonzo's claims to be Charles Dickens.[12] The Gonzo and Rizzo partnership was continued in Muppet Treasure Island, with Rizzo again offering a humorous critique of the handling of the story,[13] and in Muppets from Space. Along with Kermit and Gonzo, Rizzo gave an audio commentary for the Muppets from Space DVD.[14]
Rizzo appears as a background character in the 2011 film The Muppets, without a spoken dialogue, although he is seen singing along during the finale, as well as the scene in which Kermit the Frog addresses a large crowd of Muppets. In Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and the short feature Rizzo's Biggest Fan on the Blu-ray release, the character calls for more screentime.[15] Rizzo returned to prominence in the TV series The Muppets, where he was on a writing crew with Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn.[16]
In 2017, it was announced Whitmire departed from the Muppets franchise, including the part of Rizzo,[17] after being unwillingly dismissed from the part of Kermit the Frog in October 2016.[18] Disney did not immediately announce a new performer for Rizzo, though Matt Vogel was announced for the replacement for Kermit.[19]
Appearances
- The Muppet Show[2] (1980-1981)
- The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981)
- The Great Muppet Caper (1981)[2]
- The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)
- Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)[2]
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986, background character)[2]
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)[2]
- The Jim Henson Hour (1989, background character)
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)[2]
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- Muppet Vision 3D (1991, pre-show only)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)[2]
- Muppet Classic Theater (1994)[2]
- Muppet Treasure Island (1996)[2]
- Muppets Tonight (1996-1998)[2]
- Muppets from Space (1999)[2]
- "Disneyland" (2001)
- It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)[2]
- Muppets Wizard of Oz (2005)[2]
- Johnny and the Sprites (2007-2009)
- Studio DC: Almost Live (2008)
- A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)
- The Muppets (2011, background character)[2]
- Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular (2013)[2]
- Muppets Most Wanted (2014)[2]
- The Muppets (TV (2015)
References
- ^ Shemin, Craig (2014). Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 151. ISBN 9781465417480.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Voice Of Rizzo the Rat". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
- ^ Swank, Nathan (November 19, 2011). "Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and our Top Ten favorite Muppet characters". Flix 66. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Brian Henson (Director); Jerry Juhl (December 11, 1992). The Muppet Christmas Carol (Motion picture).
There are only two things... I hate: heights, and jumping from them
- ^ Jurgensen, John (September 10, 2015). "The Muppets Grow Up and Go Back to Prime Time". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Niles, Robert (October 2016). "Walt Disney World's PizzeRizzo to open on November 18". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Busdeker, Jon (July 18, 2016). "PizzeRizzo pizzeria to open at Disney's Hollywood Studios". WESH. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Conradt, Stacy (February 10, 2009). "Surprising stories behind 20 Muppet characters". CNN. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 21, 2015). "How we made: The Muppet Christmas Carol". The Guardian. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ "'The Muppets Take Manhattan' production designer Stephen Hendrickson to visit Dietrich Theater for free film showing". Dallas Post. July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ Dale, Timothy; Foy, Joseph, eds. (July 15, 2015). Jim Henson and Philosophy: Imagination and the Magic of Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 233. ISBN 1442246650.
- ^ Glavin, John, ed. (2017). Dickens Adapted. Routledge. ISBN 1351944568. Retrieved July 14, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Addison, Heather (2000). "Children's Films in the 1990s". Film Genre 2000: New Critical Essays. SUNY Press. p. 182. ISBN 0791492958.
- ^ "Muppets from Space". Billboard. 2 October 1999. p. 32.
- ^ Dellamorte, Andre (August 27, 2014). "MUPPETS MOST WANTED Blu-ray Review". Collider. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ Zhu, Danielle (September 14, 2015). "The Muppets season 1 study guide: Everything to know about the revival". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Kurp, Josh (July 10, 2017). "The Long-Time Voice Of Kermit The Frog Has Left The Muppets Family". Uproxx. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ Bruner, Raisa (July 12, 2017). "Former Kermit the Frog Puppeteer Speaks: 'I Am Devastated'". Time. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Gilyadov, Alex (July 12, 2017). "LONGTIME KERMIT THE FROG PERFORMER REPLACED". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2017.