Ever since D23 in August fans of Walt Disney World have been a little worried. We learned about a lot of new attractions at Walt Disney World, but with the new comes the risk of losing old favorites.
The announcement that a new land dedicated to Monsters Inc. was coming was well received, but rumors indicated that to get it, we might lose Muppet*Vision 3D, one of the longest-running attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now the exact plan for the future of Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been revealed and if you’re a Muppets fan, I have some good news and some bad news.
Muppet*Vision 3D Is Closing After All
One thing that fans didn’t want to see will come to pass. Theme park reporter Scott Gustin broke the news that the new Monsters Inc. land will replace the Muppets Courtyard. This will include some sort of Monsters Inc. show going into the location where Muppet*Vision 3D currently runs. The Monsters Inc. Door Coaster will be built into a new area behind the existing courtyard.
There was hope that the new land might go into the Animation Courtyard, an area that is largely overlooked in the current park. A new Little Mermaid stage show is currently in development there, but other than that, there’s just not much going on.
On the plus side, Gustin reports that there are “conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future” which would seem to indicate there’s a possibility the movie, the last Muppet project Jim Henson was personally involved in, might survive in some way.
However, it’s not all bad news for Muppets fans, for whatever happens to Muppet*Vision 3D, the characters will live on elsewhere in the park.
The Muppets Are Taking Over The Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster
One attraction at Walt Disney World that fans wouldn’t mind seeing rethemed or designed has been the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. The ride has been rumored for a re-theme for years and one idea that has been rumored, and even suggested by myself, has been the idea of using The Muppet's house band, Electric Mayhem as the musical inspiration. And now, somehow, we’re getting that.
While details are scarce, The Muppets will be taking over the rollercoaster in what’s being called a “rockin’ music festival” that won’t simply feature the Electric Mayhem, but all the Muppets.
An exact timeline for these changes hasn’t been announced, so there’s still time to experience both attractions before they close for work to begin.
Disney World fans generally, and Muppets fans specifically, won’t all love the trade-off here. Muppet*Vision 3D was truly beloved and anything short of rebuilding it in a new theater somewhere likely won’t be enough for some. Still, The Muppets aren’t being completely erased from Disney World, and a re-theme of the Rick ‘N’ Roller Coaster was desperately needed, and it’s wonderful that it’s finally happening.
This just leaves us with one question. What about PizzeRizzo?
