Amid D23 2024, some big plans for Disney Parks' future were revealed and, amongst the slew of upcoming events and attractions, one has me particularly worried. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Disney World will be adding so much to Magic Kingdom and appreciate that Hollywood Studios is receiving an area centered around Monsters Inc. However, the fact the company hasn't revealed the exact location for the new area has me worried. On that note, if the powers that be even think of removing Muppet Vision 3D to make room for that roller coaster, I'll rampage through the park like Animal.
I'll be candid: Hollywood Studios needs more attractions to keep attendees occupied. While I could spend all day in Galaxy's Edge debating which ride is the best, there just isn't much for me to enjoy outside of that once I've ridden Mickey's Runaway Railway. The sole exception is a wonderful oasis that transports you back to a simpler time as well as a fifteen-minute show offering a much-needed reprieve from that hot Florida sun. So let's talk about why I wouldn't be big on the Muppets theoretically being ousted.
Muppet Vision 3D Should Be Dubbed A Historic Landmark
There are some Disney-housed rides that attendees consider sacred, no matter their age. I hold the opinion that at least one ride in each park should remain unbothered for all time, as to evoke nostalgia in visitors. Surely, many of us still wish The Great Movie Ride was still around but, now, that it's gone, Muppet Vision 3D is one of the only attractions left from the early '90s that hasn't been changed too much.
Not only that, but the show itself is a reminder of just how far animation has come. Waldo C. Graphic, the digital character introduced in the show, represents one of the earliest attempts made by a studio to craft characters using computers. Without those sometimes crude creations, fans would've never eventually seen a film like Moana, which CinemaBlend ranks among the best Walt Disney Animation Studios features ever made.
I'll also add that Disney Parks recently gave the theater space and the Miss Piggy statue a nice refurbishing a few years ago, and it all looks snazzy. And, despite the alterations, the location still evokes the feelings I had as a child, and I loved taking my kid to see it to see her reaction as well. There needs to be a way for the public to grant rides protected status, because I'll lose my mind if Muppet Vision 3D gets torn down for a Monsters Inc. coaster.
Removing Muppet Vision 3D Would Erase One Of The Only Real Muppet Areas Within Disney Parks
If Muppet Vision 3D is removed, then it's safe to say that the rest of the surrounding places in the vicinity will go with it as well. No more Miss Piggy statue, no more delicious pizza from PizzeRizzo across the street. That's a notion I can't bear. Is destroying such an area worth it for any ride that could take its place?
While we don't know for sure, there's a chance that Disney might think so, and that's my biggest fear. Let's face facts, the studio hasn't made efforts to make the original Muppet Babies available for Disney+ subscription holders. There are plenty of Muppets who never received enough attention within its franchise, but the IP as a whole doesn't have much of a modern footprint in the Disney family as it stands. If audiences don't even have a new Muppet movie or show on the horizon, then Disney could, at the very least, let them relish that space in Hollywood Studios as a way to remember the peak era of Jim Henson's beloved characters. I'd rather not get a lifetime ban for turning into Animal and going feral in the park.
Fans will just have to keep their eyes peeled for more details on what's coming to Disney Parks. I'm hoping for no news about Muppet Vision 3D going away, but it's hard to say what the future holds when it comes to expansion.
