It’s the news Muppets fans had been fearing most: The Walt Disney Company announced Friday that Walt Disney World’s Muppet-Vision 3D, the only attraction in any U.S. Disney park to feature the beloved puppets, is closing to make way for a new “Monsters, Inc.” land. But just like in a movie, there’s a twist — the Muppets may be losing their theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but Disney plans to install the characters in a ride in the park instead.
“To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard!” the company announced on the Disney Parks Blog. “But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!”
It would be the first time the Muppets are featured in a ride at any Disney park (or anywhere else in the world). The only other place Disney uses Muppets is as meet-and-greet characters at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Currently, the indoor dark ride coaster features Aerosmith’s music, with the band members as video characters in the ride queue’s “recording studio.” The coaster itself puts guests in stretch limousine-themed cars that blast Aerosmith songs (including “Love in a Roller Coaster,” rewritten for the park) through the 57 mph ride.
Muppet-Vision 3D has been at Hollywood Studios since 1991. Disneyland also once had its own version. It was an opening-day attraction in 2001 at Disney’s California Adventure but closed in 2014 to make way for a “Frozen” sing-along.
Disney has not announced dates for the closure and ride revamp, other than saying “there’s still enough time to catch” the experiences in their current forms “before their final curtain calls.” A previous Disney Parks Blog post said construction on the “Monsters, Inc.” land is slated to start next year.
The company announced at this year’s D23 fan convention that Hollywood Studios would be getting Monstropolis, a land based on the “Monsters, Inc.” franchise, with plans to include Disney’s first suspended coaster.
But excitement for the new land was largely overshadowed by the massive outcry from Muppets fans, who rightly speculated that the unannounced location for Monstropolis would be in Muppet Courtyard, which also includes two restaurants and a now-shuttered Muppets store.
The attraction has been sacred to Muppets fans, not just because it’s one of the only ways to experience the beloved puppets in Disney parks but because it’s one of the last projects Jim Henson personally worked on before his death in 1990. In the Muppet-Vision 3D movie, Henson plays Kermit the Frog, the last time he voiced the character.
More than 4,000 fans signed a Change.org petition to save Muppet Courtyard and put Monstropolis elsewhere in the park.
However, while Muppet-Vision 3D has a loyal following, it generally does not draw large crowds. Even on the day of the announcement, the attraction had only a 10-minute wait, according to the Walt Disney World app. (According to Thrill Data, that’s also its all-time average wait.)
Muppet-Vision 3D might not be gone forever. “As we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future,” the Disney Parks Blog read.
By Julie Tremaine from SFGATE