Muppets to take over Rock n' Roller Coaster, MuppetVision 3D Closing

[wiley207]

Well, the rumors are sadly true. At Walt Disney World Resort's Disney's Hollywood Studios park, the MuppetVision 3D attraction is going to be closed as part of building a new Monsters Inc.-themed land... but the Muppets are still going to have an attraction at the park! The "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster" is going to be doing away with the Aerosmith theming and be re-themed into a Muppets attraction, with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem playing a prominent role, and apparently a few other musical guests involved!

Disney Confirms Muppets Take Over Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios

Disney Confirms Muppets Take Over Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios

www.wdwmagic.com

While I will greatly miss MuppetVision 3D, it's good to see the Muppets will still have some presence at Disney World, and this attraction sounds like it could be fun!
Any thoughts?

 

[LittleJerry92]

Sure, it still has a part now, but that can always change in the future.

This is basically Jim Henson’s last memory erased.

 

[GuySmileyfan]

Better than nothing, I guess.

 

[wiley207]

Better than nothing, I guess.

Right. It's definitely a bad news/good news scenario. "The bad news is, MuppetVision 3D is closing down. The good news is, Rock 'n' Roller-Coaster is being re-themed to the Muppets!"

 

[GuySmileyfan]

I guess it’s the end of the Mup…..Wait a minute! (Slapping my face) Oh no! I’m not going there this time! I mean, I maybe concern about the future of the Muppets at Disney, but I don’t want to go doom and gloom like that anti Disney monster, WDWPro! He’s a grifter.

 

[LittleJerry92]

It may not be the “end” of the Muppets but it certainly is a gigantic middle finger to the last of what we have to remember about Jim Henson.

But hey:

 

[GuySmileyfan]

It may not be the “end” of the Muppets but it certainly is a gigantic middle finger to the last of what we have to remember about Jim Henson.

But hey:

Please be careful! I'm worried for the Muppets and Disney.

 

[LittleJerry92]

I wouldn’t have guessed.

 

[wiley207]

It may not be the “end” of the Muppets but it certainly is a gigantic middle finger to the last of what we have to remember about Jim Henson.

But hey:

What would be nice is for any dialogue Kermit may have in the Muppets Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, if it's only a few lines, they may be able to get by with using archived audio of Jim Henson's Kermit! Like when they did in that "Bandanana" ad from 2005 (only a year after Disney bought those Muppets, no less!)

 

[Chilly Down]

My feelings are rather mixed on this. Of course, I don't want Disney t3o ever remove this masterpiece. It's Jim Henson's final project! And there's no other way to go see it. And the Animation Courtyard is sitting empty behind MV3D, so Disney could have put the new stuff there. Also, it's not like you can just pick this up on home video instead, either (although many YouTubers have at least preserved the show).

On the other hand, my understanding is that MV3D's attendance has been low for a very long time. Considering how poor attendance has been, it's actually surprising that the penny-pinchers at the Mouse House kept it open as long as they did! Shows often don't have the same repeat value to park-goers that rides do, which is why they change out the Country Bear Jamboree every so often; why they updated the Tiki Room (admittedly to poorly-received effect); and why some places like the Fantasyland Theatre aren't tied to any specific film, so that new shows can be mounted every now and again. Then factor in the lack of pop-culture presence that the Muppets have had post-1990, and -- while still very sad -- the move isn't surprising.

What should have happened is that the show should have been refreshed every few years. Yes, there should have been some showtimes each day where the original film was shown, but they should have alternated that with showings of something new. The premiere of the attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2001 would have been the perfect time to introduce an additional film. They could have refreshed again in 2011 to help promote the new theatrical Muppets movie. Instead, everything just kind of sat there unchanged for decades.

It's good to know that the Rock 'n Roller Coaster will be re-themed for the Electric Mayhem. And when the Jim Henson Company released a statement about the show's closing, they made vague statements about looking forward to the next phase of the attraction -- as if they know it's being moved or repurposed somewhere. I guess we'll see what happens!