Disney dropped a pair of announcements today about the future of Hollywood Studios. They go hand-in-hand, so don’t lose yourself over the first until you read the second…

Monsters Inc. Land Will Replace Muppet Courtyard

After a lot of ambiguity about where in Hollywood Studios the new Monsters Inc. land would go, Disney has confirmed it will replace Muppet Courtyard, including MuppetVision 3D.

For those of you who will miss MuppetVision 3D, I’m with you. It’s been a huge part of my personal and professional life. I visit it almost every day I spend at Hollywood Studios. I think it’s a fantastic show, and I think it’s a huge loss for the park. I’m grateful Zoe got to experience it and, for the most part, appreciate it.

There is a bit of good news. Disney says:

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.

This means this hopefully won’t be the very last we hear from MuppetVision 3D.

Monsters Inc. land will include the new suspended, doors-themed coaster. I look forward to that ride and to the rest of the land.

As of now, no close date for MuppetVision 3D has been given. This could be really up in the air. Remember, Disney has to build an entire new coaster before the new land opens. If the theater isn’t impacted by that construction, MuppetVision could be around for years. That said, there’s not necessarily good reason to announce this now unless changes are in the near-ish future. But that brings us to part 2…

Muppets Will Replace Aerosmith on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will no longer be “Starring Aerosmith.” The Muppets will take over, “teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!”

Based on the initial concept art / poster, you can see in the top left that it looks like the ride will retain its “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster” name:

For me, this is a welcome, but minor change. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was actually one of my favorite rides as a kid (I’d guess that I’ve ridden it more than any other coaster in my life).

I turned against it as an adult, but that had nothing to do with the theming. Chiefly, I think the queue—mostly a cement box—is disastrous for a ride that often commands some of the longest waits in the park.

I also don’t personally think the theming matters in any significant amount. I like Aerosmith’s music just fine, but I doubt you’d ever find me able to tell you what song played while I was on (same with Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, for what it’s worth). Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a fun coaster in the dark. I think that’s mostly what counts.

No close date for “Starring Aerosmith” has been announced. My hope is that this happens relatively soon. This would mean that Disney had basically seen the end of the Aerosmith iteration of the ride and decided to drop all this Muppet news in one swoop even though the changes to MuppetVision 3D aren’t imminent. MuppetVision 3D and the new iteration of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster could potentially even overlap for some time (HEY! I can dream, too.)

Conclusions

For Muppet fans, this strikes me as mostly negative news. I think they’ll shine okay between the pre-show and on-ride elements of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, but Muppets are, first and foremost, performers. You simply won’t be replicating the well-executed 15-minute show with any amount of pre-show and neon signs on an indoor coaster.

For the average theme park fan, though, Hollywood Studios has enough entertainment. Plus, based on the concept art for the Monsters Inc. land, it looks like the Monsters will take over the Grand Arts Theater (home to MuppetVision) too. We’re getting a new roller coaster out of this shift, and we aren’t losing a coaster. That all equates to a win.

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