Disney World recently made a controversial announcement that isn’t sitting well with many fans.
And, while we’re certainly excited that Monsters, Inc. Land is coming to Hollywood Studios, we can’t help but mourn the loss of Muppets Courtyard. The Muppets will be replacing Aerosmith on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at some point during the change, but this all begs the question — when is it going to happen?
Yes, it’s official. In order for Disney to build the new Monsters, Inc. Land at Hollywood Studios, we have to permanently say goodbye to Muppets Courtyard — also known as Grand Avenue — as well. Monsters, Inc. Land will be home to a brand-new suspended roller coaster, dining, shopping, and more, and while we’re excited, we can’t help but wonder when we’ll have to say goodbye to Muppets Courtyard officially.
This means that our beloved Muppet*Vision 3D, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and our favorite rat pizza restaurant, PizzeRizzo, will be permanently closing sometime in the not-so-distant future — we’re just not entirely sure when yet.
As of now, Disney hasn’t announced a closing date for any of the offerings in Muppets Courtyard, but we do know that construction is set to begin on the new Monsters, Inc. Land sometime in 2025 — which is technically only a month from now. Whether Disney plans on closing Muppets Courtyard during the first half of the year or the last half of the year remains to be seen.
It essentially sounds like we may not have as much time as we would like with Muppets Courtyard before it permanently closes.
If we use the new Tropical Americas land at Animal Kingdom as an example, we didn’t find out about the first phase of DinoLand, U.S.A. closures until months later. It would stand to reason that Disney could wait to announce the Muppets Courtyard closure until a bit of the controversy has died down from the original announcement.
It’s also possible that we could see a phased closure of certain parts of Muppets Courtyard — maybe PizzeRizzo or Mama Melrose’s will close before Muppet*Vision 3D, or vice versa. Either way, it will be a very sad day when we do find out when it will close.
Luckily, Disney isn’t typically in the habit of permanently closing things abruptly, which hopefully means we’ll have plenty of time to experience Muppets Courtyard before it officially closes for good.
But, not all Muppets hope is lost! We won’t have to say goodbye to the gang forever as they’ll be moving to take Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — which currently stars Aerosmith.
Disney revealed that Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and their friends will be “moving right along to Sunset Boulevard” and taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, “teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival.”
We don’t have many details about this change, but we can’t wait to learn more!
In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for the latest announcements about Monsters, Inc. Land and the closure of Muppets Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars so you don’t miss any news from Disney World!
6 Clues About the NEW Monsters, Inc. Land Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
What do you think of this controversial change? Tell us in the comments.
Please Disney move the Muppet movie to Epcot. It work would wonderfully in Imgation theater.
My family hates the theater being closed. We can hear Jim Henson be the voice for Kermit. Last project he worked on!!!
I think it’s crazy for Disney to plan construction in 3 parks in 2025. There will be unsightly construction walls everywhere, with no place to escape the chaos. Also, all those closed rides and areas will lead to overcrowding in the few remaining, untouched areas. What a mess!