The Muppets Courtyard area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closing to make way for the new Monsters, Inc. Land soon and our readers have some THOUGHTS!
Disney recently announced that the Muppets Courtyard closures will start with Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano on May 11th, followed by Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo on June 8th. We asked our readers to share their thoughts about the upcoming closures and they did not hold back!
The closure of Muppets Courtyard has been a tough pill to swallow for lots of fans, especially considering the area’s close connection to Muppets creator Jim Henson.
Now that the official closing dates have been announced, we asked our Facebook followers to chime in with their thoughts, and the responses show that people aren’t ready to say goodbye to the dedicated Muppets area.
Several people shared their disappointment at the reduced Muppets representation in the parks with the upcoming changes. Corinne said, “Not a fan. There’s too little Muppet representation in the parks as is. HS is the only park of all the parks worldwide that had a Muppet area to begin with. If Disney had reopened the Muppet store or kept up with it or added a walkthrough museum or another attraction (The Great Muppet Movie Ride please and thank you.), it would’ve stayed relevant…”
Disney announced that the classic Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster attraction in Hollywood Studios is getting rethemed with the Muppets so they will still have some representation in the parks. But their presence will still be reduced since they’ll no longer have their own dedicated land.
Others pointed out that even with the Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, there are families that won’t get to experience it due to the high-thrill nature of the attraction. Kari said, “I think it’s really dumb because as a special needs family we appreciate not having to have everything be a darn roller coaster or thrill ride. Our son really does love the Muppets and moving them over to a roller coaster does not still give all families the chance to enjoy this IP.”
Several people also pointed out their confusion as to why Muppets Courtyard was the casualty of the new Monsters, Inc. land when there are other areas of the park that could use a retheme. Karla said, “I was truly sad to hear of this closure. I can’t believe the defunct Launch Bay will outlive Muppets Courtyard. Whomever is making these decisions is out of touch with park-goers and just doesn’t get it.”
Madison summed up the feelings of big Muppets fans who are reeling over the upcoming closure, saying, “I absolutely hate it. Jim Henson would be rolling in his grave.”
As excited as we are to experience the brand-new Monster’s Inc. land, we’re lifelong fans of the Muppets ourselves, so we’re definitely feeling lots of emotions about the upcoming changes. In the meantime, we’ll be spending as much time in Muppets Courtyard as possible over the next few months to soak in all of the details!
We’ll keep an eye out for any updates on the construction progress around Hollywood Studios as things start moving forward, so stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news!
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How are you feeling about the upcoming Muppets Courtyard closure? Share with us in the comments!
Even as a casual Muppets fan, I’m devastated by this news so I can’t imagine how this is impacting the die-hards. I also passionately disagree with murdering Muppet*Vision 3D. Disney, just build The Great Muppet Movie Ride already!!! It would now fill two classic-attraction-shaped holes in our MGM-loving hearts. 😢
Being a big fan of the Muppets, it so sad to hear about these changes. It’s extremely heartbreaking.
Muppets 3D was a must do for me whenever I have gone to the Studios. I suffer from motion sickness and cannot even tolerate the Tower of Terror, so you can understand my frustration with seeing another ride being replaced by a thrill ride. The last several times I have gone to WDW, the Studios was not a park I visited because there is little for me to do there except walk around. This closure cements thst for me now. The way I look at it, Disney would have no problem getting rid of Mickey Mouse.
Just ridiculous. Use Animation Courtyard instead, NO ONE goes there.
Muppets should remain because it’s history would kept alive. I grew up with the Muppets and loved it. WHY ruin the history?
Muppets had a good, long run and now it’s time to move along. I think Jim would have thought the same thing. You can’t have things forever.
A good long run? So get rid of it? I’m 70. Same for me? Really…….The Muppet Show first came on TV as a regular show in 1974. The first Star Wars movie in 1977. It’s had a good long run, let’s get rid of that ride too. And how about Pirates? Or Mickey Mouse. My god he should have been discarded decades ago. Along with Donald Duck, Pluto, and all the rest. And the Carousel of Progress. From the 1964 World’s Fair. Think of all the roller coasters Disney could install getting rid of this old outdated stuff.
What a terrible decision. Disney are completely out of touch with their customers. I have visited the Muppet attraction every time I’ve been to Orlando and its still so popular.
Disney didn’t try at any point to help the Jim Henson Co and promote the Muppets. I agree with the fan you quoted. I couldn’t believe years ago that the gift shop outside MV3D was closed…and remained closed. I asked a cast member where Muppet merch was and he searched on his little device and told me there was an Animal mug on the other side of the park…I said no thanks lol. That was it. I’m happy about the Rock n Roller Coaster change but it feels like a safe switch of theme. It’ll be good, but I have a feeling they just didn’t have any other decent ideas to replace Aerosmith. It’s a huge slap in the face to Jim to buy the damn company and put in no effort to keep it relevant. Makes me mad!
Lord please continue to help the family of Jim Henson.
Please let his legacy live on.