What Disney World is REALLY Losing With the Permanent Closure of Muppet*Vision 3D

Since Disney announced last year that Hollywood Studios’ Muppet*Vision 3D would be closing to make way for Monsters, Inc. Land, many fans have been aghast at the loss of the film, for a multitude of reasons.

When the iconic attraction closes its doors (at least in its current location) for the last time on June 7th, it will not only be the end of an era for the Muppets, but it will also fundamentally change Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney World forever.

Muppet*Vision 3D was birthed out of the late 1980s/early 1990s relationship between Disney and Muppet creator Jim Henson. During that period, the former was engaged in talks to purchase the property from the latter.

Thinking the transaction would be finalized quickly, Disney began working with Henson to bring several attractions featuring the characters to the then-new Disney-MGM Studios theme park. One of which would become Muppet*Vision 3D, while the another was the now-legendary Great Muppet Movie Ride.

The ride, which was to feature “behind the scenes” set pieces of the Muppets making their own versions of famous films, would have been “the flip side of the rest of the Disney-MGM Studio, which tells you how movies are really made. We’re doing it in the most stupid way possible, using lots of misinformation” according to Henson. The attractions were meant to be the twin centerpieces of a full Muppets land, however it wasn’t to be.

Jim Henson died unexpectedly of toxic shock syndrome on May 16th at the all-too-young age of 53.

After Henson’s tragic passing, talks between Disney and the company broke down, and the Muppet Land and Movie Ride went unbuilt. Muppet*Vision 3D opened the following year as the final Muppet project Henson worked on, which is part of why its closure is so devastating to so many Muppet aficionados.

Muppet*Vision 3D’s closure also signifies the end of an era for the park as a whole. Along with the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, the film was the last attraction standing from the park’s early 1990s, pre-Tower of Terror era. (Yes, Star Tours is still using the same queue and ride system, but the current version of the attraction is too different from the original to count).

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While the current Hollywood Studios is so far removed from the original MGM Studios that it’s almost unrecognizable, it’s still a blow to fans of the original park to see one of its few remaining elements disappear.

Finally, the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D marks the end of an era for Walt Disney World overall. Over the resort’s history, live-action 3-D films have been a major part of the resort’s offerings, including Magic Journeys, Captain EO, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. However, Muppet*Vision 3D was the last one standing, and its closure likely marks the final time one will appear in the parks. (It’s worth noting that Mickey’s Philharmagic and the upcoming Zootopia: Better Zoogether are still operational, though both are animated.

The closure of Muppet*Vision 3D truly marks the end of several eras of Disney World history well beyond the closure of a single attraction. Stay tuned to AllEars for further observations on the changing nature of Disney World.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Won’t Be Nearly as Chaotic as the CANCELED Disney World Muppets Ride from the 90s

Will you miss Muppet*Vision 3D when it closes? Let us know in the comments below.

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