Decoding Disney World’s Controversial Hollywood Studios Ride Announcement

Disney World has revealed that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will be rethemed from Aerosmith to The Muppets…but could there be a catch?

In June 2025, Disney World announced, simply, that the newest version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will be opening in 2026. There wasn’t much of an elaboration, leading us to take it upon ourselves to decode the message.

On June 7th, Disney World shared that The Muppets are moving over to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in 2026 at an undisclosed date.

Hi Ho everyone! @TheMuppets are packing up and moving to Sunset Blvd for their first ever coaster! Grab your guitar (or banjo), because Rock ’N’ Roller Coaster Starring @TheMuppets speeds into Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2026! pic.twitter.com/ldltI3dGmi

— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) June 7, 2025

Despite not saying much, there’s a bit to unpack.

For starters, we know that the ride starring Aerosmith will remain open THROUGH 2025. That means, if it plans to reopen with The Muppets in 2026, it will require a quick turnaround.

The Disney Parks usually take their sweet time working on rides, and if this attraction is closed for less than a year, don’t expect any significant track changes, but rather just a solid retheme.

The next piece of info we can pick up from this announcement is that Disney wants to maintain flexibility. 

Not a new trend, Disney likes to provide an estimation as to when some rides are expected to close.  By not locking in a date, Disney’s deadlines aren’t public until the company can fully commit to a specific date.

By being vague with timelines, this affords Disney an easier time with delays or even publicly pushing back timelines. Since this ride’s change isn’t expected to take place until 2026, Disney World has given itself time to really solidify the planning process while providing itself a safety net when it comes to possible PR issues.

If they say the ride will reopen in 2026 and it opens December 31st, 2026…technically Disney wasn’t lying. And even if the reopening gets pushed into 2027, at least Disney can say they didn’t lock in dates, therefore they minimize PR issues surrounding guests planning around Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s refurbishment. It’s simply good business.

The newest version of the attraction will be “the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets” and will feature The Muppets “teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival.”

What do YOU think of this announcement? Are we reading too much into it? Does the rabbit hole go even further? Let us know your thoughts and continue to follow us here at AllEars for all the latest Disney World updates!

Why Changing Disney’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Is a Mistake

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