We’re just months away from one of the most unexpected ride transformations in Disney history, as the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios is about ditch it’s longtime Aerosmith theme, to instead star The Muppets, who are returning to Hollywood Studios a year after Muppet*Vision 3D closed to make room for the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land.
Disney says the new coaster is going to be “fueled by the tasty tunes of the Electric Mayhem and the high-speed hijinks of The Muppets.” However, my real question is, will it be able to match the chaotic energy of the 1990s Muppets ride that could have been?
Our story begins in the early 1990s, when Disney and Jim Henson — the legendary creator of The Muppets — were deeply involved in negotiations for the Mouse House to acquire Henson’s premier creations, including Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, and the rest.
As part of the potential deal, Henson was to remain involved in a creative capacity, and The Muppets would become a major part of Disney’s intellectual property portfolio AND the company’s theme parks. In fact, at one point, plans were in motion to add an entire Muppets-themed land to the theme park then known as the Disney-MGM Studios.
During the development stages, this land was to be headlined by a Muppets 3D film as one of the most interesting dark ride concepts Disney Imagineering would ever cook up: The Great Muppet Movie Ride.
As the name implies, the ride would have essentially functioned as an in-park parody of the Studios’ then-headline attraction The Great Movie Ride. According to an interview with Henson from the period, the ride would have been the “…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.”
Looking at the attraction’s concept art, it appears there would have been chaotic yet comical Muppet segments spoofing Peter Pan…
…Indiana Jones…
… Frankenstein…
… and genres like science fiction, all in the iconic Muppet way.
As the 90s dawned, Disney was so sure they had the Muppet acquisition nailed down that they produced an entire TV special — The Muppets at Walt Disney World — to more closely link Henson’s characters with the parks and the company’s planned “Disney Decade” of growth.
The special premiered on May 6th, 1990, and would sadly serve as the final Muppet project to air in Jim Henson’s lifetime. Just 10 days later, on May 16th, 1990, Jim Henson passed away suddenly from toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. He was just 53 years old.
In the immediate aftermath of Henson’s tragic death, the negotiations between Disney and his company broke down, leading to several legal battles that ended Disney’s bid to purchase The Muppets (for the time being) and led to the cancellation of most of the theme park plans.
Just about a year later, the 3D film did come to fruition in the form of the legendary (and soon to be dearly departed) Muppet*Vision 3D, but the rest of the land — and The Great Muppet Movie Ride — were never built, becoming nothing more than legend amongst Imagineers and Disney parks aficionados and those looking for traces of the canceled Gonzo restaurant that became Mama Melrose.
While the planned Muppets Land was never built, the park that would come to be known as Hollywood Studios continued to expand over the next several decades, including the construction of the Aerosmith-themed Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, which opened in 1999. Meanwhile, Disney finally did purchase The Muppets outright in 2004.
That all brings us back where we started, to the news that the Muppets were taking over the coaster from the “Bad Boys of Boston” later this summer. So, what are my reservations?
Well, while I’m ecstatic that the Muppets will remain a part of the Studios park, I’m very wary about them meshing well with the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster’s ride system. As evidenced by the above Great Muppet Movie Ride concept art, a Muppets dark ride has the potential to be a highly detailed thematic experience that could emphasize the chaotic comedy the characters are known for through intricate show scenes. Said intricate show scenes will likely be impossible to install in the coaster’s show building, nor visible to guests as the ride moves through its launch and inversions.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt that Disney will do something fun with the Muppets theme (and if nothing else, the pre-show looks like it will be a wild Muppet experience itself).
However, it seems impossible that they’ll be able to match the promise of the Great Muppet Movie Ride that never was. Stay tuned to AllEars for more deep dives into Walt Disney World history.
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How do you feel about The Muppets taking over the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster? Let us know in the comments below.
While Disney world is at it. How about they build another Muppets ride called Muppet treasure Island boat ride based on the 1996 film which would be similar to pirates of the Caribbean rides and feature, Jim Hawkins, Rizzo and Gonzo as they escape from the burning benbow inn after Billy Bones had a stroke and they would go into the town port of Bristol carrying a treasure map. We would see them going on the hispanoia to treasure Island, Long John silver a Tim Curry animatronic including the muppet pirates would greet us guests as we go around treasure Island singing songs, cabin fever, professional pirate, love led us here. There would be pirate battles over the treasure and Kermit the frog, miss piggy, would win the fight and as we exit the ride Long John silver would say goodbye and ask us to come back another day for the adventure.
Anyways I’m just dreaming about the muppet treasure Island film idea ride we never got. I’m curious how the muppet rollercoaster ride will be like.
I’ve been aware of this “what could have been” gem for a long time and have always wanted to see it become a reality. Never has the situation seemed better than the next few years to finally pull the trigger and add it to what will become a new Muppets Land at Hollywood Studios. The current Villains Show is a nice teaser as the land is being built at MK. Once completed, the need will no longer exist and this space becomes ideal for more Muppets!