It’s been a harrowing week to be a Muppet fan, hasn’t it? Once again, the rumor mill has sprung to life and started churning out the claims that Muppet*Vision 3D may finally be nearing its last days at Walt Disney World… only this time, there may be slightly more than just idle prater. At D23’s Disney Experiences presentation, the company announced that a new roller coaster based on the Pixar film Monsters, Inc. would be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
While it was never specified where in the park it would go, fans quickly began picking apart the concept art for clues as to its location. So what does this mean for Muppet*Vision? Nothing. Or everything. The truth is we don’t know, and nobody outside of Disney Experiences and Walt Disney Imagineering can say for sure, no matter how confident they may sound. So, as you can probably guess, this leaves us in a very unclear situation. But as both a Muppet and Disney parks fan (and an even bigger fan of Muppets in Disney parks), I figure what we can do is analyze the information we have.
First of all, I want to stress, more than anything else, don’t panic. I know all this uncertainty can be anxiety-inducing, but freaking out isn’t going to help anyone, especially yourself. Work doesn’t even begin until 2025, so there’s time to do something if the worst-case scenario comes to pass. My hope in writing this is that by laying everything out in a rational manner, folks can at least be better equipped to understand what’s fact and what’s opinion.
Why Muppet*Vision 3D May Be Closing
Disney released two pieces of concept art of the attraction’s exterior, but with somewhat different surroundings. One piece shows the Monsters, Inc. building in a compact cityscape. The placement of the surrounding buildings does suggest that this is intended to be Grand Avenue. The water tower to the left of the main building resembles the one on top of PizzeRizzo, and the building immediately to the tower’s left does look similar, though not identical, to the restaurant’s entrance.
Through the trees, what looks like an awning or marquee is visible, which would align with the entrance. If this is indeed Grand Avenue, the block next to the “Stalk/Don’t Stalk” sign would line up with the one just steps from the Muppet*Vision entrance, adjacent to the pathway to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. And to cap it all off, the brickwork on the ground is identical to what’s currently in Grand Avenue.
From this piece, it looks like there’s a possibility that Muppet*Vision 3D, PizzeRizzo, and all of Grand Avenue could be on the chopping block.
Why Muppet*Vision 3D May Not Be Closing
The second piece gives me far more hope that Kermit and the gang might not be done yet. The concourse is far wider than the first, with a park replacing the buildings on the left hand side. The attraction entrance is much larger as well. It’s extremely unlikely they could build a “parking lot” of this scale on Grand Avenue.
This looks more like Animation Courtyard, currently home to Star Wars Launch Bay, Walt Disney Presents, Disney Junior Play and Dance!, and the upcoming live show The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, scheduled to debut this fall. (Granted, there’s a chance Walt Disney Presents could survive even if the ride were put in here, as it’s further from the concourse depicted in the art than the other attractions. Which would be nice, considering the man’s name is in the name of the park, just sayin’.)
Would Disney scrap a new show deep in development? It’s possible, but just as I assume Muppet*Vision 3D is staying open until I hear otherwise, it’s only fair to feel the same way about this show: unless we hear word that it’s been canceled, it’s happening.
But there is another fact to consider: the space both areas take up. As WDW News Today’s Shannen Ace pointed out, Animation Courtyard has more space to work with. Behind the courtyard is Cast Member parking and offices, which are reportedly soon to be inaccessible, suggesting that the work could be taking place there.
Meanwhile, to build at Grand Avenue, you pretty much have to use the space you have. Unlike Animation Courtyard, which is in front of backstage areas, Muppet*Vision borders Cypress Drive, a service road that lines the perimeter of most of the park. Inside the park, it’s also right next to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. If they have to build out, they wouldn’t really have anywhere to go that wouldn’t impact the infrastructure of their dining and shopping options.
From my perspective, Animation Courtyard makes more sense if the coaster requires a large building, but that’s just one fan’s opinion… one fan that really wants Muppet*Vision to stay open. Of course, it could also be in another location. Concept art isn’t a guarantee of what will be. That’s my whole point: we don’t know anything for sure at this juncture in time.
So What Can We Do About It?
As I said earlier, it’s unfair to assume that Muppet*Vision 3D is closing until we hear otherwise. But I also don’t think we should be complacent. Now isn’t the time to panic, but it is the time to act. Until they announce the location, we can make our voices heard and let Disney know how important this attraction is to us. Unfortunately, online petitions aren’t likely to do much, and Disney Experiences doesn’t have a public email address we can write to. (And at this point I will ask everyone reading this that if you do find an email address for anybody in upper management, please don’t share it. Doxxing people isn’t the way to convince anyone of anything good.)
But on the bright side, Walt Disney World does have an email form you can use. Just be sure to use the “Guest Services” category so that it hopefully gets to the right department. And if you need inspiration, I might be able to help with that.
Or just be sure to comment whenever Disney Parks makes a post on social media! You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. The more people that speak up, the harder we are to ignore. So get active! We here at ToughPigs will be sure to report on any updates to this story. After all, the only thing that should destroy Muppet*Vision 3D is the Swedish Chef and his cannon.
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by Matthew Soberman – Matthew@ToughPigs.com
