On Friday, Disney announced the final date of operation for both Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo, to make way for the previously-announced Monster’s Inc. land. With the initial announcement of “monsters are moving in, Muppets will be rocking out“, where a new attraction poster was released with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem moving right along in Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, we naturally expected the news of Muppet*Vision’s closure date to coincide with an opening date for the reimagined coaster.
However, we’re still waiting for Disney to clarify just when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is set to close to make those major Muppety changes. This means that while Kermit and the gang are indeed lined up for the coaster, there will be a substantial amount of time between Muppet*Vision‘s June 7th closure and whenever the Muppet edition of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is finally unveiled. Besides some merchandise (maybe, hopefully) here and there, there will be no Muppets presence at the park.
Once this announcement happens though, there are some Hollywood-sized headaches on the horizon. The problem with closing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, especially in tandem with any other attraction downtime, is higher wait times throughout the park. Disney’s Hollywood Studios already suffers from not having enough attractions versus their daily guest count. Additionally, once RnR closes for refurbishment, there’s no alternative for either a Muppets park presence once June 7th rolls around, nor a roller coaster of this caliber for thrill-seekers. (Expect much longer lines over at Slinky Dog Dash, since its the only other coaster in the park!)
What do you think of Muppet*Vision’s closing timeline? Are you sad to see the Aerosmith theming go or are you ready for something new?
— Kermit and Miss Piggy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios 35th anniversary ceremony
