The news might not have been shocking, but it still hit Muppet fans hard when Disney announced that it would be closing Muppet*Vision 3D and the Muppet Courtyard to make way for a new Monsters, Inc. land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Many had expected this to happen since Disney shared details about a Monsters, Inc. addition to Hollywood Studios during the D23 event back in August.
Of course, the accompanying news that the Muppets will be moving into the lead role at Hollywood Studios’ Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster has generated a lot of excitement. This gives the venerable characters their first theme park ride. But Muppet fans are expressing sadness at the coming end of an attraction that’s been in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney-MGM Studios) since 1991.
Here are 10 reasons why the idea of Muppet*Vision 3D closing has been difficult for Muppet fans:
1. The Disneyland Version of Muppet*Vision 3D Is Long Gone
While the Disney World version opened first, Muppet*Vision 3D had a much shorter run at Disney’s California Adventure than it has at Hollywood Studios.
Muppet*Vision 3D debuted as an opening-day attraction at California Adventure on Feb. 8, 2001. However, the attraction, which was part of the park’s Hollywood Land, closed in 2014. That leaves Hollywood Studios as the only Disney park where visitors can experience the film.
2. The Movie Isn’t Available Anywhere Else
A variety of Muppet productions are available for streaming on Disney Plus. Fans can watch classics like The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Muppet Show. The streaming service also features newer productions, including Muppets Haunted Mansion and The Muppets Mayhem, a 2023 show highlighting The Electric Mayhem that was canceled after one season. However, Muppet*Vision 3D and its preshow have always remained a theme park exclusive. The 17-minute film has never been released for streaming or on VHS, DVD or Blu-Ray.
Of course, releasing the film on Disney Plus wouldn’t replicate the experience of seeing it at Walt Disney World. Inside the plush theater, you can enjoy 4D effects and a performance from a live-action Sweetums. Audio-Animatronics of a penguin orchestra and legendary Muppet hecklers Statler and Waldorf make the experience even better. While it wouldn’t be quite the same when viewed from your couch, making Muppet*Vision 3D available to a wider audience on Disney Plus would likely go a long way toward making Muppet diehards feel better.
3. Muppet*Vision 3D Was One of the Last Projects Jim Henson Worked On Before His Death
Muppet creator Jim Henson directed the film, but he died in 1990 at the age of 53 before the film made its debut. Muppet*Vision 3D was also one of the last projects to include performances by Henson and fellow Muppet performer Richard Hunt, who passed away in 1992.
Muppet*Vision 3D opened at Hollywood Studios on the one-year anniversary of Henson’s death.
4. Several of the Disney Parks’ Other Muppet-Related Ventures Have Not Lasted
From 2016 to 2020, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was home to The Muppets Present … Great Moments in American History. Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and Sam the Eagle — along with appearances by Gonzo’s chicken friends — starred in the short show. It took place mostly in the second-story windows of a building in Liberty Square and featured the characters re-enacting bits of history from America’s colonial days.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker made brief appearances at the parks as they rolled around in a Muppet Mobile Laboratory in 2007. The duo was first spotted on the West Coast at California Adventure and then at EPCOT later in the year. They would go on to stints at Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort before briefly returning to Epcot in 2016. Unfortunately, they have not been in action in the parks since then.
During the 2021 holiday season, Disneyland offered Muppet fans an even more fleeting glimpse of the beloved characters with The Muppets Caroling Coach, a double-decker bus loaded with caroling Muppets. The gang on the bus, which appeared only at Disney Merriest Nights, included Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Pepe the King Prawn, Sam the Eagle and Camilla and her chicken friends. Alas, the bus did not return for an encore the following year.
The Muppets do still have a presence in Walt Disney World. Kermit and Miss Piggy star in the Disney Holidays in Hollywood Show at Disney Jollywood Nights, which is held at Hollywood Studios during the holiday season. The Muppets’ presence at the Jollywood Nights event was even ratcheted up for 2024.
Sam the Eagle serves as host for Regal Eagle Smokehouse, a restaurant in EPCOT’s American Adventure pavilion, and Kermit and Miss Piggy’s topiaries have been regulars at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival for years.
Muppet Labs has also made an appearance at the festival as part of the Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey pavilion. Muppet scientists Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were featured in a video and on merchandise, and there was a photo op set up to look like the Muppet labs. There were no in-person characters were to be found there, though.
5. The Film Holds Up Well Despite Being More Than 30 Years Old
While it was filmed in early 1990, Muppet*Vision 3D doesn’t have the dated feel that accompanies many of the shows from that era. This is perhaps because of the lack of human characters, and the fact that the Muppets’ appearances haven’t changed drastically since then.
The film gives several characters a chance to shine. Bean Bunny, a character so adorable that even the other Muppets are annoyed by his cuteness, gets a rare starring turn. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker also get lots of face time in the movie as their lab efforts cause even more mayhem than usual.
The film’s preshow is also a lot of fun. It’s played on interconnected monitors, allowing characters to appear to run from monitor to monitor as they prepare for the show.
6. There Aren’t Many Places To See Muppets Live In the Flesh (Fur)
The nature of the Muppets’ existence makes a meet-and-greet less than ideal, unfortunately. They are smaller than the Disney characters that meet and greet, and they need a setup where their performers can be concealed. Sweetums, the Muppet ogre and full-sized character who runs around the theater during showings of Muppet*Vision 3D, has made a few appearances over the years, but he doesn’t currently meet and greet regularly.
Constantine, the villain and Kermit doppelgänger from the 2014 movie Muppets Most Wanted, did meet with guests at the one-time-only Villains Unleashed event held at Hollywood Studios in 2014. Visitors could take photos and chat with him while he was locked away in a small jail cell, and he drew quite a crowd. Perhaps the frog proved too dangerous, though, as he hasn’t been seen since.
There are only a few destinations for Muppet fans to make pilgrimages to in the non-Disney world. The Jim Henson Company Lot in Hollywood has a large Kermit statue out front, making its exterior a popular photo op for fans, but the lot itself has rarely been open to visitors and is now in the process of being sold. There’s also a statue of Henson and Kermit on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland, and a Jim Henson Museum in the town of Leland, Mississippi, where Henson grew up.
There are Muppets on display at museums around the country, but that’s not quite the same as seeing them in action or having them pose for a photo with you. The Museum of the Moving Image in New York City, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, and the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. are among the museums where Henson’s creations are on display.
7. Muppet*Vision 3D and the Muppet Courtyard Provided Some of the Best Muppet Photos Ops Around
Since Muppet*Vision 3D opened, no Muppet fan’s trip to Walt Disney World has been complete without snapping selfies with the Kermit the Frog statue and the Miss Piggy Fountain, which is topped with a Statue of Liberty-inspired statue of the Muppets’ resident diva. The Muppet*Vision 3D building’s interior also has fun props and sight gags to explore and photograph, like a mysterious door labeled as Muppet Labs’ Stress Testing Department.
8. The Theater Is the Closest Fans Can Get To Visiting the Muppet Show Theater
Many older Muppet fans were introduced to the characters through The Muppet Show, a comedy variety show that appeared on television in the 1970s and ’80s. This sketch show took place in a theater, and the characters were shown primarily onstage and backstage as they prepared for and put on their show. While the Muppet*Vision 3D theater does not exactly replicate the look of the show’s set, this nostalgia makes fans of The Muppet Show particularly fond of the venue.
For those who watched The Muppet Show as kids, walking into the theater is a thrill. One of its most iconic parts is the balcony where Statler and Waldorf, the older Muppets who heckle Fozzie Bear, are seated. Seeing those two characters razz a Muppet performance in person is an experience that never gets old.
Even when you’re not inside the theater, the Muppet*Vision 3D building captures the spirit of the Muppets well. The preshow plays in a room that is set up like a storage room for props. As you wait for it to start, you can check out quirky items like boxes labeled “The Great Gonzo’s Weird Stuff” and “Sam the Eagle’s Patriotic Paraphernalia: Flags, Fireworks & So Forth and So On.” One of Kermit’s tuxedos is even on display!
9. Muppet*Vision 3D and the Courtyard Were All That Remained of the Dream of Muppet Land
While the film and courtyard areas have long delighted Muppet fans, it’s easy for those who visit to imagine what could have been if Henson hadn’t died in 1990.
When Disney started negotiating to purchase the Muppets from Henson, the vision once included a Muppet-themed area with another ride that would have been a spoof on The Great Movie Ride. Unfortunately, Henson died before the deal was completed, and the whole land never came together. Disney didn’t wind up officially acquiring the Muppets until 2004.
While no one was really expecting Disney to expand the Muppet*Vision area anytime soon, it was still fun for Muppet lovers to dream about how it could’ve become something larger as was originally intended.
10. The Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Isn’t for Everyone
The Muppet audience spans a wide age range. If Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster maintains its current intensity — and its 48-inch height restriction — some fans will have to steer clear. It’s unclear how Disney might adapt the ride as the theme shifts from highlighting Aerosmith to the Muppets and their beloved band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
If the current high speeds and inversions are maintained, that could limit the ride’s audience. It will be disappointing if the parks’ only Muppet-themed attraction shuts out younger fans, especially when some may get early exposure to the characters through the recent Muppet Babies series. The animated show, which ran from 2018-21, is still available to stream on Disney Plus. It is a reimagined version of the class Saturday morning cartoon, Muppet Babies, which ran from 1984-91.
Looking to the future of the Muppets in the parks.
While the loss of Muppet*Vision 3D is a sad one, there’s still plenty to look forward to for Muppet fans. The last few years have brought several new Muppet projects, and a Muppet-themed ride reinforces the idea that the characters are still important to Disney.
Additionally, the Disney Parks Blog’s announcement about the new ride mentioned “plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise,” an encouraging development for those who collect Muppet memorabilia. Over the years, new releases of Muppet merch have been infrequent and mostly limited to plushes, pins and shirts. The opportunity to have a regular spot to purchase items that let them show their love for their favorite characters will surely put a little spring in fans’ steps.
