Walt Disney World has announced that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will no longer be starring Aerosmith, as that band will be replaced by the Muppets as a consolation prize for Monstropolis causing the closure of MuppetVision 3D at Hollywood Studios. This covers the details along with past rumors about the ride reimagining that never came to fruition, and competing concepts for the attraction.
For starters, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (RnRC) has gone down for a multi-month refurbishments in each of the last two years that changed nothing of substance about the attraction. From the outset, Walt Disney World was publicly crystal clear that the theme of the roller coaster was not changing–that it’d still be “Starring Aerosmith.” That it was a routine refurbishment with necessary maintenance to improve reliability and performance.
At the time, we speculated that the extended downtime was essentially important infrastructure work–replacing portions of the track, upgrading the launch system, or otherwise refreshing components of the coaster to extend its life. Basically, that the refurbishments would serve as a foundation, and allow for a shorter subsequent closure to reimagine the thematic components of the attraction. Now we know that’s exactly what has happened, as Walt Disney World has announced a Muppet retheme of the ride that’ll replace Aerosmith!
To make way for the Monstropolis over in Muppet Courtyard, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!
According to Walt Disney World, the Muppets and their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard!
In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls.
Walt Disney World hasn’t provided an actual timeline, but my speculation is that both MuppetVision and Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith go down in the second half of 2025. My guess is that both could be closed simultaneously (or thereabouts) during the late summer or early fall off-season without there being much disruption to operations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This is doubly true since both the new Little Mermaid and Villains Magic Mirror stage shows open around Summer 2025. That added capacity won’t offset these losses, but it could be deemed “good enough,” especially if the reimagining of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ends up having a fairly quick turnaround time. And I expect that it would, since the biggest changes will likely be in the pre-show. Purely guesses on my part, though–we’ll keep you posted as Walt Disney World reveals official timelines (or they’re rumored).
Here’s new concept art of the Muppets retheme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster:
This Muppets retheme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is both surprising and unsurprising. The latter part is because we’ve literally covered this exact takeover before–it was a rumor courtesy of Jeff Yorkes, co-creator of The Muppets Mayhem series on the Disney+ streaming service. Regarding rumors of a Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Yorkes said: “Not gonna lie–this was absolutely part of our original pitch and is another piece of this dream. Fingers-crossed that it happens.”
The surprising part is that The Muppets Mayhem underperformed and was cancelled. Given that, we thought the odds of such an attraction decreased significantly, as without synergy, there wasn’t much of a reason for the Muppets to be given the keys to a very expensive and popular super stretch limo.
This also isn’t the first time in recent years that there has been notable discussion about the Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. In response to another tweet suggesting a reimagining, former Imagineer Kevin Lively said, “if only someone had pitched that a few years with a full preshow script and treatment…” So clearly, this is an idea that has been circulating in Imagineering and Muppet Studios for a while now.
To that point, it’s also again worth noting here that the Muppets are now under the purview of Walt Disney Imagineering, and have been for the last few years. That’s likely how we got Muppets Haunted Mansion (and why it was so good) and also explains the promotional appearances of the Muppet characters, including Floyd Pepper from the Electric Mayhem band taking a ride on Spaceship Earth just last month to promote the new Disney+ series.
As we’ve mentioned repeatedly over the years–even before Imagineering took over the characters–there must be someone high up at Disney who’s championing the Muppets. There’s no other explanation for why they’ve been given chance after chance despite middling results.
Now, in addition to the Muppets being front-of-mind for WDI, their latest outings on Disney+ have actually been really good. The Muppets Mayhem has the best critic and audience ratings of any of the characters’ shows or movies since the Jason Segel-led film in 2011 that essentially brought the characters back into the spotlight.
As we’ve also been saying for years, there are a ton of reasons that a reimagining of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster not only makes sense, but is an inevitability at some point in the next 5 years. For one thing, Aerosmith just doesn’t have the name cachet that they did in the late 1990s when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster opened. Yes, the band is among the all-time greats, but not nearly to the same degree with current park-goers.
For another thing, Disney is paying to license the band’s music and likenesses. There’s no indication as to how much that costs, but it’s a non-zero amount. In the time since Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster opened, Disney has gone on an acquisition-spree and become more laser-focused on internal synergies. If the ride opened today, there’s zero chance the company would look outside their own portfolio.
Finally, sticking with Aerosmith presents sex scandal risk. Days after the refurbishment was announced, Steven Tyler was formally named in a lawsuit and is accused of sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Regardless of the outcome there, the allegations are unsettling. As a rock band from a “different era,” there’s a high probability that there are more skeletons in Aerosmith’s closet that would not be perceived positively if ligitated in the court of public opinion (or actual court).
Simply put, showcasing a rock band from the 1970s is an unnecessary liability for Walt Disney World. Not just Aerosmith…all of them. Between increased social scrutiny and Disney’s family-friendly image, it’s simply an unnecessary and imprudent risk. This is also why Disney has contingency plans in place that would allow the company to remove all references to Aerosmith overnight. All of this is also why we are highly skeptical of “rumors” that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster would be rethemed to Queen.
From my perspective, changing the ride is a pretty easy decision for Walt Disney World. Reimagining Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is not just the safe move, but it would be money well spent. It presents an opportunity for Imagineering to easily inject new life in an attraction that’s inherently popular as a thrill ride, and would give the company something to market while in-between development cycles.
With that said, I’ve gotta admit to being surprised that the Muppets are the winner of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster retheme sweepstakes. We’ve done several posts on the subject, and even though the Muppets received dedicated coverage, I still figured they were a longshot. It was simply wishful thinking on my part, and I wanted to will my preferred concept into existence. (Mission accomplished, I suppose, but at what cost?!)
For anyone who cares, I would’ve put the following ahead of the Muppets in terms of likelihood: Taylor Swift, Zootopia, Marvel, Powerline, and random rock ‘n’ roll. (Back before D23, I gave odds to all of the potential concepts in Will Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Be Reimagined?)
Nevertheless, I’m pleased that the winner is the Muppets. Since details are fairly scarce on the ride reimagining at this point, I’m going to share a few of my other past ideas for this Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride reimagining.
Years ago, one of my ideas for a ‘Muppets Takeover’ of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster reimagining featuring national treasures Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Band and a redone entrance to Pantages Theater, Amoeba Records, or Roxie Theatre.
Another option would be a “Great Muppets Music Ride” that features those characters in the queue and pre-show, but features a random ride soundtrack of actual rock music from a rotating roster of bands. This is part of Cosmic Rewind’s recipes for success, would offer the desired disconnect between band and music, while also giving the coaster infinite re-rideability. It would also offer flexibility in changing out songs, seasonal overlays, and more.
Moving the Muppets to the back corner of Sunset Boulevard has a lot of potential. Reworking the entrance and queue to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster could open up this area, which could be a bona fide Muppets Studio land. Sunset Showcase could be replaced with another Muppets attraction once the Villains Magic Mirror Show is finished, and there’s probably also space for a restaurant, too.
No good idea in Imagineering ever dies, and perhaps this could be the partial realization of the Muppets Studio land concept from decades ago. That was supposed to feature not just MuppetVision 3D, but also a Great Muppet Movie Ride, plus two restaurants: “The Great Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor” and “Swedish Chef’s Cooking School.”
As much as it pains me to lose MuppetVision 3D–the other half of this news–I’m at least cautiously optimistic about the Muppet takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. To be sure, it isn’t the same. As someone who far prefers meatier attractions with heart and humor to roller coasters, there’s no way this reimagined ride will live up to MuppetVision 3D for me. I already know that based on my own preferences–I’m not trying to be pessimistic.
However, I’m also a realist. Part of the reason I advocated so strongly for the Muppet Mayhem Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster retheme was because I believed it was already on “borrowed time” and likely on the chopping block at some point. It’s not that I wanted MuppetVision to be replaced–obviously I did not.
It’s that MuppetVision has had a long and fantastic run–far longer than any other 3D films at the parks. While it’s dismissive to refer to MuppetVision, a true national treasure, as only a 3D film, that’s likely how Walt Disney World and most guests view it. So assuming MuppetVision would be retired in the next decade (this was long before the Monstropolis announcement at D23), I wanted to see the Muppets immortalized elsewhere at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I can also recognize that not everyone is me, and most people prefer roller coasters to 3D films. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is an attraction with much more mainstream appeal than MuppetVision. Many more guests will experience it than did MuppetVision on an average day. With that, perhaps some kids will ride the coaster, go home and check out the Muppets, and new fans will be forged in the process.
On a personal note, it saddens me that we won’t be able to take Megatron to see MuppetVision when she’s old enough to understand it. But on the other hand, I’m already excited that the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets will be her first “big” roller coaster and a cornerstone rite of passage moment at Walt Disney World for her. See? I’m trying to be optimistic–not pessimistic!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about a Muppet takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? Think the Electric Mayhem band would be a good replacement for Aerosmith? If you could choose the retheme of RnRC, what would get your vote? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!