Much like another band of misfits, the Electric Mayhem have a ride of their own in the reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets at Hollywood Studios. After over a dozen rides to hear every song and spot every Easter Egg and gag, here’s my review of Walt Disney World’s new-look thrill ride that covers the good, bad & ugly of the attraction. (Warning: this ride review contains spoilers.)
Another ‘warning’ is that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is my #1 most anticipated openings of 2026. As a fan who loved and still mourns the closure of MuppetVision 3D, I view this reimagining as an olive branch, and one with big shoes to fill relative to that iconic attraction. I maintain that Walt Disney World made a massive mistake in closing MuppetVision 3D, and consequently, the RnRC reimagining was always going to be a ‘lemonade out of lemons’ project.
Also relevant as it relates to my biases is that I liked but didn’t love Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster by the time it closed. It was previously #34 on my Rankings of All Attractions at Walt Disney World, which actually isn’t half bad! One spot behind Living with the Land and one ahead of Space Mountain (that’s right).
As much as I loved RnRC as a teen and still enjoy Aerosmith’s music, I was ready for a change. I’m not sure whether all of this makes me a tougher critic or easier audience, but do with that information what you will. Perhaps you’ll conclude that this dude has crazy opinions that aren’t worth reading!
After experiencing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets for the first time, the comparison that immediately came to mind is that the Electric Mayhem is basically the Guardians of the Galaxy, but as Muppet musicians as opposed to Marvel super heroes. (Minor distinction.)
The Guardians of the Galaxy have thus far received two Disney attractions. One is Cosmic Rewind over at EPCOT, a revolutionary roller coaster with a blockbuster budget that was years in the making. The other is Mission Breakout out at Disney California Adventure, which was a comparatively quick ‘low dough’ reimagining to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
As it turns out, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets has a lot in common with both. While not perfect, the reimagined ride belongs in the same conversation as those Guardians of the Galaxy attractions, which should speak volumes about this reimagining given the guest reception to the Marvel hero-helmed attractions.
Let’s walk through the good, bad & ugly of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets from start to finish…
What Did Not Change
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith originally opened in 1999, and if you rode the roller coaster then and now, you’d have the same ride experience. Well, it probably wouldn’t be quite as smooth.
Suffice to say, the roller coaster track and layout are unchanged. It still features a 0 to 57 MPH launch and everything that defines the most intense roller coaster at Walt Disney World. Work was done during two lengthy refurbishments in 2023 and 2024 to extend the life of the coaster and ride system. If you’re hoping for a fundamentally different ride experience, adjust your expectations.
This is where the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout comes into play, as that was more or less the same blueprint for its Tower of Terror takeover. While the underlying Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster serves as the blueprint for the Muppets makeover and could easily be ignored if you’re just there for the thrills, a lot has been added to enhance the experience and add to the re-rideability.
RnRC Muppets Makeover Backstory
The new backstory is similar to the old one. The Electric Mayhem are headlining their biggest Hollywood concert ever! There’s just one little problem: the band is nowhere to be found.
Across town at the under-new-management G-Force Records, we’re treated to a VIP tour. The colorful crew’s new digs are thanks to Scooter’s uncle, real estate tycoon and owner of the Muppet Theatre, J.P. Grosse.
The Muppets have already made these hallowed halls their own, in ways big and small…
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Courtyard
Out in the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster courtyard, the Electric Mayhem has put their own spin on that ruby-red guitar, featuring a vibrant, psychedelic design inspired by the classic Muppet car paint job.
The piano motif at the base features a golden key as a nod to a certain far-out band leader. And the L.I.M.O. (Lengthy Immediate Motion Object) above the courtyard archway has its own psychedelic paint job.
The archway and show building have been repainted dark gray. I don’t really have a strong opinion on this. It took me like two days to get used to it, and now I think the psychedelic paint pops a bit more against the darker backdrop, but that’s not a hill I’d die on.
Inside the Hallowed Halls of G-Force Records
As before, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has a lot of outdoor overflow queue that is fairly unremarkable. Just a sea of switchbacks that are largely devoid of shade, and can get unpleasant on crowded days.
Inside you’ll be greeted by abundant air-conditioning, and if that doesn’t make you want to stop dead in your tracks, surely the new social media-inspired feeds in the lobby will. Don’t worry, it’s better than it sounds.
Walt Disney World is touting 45 minutes of new Muppets footage, and that’s just what made it inside the attraction–a lot more was left on the cutting room floor. About 30 minutes of that are here in this first room. This footage replaces regular ole band posters, and is an obvious upgrade.
It occurs via a bunch of brief videos featuring the Muppets and celebrity cameos, including Awkwafina, Danny Trejo, Darren Criss, Travis Barker, Yvette Nicole Brown, Wayne Brady, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and others.
One highlight for me was Illeana Douglas reprising her role as the manager, which is one of several nods to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. A few fans have asked about this, so we’re happy to share that there are plenty of surprises on that front, beyond just what was recycled from one version of the attraction to the other. (There’s also a lot of that.) Don’t worry, Ken Marino fans, he has a can’t miss cameo later in the queue.
My only complaint about this loop is that the room where it plays is small. Even with this coming before the merge point, you’ll only spend a few minutes in here. That’s a good problem to have, and is better than the alternative of hearing the same brief snippet again and again because the line is slower than the loop is long.
After that comes another room with a display case featuring Muppets memorabilia. Following that is the standby and Lightning Lane merge, and then the pre-show holding area, which contains Muppets concert art, album covers, and a treasure trove of archival treats for your perusal.
Inside the Studio Pre-Show
The pre-show takes guests inside the recording studio, where you’ll find The Electric Mayhem cranking out the familiar tunes of “Can You Picture That?” as they rehearse for their big concert.
This pre-show occupies the same space as the current Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. It even uses the same style, with the Electric Mayhem Band on the other side of the recording studio “glass” via a large screen.
The big change is that the pre-show is highlighted by three Audio Animatronics, featuring the first-ever figure of Scooter, who’s joined by two audio engineer penguins.
Scooter’s fluid movement and range of motion are the unequivocal highlight, much like Rocket Raccoon in Mission Breakout…but better! He looks like an actual, in-real-life Muppet, right down to the puppeteering rods in his arms.
The penguin Audio Animatronics add a layer to the scene to make the studio feel less ‘flat.’ They also add Muppet absurdity to the mix, as these little guys demonstrate their professional range in going from performing in an orchestra during MuppetVision 3D to being audio engineers in Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Also appearing on separate screens flanking the main one are Kermit and others. The character appearing on the video above Scooter is randomized, adding an element of repeatability. Unsurprisingly, my favorite is Sam Eagle, who delivers a line that literally made me laugh out loud (to spoil this for you would be distinctly unpatriotic). I will commence quoting it out-of-context at home ASAP.
Also throughout this room are a variety of Easter Eggs and references to the Muppets, MuppetVision, PizzeRizzo, and even Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. It rewards astute eyes, but unfortunately, you’ve only got about a minute and a half in here!
This pre-show is a huge improvement over its predecessor, and not just for the addition of three Audio Animatronics (although that certainly doesn’t hurt). It’s jam-packed with detail, funny and fodder for quotes. This was clearly a labor of love, but it’s also obvious that this pre-show had a healthy budget.
The Alley Loading Zone
Once whisked out of the pre-show, guests head out into the alley where the rockin’ L.I.M.O. (pronounced lime-o) awaits. This loading zone is largely the same as before, right down to the parking garage being operated by Lock ‘n’ Roll Parking Systems. I was personally relieved that this fictional company survived; it’s a peak 1990s Imagineering pun, and is now canon in the Muppets universe.
We’ve already covered a lot of what’s out here in our Guide to Easter Eggs in Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. Suffice to say, this is the densest area of the attraction for props, reminiscent of the Muppets pre-show.
Critics might contend that this is throwaway fan service with no story justification for existing. They are wrong, and have clearly never immersed themselves in parking garages in Los Angeles, the deepest depths of which almost always contain random assortments of junk.
Regardless, the Muppets are known for their eclectic nature, and there was never anything more than the flimsiest of pretenses for all this junk in the MuppetVision pre-show. Sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy junk for junk’s sake, and nobody does junk better than the Muppets.
The Ride: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Road Trip
After boarding the L.I.M.O., we prepare for launch on the Hollywood 101. The basic billboard above the tunnel, still counts down, but has received a bright and vibrant upgrade. It also changes based on the song that’s about to be played on the ride. I know this because the intro to “Walking on Sunshine” is forever burned into my brain.
The launch area looks great, from twists on what was previously here to new details. There’s a lot more to see than before, and no matter how long you linger in the loading area, you won’t see it all.
This makes for a bit of a juxtaposition to the ride itself. It’s always been the case that the ride through portion of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was sparse. It was basically Dead Space (Mountain): Fake Hollywood Fwy Edition. That remains true.
The good is that the scenery and landmarks of Tinseltown now feature a Muppet twist. It’s still the cut-out style, but with Muppet gags added to the existing landmarks–right down to the palm trees. The changes are fun. My favorite is a deep cut: Sweetums handing out maps a la Drew Carey in Super Star Limo (IYKYK).
This is good enough once the ride hits its stride, but my biggest critique of the whole attraction is that it’s too dead in the ~15 seconds after launch. There aren’t any visuals in this space and most of the songs start slowly. The ride really would’ve benefited from even a couple of added cutouts (and perhaps paint in the launch tunnel) to bridge the gap.
I didn’t expect this to change, but was nevertheless surprised by how ’empty’ the early portion of the roller coaster feels, my perception of which is likely due to the music starting slower than the Aerosmith songs.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster On-Ride Playlist
While riding Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, the music takes center stage. The Electric Mayhem teamed up with some of rock’s biggest names for the playlist. One of these 5 songs plays randomly on each ride:
- Song 2 – The Electric Mayhem
- Born To Be Wild – The Electric Mayhem ft. Camilla the Chicken
- Love Rollercoaster – The Electric Mayhem ft. Jennifer Hudson & Questlove
- Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) – The Electric Mayhem ft. Def Leppard
- Walking on Sunshine – The Electric Mayhem ft. Kelly Clarkson
Unlike Cosmic Rewind, where the clear consensus is that “September” is the best song, my polling of other guests revealed no such clear favorite here. If there is one, it’s probably “Song 2.” But there definitely isn’t an obvious best or worst song on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets.
I’ve heard all of the songs at least once, including “Walking on Sunshine” six times, “Born to Be Wild” and “Love Roller Coaster” four times each. I’ve heard those so many times because I didn’t get “Song 2” to complete my collection until my most recent ride. In other news, I now have CTE.
I enjoyed my first time hearing each of these songs, and look forward to doing future “research” to see which I prefer over the course of an average visit that does not involve several consecutive ride-throughs of hearing “Walking on Sunshine.” Doing the ride only once or twice in a day is representative of how the average guest will experience Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets.
What I can say now is that the music doesn’t work as well on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets as it does on Cosmic Rewind. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise since that was a new build, and the Omnicoaster ride platform is tailor-made to ‘dance’ with music.
I was nevertheless expecting something slightly more since Mission Breakout does really well moving with the music, but there’s also the critical distinction there that the ride profile was reprogrammed for the music. That couldn’t happen with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
The music on RnRC is still an asset, and fun feature. It just isn’t on the level of Cosmic Rewind or Mission Breakout, but that’s a high bar that no other rides meet. It would’ve been nice if the on-board audio system was upgraded, or even just made louder. (Rare for anything at Disney to be too quiet.)
On the plus side, these songs are more fun than the Aerosmith soundtrack, and the randomized element plus the prospect of bonus tracks adds to the re-rideability. Just don’t go in expecting Cosmic Rewind from the ride. The after the fact music doesn’t work as well with the cadence of the ride. It doesn’t “dance.”
Statler & Waldorf Audio Animatronics
In a dream come true scenario for me, the Statler and Waldorf Audio Animatronics from MuppetVision 3D appear on-board the attraction!
The curmudgeonly dynamic duo appear to be in an Airstream trailer, with boxes of tomatoes in front of them. They have several lines of dialogue, but unless there’s a backup in the tunnel, you’ll only hear one or two jokes per ride-through. Although you only catch them for a fleeting moment, they look and sound great (the audio handoff from tunnel to figures is well-done).
Not only do Statler and Waldorf provide a satisfying send-off to guests, but they reprise some of their best lines from MuppetVision. It’s the perfect 3-second finale to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. I wish it were longer.
The one unavoidable downside is the staging of Statler and Waldorf.
Unless you’re in the front left seat, you can’t really see them from the tunnel as you approach unload. And you can’t really see them from the unload platform either, because of the way they’re angled.
This being a retrofit, there’s limited space for Statler and Waldorf, and wanting to see more of them is a good problem to have that encourages repeat rides. But the average guest isn’t going to ride repeatedly, so at least reducing the gap between jokes in the tunnel so more audio can be heard during backups would be a nice improvement.
Electric Mayhem Post-Show
After (spoiler alert) arriving to the concert on time, you’ll see the Electric Mayhem perform “Can You Picture That?” in the post-show ride photo review area.
This is recorded concert footage, and it also includes a couple of celebrity cameos and Easter Eggs. It’s worth watching after you secure your PhotoPass shots.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Verdict
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets offers something for everyone. It has quintessential Muppets humor that demonstrates again that Imagineering “gets” their brand of humor. But it’s not just for Muppets fans.
It has Easter Eggs, visual gags, references and tributes galore. It has celebrity cameos. It has a wide range of humor. If you are someone who enjoys having fun, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is for you. If you do not, well perhaps Walt Disney World isn’t for you.
Above I explained why you shouldn’t go in expecting the roller coaster to be Cosmic Rewind, because that’s setting yourself up for disappointment. Bringing that full circle, I’d actually argue that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is the “reverse” Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Whereas the aspect of Cosmic Rewind that is endlessly repeatable is the ride itself, the part of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets that I want to do again and again is everything else. This could be a walk-through attraction where I take the Camilla Exit to the post-show and I would be satisfied.
Just to be clear, it’s not that I dislike the ride-through portion of this or dislike the pre-show of that. It’s about their respective strengths, and which holds up more after repeat experiences. Judging by everyone cramming towards the doors in Cosmic Rewind, at least half of this is hardly a controversial take. It’ll be interesting to see the extent to which the general public agrees with me about RnRC, but I feel it’s also better paced and, like the recent Muppet Show revival, Disney has done a good job of offering something for everyone here.
Given that I rank Cosmic Rewind as the #5 attraction in all of Walt Disney World, this should be viewed as high praise for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. It won’t rank higher due to the respective roller coasters, but the queue, pre-show and post-show are better here. I can’t imagine ever tiring of all that–it’ll be the coaster itself that limits my rides. Again, all pretty much the reverse of Cosmic Rewind.
Ultimately, this is pretty much the best possible outcome for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. In the grand scheme of things, my complaints are minor, and mostly ‘baked in’ by virtue of the pre-existing ride system. No attraction is perfect, and that’s doubly true of ones that have the constraints of a retrofit. Yet somehow Imagineering managed to capture lightning in a bottle here–and pull off that feat in under three months!
My biggest criticism is an indirect one, which is that this cannot fill the shoes of MuppetVision 3D. But that’s something we knew from the outset. There was no amount of money or passion that could be put into this project to turn a roller coaster into that iconic, all ages attraction. The formats and parameters are completely different, as is guest accessibility. MuppetVision 3D was a national treasure. A timeless and culturally significant attraction that should’ve been an untouchable part of Disney history like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean.
All of those concerns still exist for me, but at the same time, I recognize that more casual guests will experience Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. New Muppets fans will be forged in the process, just like I became curious about classic films after experiencing Great Movie Ride. There are certainly silver linings, but we don’t want to gloss over the ‘original sin’ of closing MuppetVision that got this rolling in the first place. That’s the ‘ugly’ of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets–that we had to lose MuppetVision to get it.
The ride reimagining itself turned out better than expected, aided tremendously by the hardcore Muppets fans in Walt Disney Imagineering who “get” the characters’ unique brand of humor. They fought for this project in the first place and worked tirelessly to ensure the reimagining is well-done, reusing elements from MuppetVision that would otherwise be discarded, and somehow made this something special. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is clearly a love letter from Imagineering to Jim Henson and the Muppets, and they did superlative work here.
It won’t matter in the grand scheme of things or to the average guest, but the turnaround time also bodes well for future projects of this nature getting greenlit by Walt Disney World leadership. Speaking of which, now that Imagineering has pulled off a reverse Cosmic Rewind with the reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, it’s time to start talking seriously about a future Muppets Courtyard in this area. This should be the start of a bona fide Muppet renaissance!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you experienced Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets? Thoughts on how the reimagined ride compares to its predecessor, Cosmic Rewind or Mission Breakout? Are you excited for Muppets makeover? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
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