DHS Disney Confirms Muppets Take Over Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios

[Coaster Lover]

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is not an inverted coaster.

I suspect this is a case of confusing "inverted" and "inverting". RnRC is an inverting non-inverted coaster. Monsters Inc will be a non-inverting inverted coaster. Slinky is a non-inverting, non-inverted coaster. Dueling Dragon was an inverting inverted coaster.

 

[phillip9698]

And the little ones with their parents going to launch 0-60 in 2.9 sec and inverted loops? Better alert Custodial to clean up not if but many vomit spills.

Who are all these "little ones" that are huge muppet fans you keep bringing up? The Muppets are in the state they are because the "little ones" are not fans and do not want to consume their material. The people clamoring for Muppet material are much older and more than tall enough to ride the coaster.

 

[flynnibus]

Well The Muppets are represented both on film for humor and physically in MV3D.

Muppetvision in it's current form is about 15years past it's overdue date. One should separate grief over MV vs this... I doubt anyone initiated a MV decision based on RnRC. Likely the other way around... the demise of MV opened the potential for Muppets use here. Don't hate on RnRC because you might be upset over MV.

In RnR I think it is going to be mostly audio banter with some footage short bits for preshow and maybe queue if we are lucky. I don't think there is going to be much in person puppet presence. The cast spread and time is greatly reduced as well.

Well, be sure to get some video next time you ride it since you clearly have concluded everything that is possible!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Who are are these "little ones" that are huge muppet fans you keep bringing up. The Muppets are in the state they are because the "little ones" are not fans and do not want to consume their material. The people clamoring for Muppet material are much older and more than tall enough to ride the coaster.

Exactly. The fake outrage should be in defense of the boomers who love the Muppets but can no longer tolerate RnRC without visiting a chiropractor. When I first heard this rumor, I thought it was a surprising choice but as I consider it more, I don’t think 3-year olds will be an issue here.

 

[flynnibus]

BUT, like with most other things I'm kind of excited for, Disney needs to show me they are going to d o it well, cause I just don't have a ton of faith in them doing that.

Legit concerns IMO. I too have checked out of blind faith a long long time ago. I like to separate what I think is possible.. vs what I set my expectations of what they WILL do.

I just don't think it's worth years of people predicting doom... got enough negative energy all around. I'd rather think about what could be.. and take a 'wait and see' attitude towards what is being delivered.

I can think of a lot of ways to bring show elements in... but so much stars with the writing for the show and what direction they want to take it. I see potential... I just can't hold my breath waiting for it to land.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Hopefully some noticeable stuff can be noticed when reopened if closed for two years. When Great Movie Ride at MGM was closed for 6 months the only item we noticed was new carpeting in the pre show area.

6 months to replace carpeting, yup, that’s Disney.

 

[flynnibus]

So let's wait for the final announcement on what's next for MV3D before pronouncing its doom, if at all.

Wow.. that's an interesting 'take' on those snippets. The show as we know it is dead-man walking. Tributes, other retellings, or preservation of things doesn't mean the show is staying.

 

[celluloid]

Muppetvision in it's current form is about 15years past it's overdue date. One should separate grief over MV vs this... I doubt anyone initiated a MV decision based on RnRC. Likely the other way around... the demise of MV opened the potential for Muppets use here. Don't hate on RnRC because you might be upset over MV.


Well, be sure to get some video next time you ride it since you clearly have concluded everything that is possible!

Not hating on. Just the reality of RnR besides coaster is media based. They could insert physical and practical representation of The Muppets, but we know they won't likely.

It is fairly predictable a a quick turn around. Would love to be wrong and find that animatronic Muppets and live performers are a part of the experience.

 

[JohnD]

Wow.. that's an interesting 'take' on those snippets. The show as we know it is dead-man walking. Tributes, other retellings, or preservation of things doesn't mean the show is staying.

It doesn't mean it's gone for good either. Neither of knows that. What we do know is that it will no longer be in the Muppets Courtyard location. I choose to wait for a definitive announcement before proclaiming its demise.

 

[LSLS]

Exactly. The fake outrage should be in defense of the boomers who love the Muppets but can no longer tolerate RnRC without visiting a chiropractor. When I first heard this rumor, I thought it was a surprising choice but as I consider it more, I don’t think 3-year olds will be an issue here.

See, I think this idea is a lot less about the Muppets, and a lot more about the music. Muppets are just the vessel. You show up, and now you can hear like a Foo Fighters song, a Taylor Swift song, etc. The music aspect gets the crowd, the Muppets just host it to get you your songs. I almost consider GotG the same way in that it's so much going on, to me it's just jamming to music on a fun coaster. That's why I see this working pretty well personally (assuming that is the plan).

 

[FigmentFan82]

Even ignoring the false notion that The Muppets are aimed at kids (they aren't and never really have been), there still isn't reason for concern. Unless we're not counting 6 year olds as children now.

Muppet Babies would beg to differ

 

[Chester&Hester Enthusiast]

Muppet Babies would beg to differ

Make sure to alert me when they announce the seasonal Muppet Babies overlay.

 

[phillip9698]

Muppet Babies would beg to differ

Im old or young enough, how ever you want to frame it, to be in the group that show was aimed it. Me and my sister watched it and we loved it. But this was back in the 80s when our only options were whatever came on PBS before 5pm and the weekend cartoons on network TV.

Today, kids arent forced to watch whatever networks are trying to push. They arent consuming media the same way we did. Muppets are not in with kids anymore.



But back to the topic at hand. The most classic way to showcase the Muppets was to bring the audience into an episode of the show, which they did. Now, the thing needed MAJOR updates but by the nature of the attraction you would need to rehaul the theater itself in order to do so. Combined with the fact that some of the voice actors and writers are either dead or retired brings another host of issues with fans, management has to ask if its even worth spending the money on a new show, and how do you make one without angering the diehards. This attraction had essentially become a museum piece to the legacy of Jim Henson. Is a historical monument attraction that has fallen out of favor with guests worth keeping in the theme park, thats a question on Disney can answer and they have answered no. This attraction now belongs in a museum somewhere, but i cant think of anyone who would rebuild it as is and dedicate that much space for it.

 

[erasure fan1]

All this strife and here is me excited for what they announce new for Animation Courtyard. This could be awesome

I personally have a feeling that we'll be waiting an extremely long time before we see anything of substance go into animation courtyard.

I always thought that old concept art for Muppets MAyhem overlay on RnRc was well recieved. I am into this, just hope they move the theater over where the villains show is in the future

When there was talks of the electric mayhem taking over the coaster, months before the monsters inc announcement, it was mostly positive reaction. I think most of the negative stems from muppet vision closing.

I have never met a kid who wasn't over-the-top excited for the *next* trip to Disney when they will be old/big/brave enough to ride the "big rides" including myself as a kid and all my friends and families.

That's true for the most part. As I said above, if muppet vision was staying, very few have an issue. While the theater rarely hit capacity, it still had a decent amount of people go through it. It had good guest scores and it was something everyone in a group could do. Now the muppets are only going to be in a ride a lot of people can't do.

I'm fairly sure I was the first, or one of the first, to say the mayhem would be a great fit for the coaster. I still think it's a awesome idea, and I generally don't like re-skins. If not done on the cheap, it's a huge if I know, it can be great. It's the loss of a no limits family attraction that has people questioning this move.

 

[flynnibus]

Not hating on. Just the reality of RnR besides coaster is media based. They could insert physical and practical representation of The Muppets, but we know they won't likely.

RnRC used video intermixed with set pieces.. but that was 20+ years ago and because they were trying to integrate what we all know as human performance. Even if they stuck with video, we know the integration possibilities are far greater now than they did in the late ninties. There isn't anything saying they have to stick to the single pre-show scene either.. and the static boards on the ride now. On-ride props could be replaced with projection/video elements.. the 'alley' staging could be taken from static to something with show scenes added... the entire preshow could be replaced with phyiscal+projection, something physical, etc. I think there are a lot of options they could go with... the only question is direction and ambition...

Of course they could disappoint the most and just replace the video in the existing preshow and do nothing more. And if they do that, will be even more reason for me to not come back.

 

[flynnibus]

It doesn't mean it's gone for good either. Neither of knows that. What we do know is that it will no longer be in the Muppets Courtyard location. I choose to wait for a definitive announcement before proclaiming its demise.

Yeah - don't hold your breath. Ain't nobody moving MV3D to a new home to keep doing what they were already doing.

 

[mattpeto]

Yeah - don't hold your breath. Ain't nobody moving MV3D to a new home to keep doing what they were already doing.

I think going to Disney+ is the most probable outcome, and it's not a terrible one - if it's adapted well.

I really hope they slide MV3D to Sunset Showcase, but I think it's a longshot. They have a Grand Avenue and they are choosing to kill it for a reason.

Honestly, for those of you that just cry Disney is pinching pennies at every turn, moving MV3D to Sunset Showcase would still likely be cheaper than to produce something new and operate daily.

We got a chance people!

 

[DisneyCane]

Muppet Rock n Roller coaster sounds so dull and lame. I get some people out there love the Muppets but that's a bad overlay for a thrill ride. Very disappointed.

I also feel the muppets are 30 years passed their popularity.

Aerosmith or any classic rock band (or mix of them) would be much better. Classic Rock still has lots of new fans as these bands tour and get biopics made of them. Even if they did newer rock bands I'd prefer it for being different than random Disney IP.

I feel this was done last minute due to complaints about Muppet Vision 3D going away.

As much as I love Aerosmith, the band has retired (several months early due to Steven Tyler's vocal chord injury). The theming no longer makes any sense as you are racing to a concert that can't be happening.

I would have preferred some kind of superhero retheme or something where they could have kept the parking garage theme with a plot of going somewhere quickly.

While Classic Rock has a lot of fans, the biggest bands are all in their 60's now so it's a little hard to keep it relevant. When RnRC opened, Tyler was "only" 51 and the band was still very popular and had fans spanning 2-3 generations. Nine Lives was a 2x platinum album that was released 2 years before the opening and Just Push Play released 2 years after still was a platinum album and the band played the Super Bowl halftime show in that timeframe.

The only major complaint about them switching to The Muppets is that I liked that that area of the park was more of a gritty Hollywood theme. RnRC with the recording studio and parking garage theme worked well with the "Hollywood Tower Hotel" next door. Muppets and ToT don't really belong next to each other or in the same "land" of a park.

 

[celluloid]

RnRC used video intermixed with set pieces.. but that was 20+ years ago and because they were trying to integrate what we all know as human performance. Even if they stuck with video, we know the integration possibilities are far greater now than they did in the late ninties. There isn't anything saying they have to stick to the single pre-show scene either.. and the static boards on the ride now. On-ride props could be replaced with projection/video elements.. the 'alley' staging could be taken from static to something with show scenes added... the entire preshow could be replaced with phyiscal+projection, something physical, etc. I think there are a lot of options they could go with... the only question is direction and ambition...

Of course they could disappoint the most and just replace the video in the existing preshow and do nothing more. And if they do that, will be even more reason for me to not come back.

Yeah....To the first half:

Dream on...dream on...dream on dream until your dream comes true. I would love to be wrong, but I see the latter part being the reality. They will film a day shoot of Muppet bits and have some on ride audio that matches the cut outs you go thorugh with some extensions on them. A trippy "Can you Picture that?" inspired loosely.

 

[DisneyCane]

The same people will be riding RnRC in 2027 as ride it today. That’s why the Muppets are going there. The Muppets are not terribly relevant but have a dedicated cult/fanbase. So, this is a no-risk way to please that fanbase without committing to a huge project. RnRC is popular because it’s the only looping coaster at WDW. That will continue to be true. At least they respect us a little…they could have just given Muppet fans nothing other than a pickle shake some months at Epcot.

As for the preposterous suggestion that the launch will leave: do we understand how roller coasters work? You can’t just cut the speed in half and have trains finish the course. Nor can they retrofit a 150-foot lift hill in because that will somehow scare the kiddies less.

Anybody who thinks they could just cut the launch speed needs to spend a few minutes on Rollercoaster Tycoon!