DHS MuppetVision 3-D's Future: Potential Disney Park Venues and Vision Pro Immersive Experience

[EagleScout610]

Last pre-show is starting

 

[Brian]

That was quick.

 

[EagleScout610]

Last show is seating. Give it your all, Kermit and friends.

 

[JohnD]

Watching a live stream. Just saw Sweetums walk out for the last time (for guests).

 

[EagleScout610]

Last show is over. Der machinen is not a goin’ der fløømy-fløømy anymur.

 

[JohnD]

Der machinen is not a goin’ der fløømy-fløømy anymur.

Exactly.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Muppet Vision 3D is now gone-zo.

 

[Figments Friend]

Henson’s daughter was the very last person to exit the theatre tonight.
Fitting.

-

 

[gerarar]

 

[celluloid]

Heather Henson was the very last guest in and out of the final show. "I just wanted to see what parts people still liked"

That's Jim's daughter all right. A lot of iconic attractions have been lost, this one really hits.

 

[Earlie the Pearlie]

And so, to eulogize.

Through all of my trips to Walt Disney World, the true constant for me has been MuppetVision 3D. I can only count a few attractions among the number that I’ve done every single time I have ever been there. This is one of those things.

I’ve always felt a bit of a kinship with these characters, one that I feel runs deeper than my connection with other IP. Kermit in particular always spoke to me, as the oldest child in a family of boys. I have always been just holding myself and everything together, and I think the Muppets speak to me on that deeper level. I was thrilled with the rebooted films, and now, with any screen time these characters get.

I have held for several years now that the best piece of Muppet media was this exact show. It doesn’t focus on some celebrity, or another special guest star. The only characters featured are the Muppet crew. I think this show is - was - unique in that aspect. It’s so tightly paced. As I watched the last show, I recited every memorized line by heart, and I still laughed. It’s that good. Precious few things still make me laugh when I know them that intimately.

Now, more than ever, the world needs kindness, strength, and humor. The kindness to do a favor for a friend who feels that they can’t do anything right. The strength to ignore hecklers and naysayers, to be yourself anyway. The humor to laugh at yourself, no matter where, no matter when, no matter how. MuppetVision 3D had all of that in spades, and more.

I hold out hope that this show is resurrected someday, in its full glory, in Sunset Showcase. It seems unlikely, but the possibility remains. Meanwhile, though, I will be satisfied with the memories that this show has given me. So thank you, to Jim Henson, to the Muppets, to the cast members who ran this show every day for three decades.

I would finish this by remarking what a cute ending tonight was, but that sells both the show and tonight short. Instead, I’ll say that this kind of foolishness is, and has long been, exactly the right kind of foolishness for myself and for so many others.

Goodnight, folks.

 

[EagleScout610]

All I can say to finish the night is, I hope they're happy, because we're not. This is a huge loss, and one they won't be able to make up for.

Goodbye, goodbye.
Good friends, goodbye.
'Cause now it's time to go.
But hey, I say, well, that's OK.
Because we'll see you very soon, I know.

 

[DisneyManOne]

I had a thought earlier today. Remember how disappointing and uneventful the 2022 D23 Parks Panel was? I ask because that panel was so disappointing, that one of the few announcements worth any merit was the return of Happily Ever After. I bring this up because frankly, I believe Josh D'Amaro is just shrewd enough to realize that a similar announcement for the return of Muppet*Vision would be the major talk of whatever panel such an announcement would occur at -- be it 2028 or 2030 or beyond. After all, he was in the room when the HEA announcement got that massive reaction.

Let's face it: It's probably the biggest open secret at WDW right now that Unfairly Ever After is as temporary as they come; only there to tide the villain fans over until Villains Land opens at the Magic Kingdom in either 2029 or 2030. Honestly, I can picture D'Amaro using the Parks Panel around that timeframe to announce Muppet*Vision's triumphant return at the Sunset Showcase. And given how upset we all are over Muppet*Vision's loss, the amount of good PR such an announcement would get...why, it would basically give Disney a whole bunch of fish in barrels.

 

[tanc]

Man I miss MGM. It really blows my mind how Disney has so many California themed parks but has just gotten rid of all coherency with the theme

 

[HauntedPirate]

It would be a strange snip considering there will still be a lot of water in the new Cars area.


While it’s unfortunate MV3D is closing, if crowds were always like this, it wouldn’t be closing. Reality is it was constantly a walk on and rarely half-full. Shifting it to Sunset Showcase after Villains would give less capacity, but mean shows felt more full each time.

 

[WondersOfLife]

The only issue with it moving to sunset is you know sure well they wont bring back all of the small details.

 

[celluloid]

It is also not coming back to Sunset. If something is worth keeping, you don't close it forever. This is not the way of World's Fair era to Disneyland to Disneyworld with CoP.

 

[zipadee999]

The only issue with it moving to sunset is you know sure well they wont bring back all of the small details.

That is unless it’s been the plan all along behind the scenes. Beginning tomorrow they may very well be putting everything into storage simply to be reused. However, a different theater would naturally make for a different queue and pre-show. Outside of the theater itself which would reuse existing elements I’m not sure I trust modern Disney to create a compelling queue experience

 

[WorldExplorer]

I think I got the third to last show. Five in total today.

Once again, Disney provided crowd control (very, very good crowd control, for what it's worth) while the fans made it a special day. On top of all the amazing creativity on display, being in the theater with so many people who loved that show and wanted to celebrate it was amazing; by the final show we were treating it like it was interactive (e.g. shouting at Kermit to duck when he almost gets hit in the lab). When it ended, a guy in the back shouted that he was so glad to watch it with all of us, and we all cheered.

I can't even highlight everything awesome that happened. All I can say is being in a room full of people mimicking Gonzo's tap dance is a truly one of a kind experience.

I've said before I'm not a general Muppet fan, but I used to tell people I don't go to Hollywood Studios often because "I just see Muppets and leave". This show was hilarious and easily the best thing in the park for non-thrill seekers (even then, it's still a good competitor when you include the thrills).

I'm going to miss it. I have no reason to go to Studios now.

 

[JohnD]

"Move along. We have a busy construction site here."