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

[Horizons '83]

You can’t possibly believe I think this is the final product. I am am suggesting this is the beginning of something ugly and immature.

So doubling down on your premature opinion on a product that isn’t final. Got it.

 

[NelsonRD]

So doubling down on your premature opinion on a product that isn’t final. Got it.

How is it premature? But, I will wait a few months to say that it looks just as tacky and juvenile in person as it does in the concept art. Triple down - ugly.

 

[Brer Panther]

I will say in regards to that list that Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad’s voices on the Ducktales reboot took a lot of getting used to

When I first heard that David Tennant was voicing Scrooge, I thought "He's Scottish, so yeah, I bet he'll make a great Scrooge!".

Then I actually heard his take and thought to myself, "What the heck? That doesn't sound anything like Alan Young."

He'd be fine for a younger Scrooge in a flashback episode or something, but as a Scrooge that's supposed to be the same age (more or less) as Alan's, it doesn't work at all.

I think the main reason most people resent Vogel's Kermit is because of how Steve was forcibly ousted from the role.

And of course, those that DO like Matt's Kermit are more likely than not the folks that believe Disney's claim of Steve being difficult to work with. Because other puppeteers speaking up in Steve's defense and the fact that Steve was nice to me when I met him in early 2020 mean nothing, apparently.

I don't have high hopes for this overlay. It's going to be rushed and underwhelming. It's sole existence is to placate people upset over the closure of Muppetvision.

Exactly. And no, I'm not going to clap like a trained seal just because Disney's putting MuppetVision on some virtual reality thing either.

 

[Stupido]

BlogMickey has updated photos of more paint tape and a second coat today. The guitar is behind scrim too, so painting is imminent there as well. Probably want to get all the outdoor paint done before the spring time rain picks up.

 

[EagleScout610]

BlogMickey has updated photos of more paint tape and a second coat today. The guitar is behind scrim too, so painting is imminent there as well. Probably want to get all the outdoor paint done before the spring time rain picks up.

Hopefully they just keep the painting to the car out front and don't deck the entire archway out in flames. But I do like how the flames are looking so far, adds a nice new touch without being too crazy.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Currently the car looks more like it hit a deer, but I know they're not done

 

[Andrew C]

Currently the car looks more like it hit a deer, but I know they're not done

Venison stand confirmed.

 

[JEANYLASER]

 

[brb1006]

I have little to no interest in any of those so….

Please give the DuckTales Reboot a shoot. It's so good!

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I think the main reason most people resent Vogel's Kermit is because of how Steve was forcibly ousted from the role. Some of you can detest Mr. Whitmire all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that Jim personally picked him to succeed the role. Another issue I think people have with the modern Muppets is how corporate driven they feel. Someone said that most of the modern Muppet productions involve the Muppets realizing they've lost relevancy and trying to regain it.

I don't have high hopes for this overlay. It's going to be rushed and underwhelming. It's sole existence is to placate people upset over the closure of Muppetvision. I wouldn't be surprised if Scooter and the Penguins are cannibalized figures from the show. I don't care what Brian Henson says, have you seen what Disney does to their animatronics? Look at Buzzy, Mr. Hamm, Stitch, and the figures from Splash Mountain and tell me that Bean, Statler, and the others are stored nearly in the Archives. I mean, the figures from DCA's Muppetvision are reportedly entombed in the theatre, rotting away.

I was a big defender of Steve for years but his recent blogpost really disappointed me. He’s very clearly hurt and traumatized from what happened, but choosing to say he’s the only person capable of keeping Jim’s spirit alive when Dave is still with the Muppets is just not it. He disrespects every single one of his old colleagues (many of whom defended him as much as they legally could without ing off Disney) by saying that anyone who didn’t work with Jim personally is just a “cover artist”. And then to say anyone who’s still a fan of the modern Muppets isn’t a true Muppets fan? Really makes you wonder if Brian Henson’s side of the story is really what happened.

I met Steve at [redacted]’s MuppetVision event and he was super friendly and kind, and I still sympathize with him, but I lost a lot of respect for him because of that post. He stayed pretty silent on the matter for a decade and then right before the special drops he writes this disrespectful blog post, clearly coming from a place of resentment and hurt. He would’ve been better off not making that post, because he definitely killed any possible chance at him returning to the group now. I hope he at least tries to repair the damage to his relationships with the other Muppeteers. I’m just really disappointed in him.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I met Steve at [redacted]’s MuppetVision event and he was super friendly and kind, and I still sympathize with him, but I lost a lot of respect for him because of that post.

I was at that event too…. Fun times!!!

Both Steve and Frank have talked honestly about how they feel about the muppets under Disney ownership.

His post is long and could have been written more eloquently but I don’t really lose respect for him making the post.

Isn’t Dave just doing the voice work now? I absolutely love Dave - Gonzo is my all time favorite muppet and getting to see him perform him live (along with Steve’s Kermit and Rizzo) at D23 is a dream come true - but Dave isn’t really “performing” gonzo anymore I don’t think? He’s doing the voice.

Idk….. I’m glad the muppets are having success - I love them. They are one of the most iconic brands ever.

But I almost feel original characters should belong to original performers and only be passed on with the original performers blessing.

I’m not sure what that means for Kermit - but I know what it means for Rizzo and Bean Bunny. And all of Franks characters.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

I was at that event too…. Fun times!!!

Both Steve and Frank have talked honestly about how they feel about the muppets under Disney ownership.

His post is long and could have been written more eloquently but I don’t really lose respect for him making the post.

Isn’t Dave just doing the voice work now? I absolutely love Dave - Gonzo is my all time favorite muppet and getting to see him perform him live (along with Steve’s Kermit and Rizzo) at D23 is a dream come true - but Dave isn’t really “performing” gonzo anymore I don’t think? He’s doing the voice.

Idk….. I’m glad the muppets are having success - I love them. They are one of the most iconic brands ever.

But I almost feel original characters should belong to original performers and only be passed on with the original performers blessing.

I’m not sure what that means for Kermit - but I know what it means for Rizzo and Bean Bunny. And all of Franks characters.

If that was the case, just being realistic. If no one else could play a respective Muppet other than someone hand picked by their original performer/actor. Nothing would get done. We would have lost the Muppets in a matter of years after Henson's death.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

If no one else could play a respective Muppet other than someone hand picked by their original performer/actor. Nothing would get done. We would have lost the Muppets in a matter of years after Henson's death.

We did anyways…. Once Brian and Frank were no longer leading (and the Disney purchase happened) we slowly lost “the muppets” in reality.

I kind of agree it’s a cover band now. But…. I don’t agree that a cover band shouldn’t exist. As long as Disney keeps going in a good direction with them I’m happy for the future.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I was at that event too…. Fun times!!!

Both Steve and Frank have talked honestly about how they feel about the muppets under Disney ownership.

His post is long and could have been written more eloquently but I don’t really lose respect for him making the post.

Isn’t Dave just doing the voice work now? I absolutely love Dave - Gonzo is my all time favorite muppet and getting to see him perform him live (along with Steve’s Kermit and Rizzo) at D23 is a dream come true - but Dave isn’t really “performing” gonzo anymore I don’t think? He’s doing the voice.

Idk….. I’m glad the muppets are having success - I love them. They are one of the most iconic brands ever.

But I almost feel original characters should belong to original performers and only be passed on with the original performers blessing.

I’m not sure what that means for Kermit - but I know what it means for Rizzo and Bean Bunny. And all of Franks characters.

Oh wow! Small world. Maybe we met and talked and didn’t even realize lol.

While I don’t disagree Disney hasn’t handled them well at all, I think Steve went about expressing that in a way that felt bitter and “they’re nothing without me” even if he didn’t mean it.

Dave is still performing Gonzo, according to Rizzo’s new performer Bradley Freeman Jr- in an interview with Tough Pigs, he said that after their first time trying Rizzo and Gonzo together, Dave said “it feels like Stevie is still here with me.” I hope Dave and Steve’s relationship is still okay even after Steve pretty much said Dave isn’t keeping Jim’s spirt alive.

The situation with Steve is tricky because he was fired and didn’t get the opportunity to pass down his roles, but really only Frank has ever done that when he passed his roles to Eric. IIRC, all other performers other than Steve stopped their roles because they died. It’s tricky for sure but I think in order for these characters to stay alive, they need to be okay with new performers taking them over.

I still love Steve’s work and characters, but I’m just disappointed that he would act that way, because it gives weight to what we previously thought was a smear campaign by Disney and the Hensons. His post comes off exactly as they painted him. I hope he can get some closure, he was with the Muppets for most of his life, starting at 17. It can’t have been easy to have that taken away from you.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

We did anyways…. Once Brian and Frank were no longer leading (and the Disney purchase happened) we slowly lost “the muppets” in reality.

I kind of agree it’s a cover band now. But…. I don’t agree that a cover band shouldn’t exist. As long as Disney keeps going in a good direction with them I’m happy for the future.

The new special shows that they’re making an effort to really bring these characters back to their roots while evolving them. I hope we get more, because if there’s any way to get people accustomed to new voices, it’s a regular series. Only reason Matt Vogel is still controversial is because he’s only gotten to do like 2 major projects as Kermit in the last 10 years he’s been the character. Meanwhile in Steve’s first decade he had three major movies, a TV series, and multiple specials. People complained about Steve’s voice at first but got accustomed to it thanks to how much they heard it.

 

[Brer Panther]

Steve has said on Instagram and in the comments section of the post that he wasn't trying to insult the other performers, specifically saying that "no such reduction of their efforts was intended" and that "frankly, the whole enterprise was on the way to being a tribute act even while I was there." He also talked about how Matt and David knew and worked with Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt before taking over as their characters (Jerry even trained Matt do to them, and Steve was instrumental in helping David become the new performer of Scooter and Janice).

I think what he was trying to say was less "the new puppeteers suck" and more "I shouldn't have been fired". THAT I agree with, I'm still not convinced that he's secretly evil and that everyone who's ever said anything nasty about him is just an innocent victim of his evilness. But I'm still going to support Matt, Bradley, and everyone else who's doing his characters. I'm sure Matt would rather have Steve still be part of the Muppets too.

And Dave's still there, but who knows how much he can do to keep the franchise from going in the wrong direction without getting kicked out like Steve was. I wouldn't put anything past Disney at this point.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Watched the new special last night. Kermit seemed fine to me

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

I was a big defender of Steve for years but his recent blogpost really disappointed me. He’s very clearly hurt and traumatized from what happened, but choosing to say he’s the only person capable of keeping Jim’s spirit alive when Dave is still with the Muppets is just not it. He disrespects every single one of his old colleagues (many of whom defended him as much as they legally could without ing off Disney) by saying that anyone who didn’t work with Jim personally is just a “cover artist”. And then to say anyone who’s still a fan of the modern Muppets isn’t a true Muppets fan? Really makes you wonder if Brian Henson’s side of the story is really what happened.

I met Steve at [redacted]’s MuppetVision event and he was super friendly and kind, and I still sympathize with him, but I lost a lot of respect for him because of that post. He stayed pretty silent on the matter for a decade and then right before the special drops he writes this disrespectful blog post, clearly coming from a place of resentment and hurt. He would’ve been better off not making that post, because he definitely killed any possible chance at him returning to the group now. I hope he at least tries to repair the damage to his relationships with the other Muppeteers. I’m just really disappointed in him.

Has he ever even taken any accountability for what role he might’ve played in his firing? I’m not going to say that the way it was handled by the other parties was perfect or even good, because it wasn’t, but I’m inclined to believe that at least some of what has been said about the reasons for it are true given how many people it seems had issues and now how he’s acting. He was wronged in some ways, but it seems he’s not all that willing to admit to the ways in which he maybe wronged his peers either, unless I’ve missed something.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Has he ever even taken any accountability for what role he might’ve played in his firing?

His claim at the time was that many of the issues were not true or exaggerated.

I’m going to be honest… if he was arguing about how the characters were being handled in the 2015 muppets - I don’t blame him for being difficult or critical. I would have been too!

I think the original post (which is no longer on his blog) had a general apology.

 

[HMF]

Has he ever even taken any accountability for what role he might’ve played in his firing?

Disney usually doesn't need excuses to fire people.