I know the Muppets is considered a "niche property" now, but it is entirely the fault of Disney and their mishandling of the IP that made it such, and it frustrates me to no end.
Last week, I was in Hollywood Studios, and I went on Muppetvision. I wondered if maybe I was looking at MV3D with rose-colored glasses, and if kids just aren't interested in the muppets like I was or my parents were. While I was there, I made a point to observe the reactions of the kids there, just out of curiosity. When we were in the preshow room, a lot of the kids looked bored, so I figured that maybe I was right. But when we got into the theater and the show started, everyone (adult and kid) in the theater was laughing. There was a boy about 7/8 next to me, and he was absolutely loving it. When the Sweetums actor came out, he practically jumped out of his seat and said to his dad "He's real! He's a real guy!" A bunch of kid's in the theater were yelling out when you have to find Bean in the theater. When we were leaving, most of the kids I saw were smiling and laughing, along with their parents.
The Muppets is such a unique property, in that the humor appeals to kids and adults. The reason those kids seemed bored during the preshow isn't because the Muppets aren't cool or hip or whatever, it just that they don't know them. If Disney made more things with the Muppets instead of letting the IP rot, then maybe more kids would be into them :/ I was a kid when the 2010's Muppets movies and stuff came out, and I remember so much content being made with them, for all age groups, and seeing all of that disappear for no reason is just so upsetting.
It would be really disappointing if they got rid of MV3D and that whole area. It just makes no sense to get rid of capacity in a park that already has issues with it. I don't care if the Animation Courtyard Monstropolis is smaller, just don't touch my Muppets!
I should be excited for Monstropolis since Monsters Inc. is my favorite Pixar film, and I never thought they would build it in 2024, but I just can't make myself excited if it means getting rid of Muppets.
