Muppets Mini-Land / Muppets Courtyard Additions & Refurbishments

[discos]

Kermit's voice is pitched a bit too low, it needs to be a tad higher, but in all fairness, Bret Iwan's Mickey is also pitched a bit lower than Wayne's and it still works fine. It just takes some getting used to. Other than that, he seems to have most of Kermit's inflections down!

 

[Phicinfan]

Was literally going to say the same thing.

Frog in his throat?

 

[brb1006]

Kermit's voice is pitched a bit too low, it needs to be a tad higher, but in all fairness, Bret Iwan's Mickey is also pitched a bit lower than Wayne's and it still works fine. It just takes some getting used to. Other than that, he seems to have most of Kermit's inflections down!

I remember seeing footage from a Disney on Ice show in 2010 that featured the earliest performance of Bret Iwan voicing Mickey. Glad to see him evolving Wayne's famous Mickey laugh since it sounded off at first.

 

[erasure fan1]

I'm sorry, but that still just doesn't sound like Kermit the Frog.

From the things I've heard so far, its a big improvement. With some time and tweaking it could be really good. Nothing can EVER replace Hensons voice but I think it is much better than Steves.

 

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

I'm sorry, but that still just doesn't sound like Kermit the Frog.

He's now past puberty...

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Since this thread has been bumped, allow me to mention something about the Muppets Courtyard —> Grand Park transformation.

Now - since it is Grand Park - the area is definitely meant to be a “real place” rather than film sets. As such, will they do anything about the half-finished building “fronts” attached to the "Stage 1" building? That makes no sense for a “real place,” obviously. They did such a wonderful job (IMHO) changing the Streets of America facades to the “real place” of Grand Avenue, wouldn’t it make sense to take the last step of removing the incongruities from Grand Park?

Edit: Photo attached below (screenshot from @marni1971's "Muppet Vision 2D" video on YouTube).

 

[MisterPenguin]

Since this thread has been bumped, allow me to mention something about the Muppets Courtyard —> Grand Park transformation.

Now - since it is Grand Park - the area is definitely meant to be a “real place” rather than film sets. As such, will they do anything about the half-finished building “fronts” attached to the "Stage 1" building? That makes no sense for a “real place,” obviously. They did such a wonderful job (IMHO) changing the Streets of America facades to the “real place” of Grand Avenue, wouldn’t it make sense to take the last step of removing the incongruities from Grand Park?

They're not obvious 'fronts' anymore. They're facades meant to look like real buildings, just like the ones in MK which are fake but meant to look real.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

They're not obvious 'fronts' anymore. They're facades meant to look like real buildings, just like the ones in MK which are fake but meant to look real.

Excuse me if I was unclear. I know they're meant to look real now. The point I was making is that, since they're meant to look real now, they should fix the ones that still look like obvious "fronts." See my edit to my previous post above, with the photo of what I'm describing. Those "partial upper floor" fronts should either be completed or removed, IMO.

 

[Rowlet]

Excuse me if I was unclear. I know they're meant to look real now. The point I was making is that, since they're meant to look real now, they should fix the ones that still look like obvious "fronts." See my edit to my previous post above, with the photo of what I'm describing. Those "partial upper floor" fronts should either be completed or removed, IMO.

I see what you mean and I've wondered the same thing about the park as a whole - will the studio buildings be repainted/rethemed to blend into the park better with its new direction? An example is Toy Story Land with the Toy Story Mania building getting the fence facade. It may not be a priority right now but it'd be nice to have all of those studio buildings rethemed somehow.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

I see what you mean and I've wondered the same thing about the park as a whole - will the studio buildings be repainted/rethemed to blend into the park better with its new direction? An example is Toy Story Land with the Toy Story Mania building getting the fence facade. It may not be a priority right now but it'd be nice to have all of those studio buildings rethemed somehow.

I agree that the park’s aesthetics (and, perhaps most importantly, emotional resonance) will improve a lot if they add (high-quality, thematically-congruent) facades to more of those “beige box” soundstage buildings/walls.

Interestingly, however, I happen to live in the real Hollywood, CA, and there are a fair number of “beige box” soundstage buildings scattered around (and yes, they still make me think of DHS whenever I see them). So, technically, those could fit the “city of Hollywood/LA” theme, because such buildings do exist there (and probably did even more during the “Golden Age” that’s represented at the front of the Park). But again, they’re not aesthetically pleasing or emotionally resonant, and that’s an important part of good theme park placemaking (rather than just accuracy; see: Dino-Rama), so while I don’t see this as an urgent task, I do hope the “beige boxes” continue to be improved and/or replaced.

The “half-finished” facades on the Stage 1 building, on the other hand... that just needs to be fixed ASAP.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Excuse me if I was unclear. I know they're meant to look real now. The point I was making is that, since they're meant to look real now, they should fix the ones that still look like obvious "fronts." See my edit to my previous post above, with the photo of what I'm describing. Those "partial upper floor" fronts should either be completed or removed, IMO.

Yeah, the inner courtyard of Grand Ave Park (formerly Muppet Courtyard, formerly unnamed) needs work. That standalone muppet store is an eyesore and a choke point. I'd love to see it razed and rebuilt onto the side of Muppet theater giving the theater a proper facade that takes away its back stage look.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

not sure if anyone had heard that SeaWorld Orlando is now getting a new Sesame Street area taking over Shamu's Happy Harbor. But, this is probably the closest Orlando will get to a muppet mini land within a theme park..

Even though it's through CTW you have to wonder if this might cause a stir to do something with the Muppets in DHS a few years after SW:GE & TSL have opened..

 

[tissandtully]

Yeah, I saw this yesterday, it's funny cause our little one is getting into Sesame Street and I was watching it and thinking it'd make a great themed area.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

Ohhhh - even I'd like to walk through Mr. Hooper's store...

 

[HairyLegPirate]

Ohhhh - even I'd like to walk through Mr. Hooper's store...

...Does anyone want to tell him?

 

[MisterPenguin]

...Does anyone want to tell him?

i'm gonna tell him meme

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

...Does anyone want to tell him?

It's still called Mr. Hoopers. In the show, and the theme park, apparently. See the pic?

 

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

I agree that the park’s aesthetics (and, perhaps most importantly, emotional resonance) But again, they’re not aesthetically pleasing or emotionally resonant, and that’s an important part of good theme park placemaking...

Actually they are very much emotionally resonant, as long as disgust is the emotion one wishes to evoke...

 

[TJJohn12]

Yeah, the inner courtyard of Grand Ave Park (formerly Muppet Courtyard, formerly unnamed) needs work. That standalone muppet store is an eyesore and a choke point. I'd love to see it razed and rebuilt onto the side of Muppet theater giving the theater a proper facade that takes away its back stage look.

Oh, wow... OK, I'll admit I never thought of demo'ing Stage 1 Studio Store, but you're absolutely right. Facades would make it "fit," but it'd still be a giant impediment to movement. TBH, I never could "place" where Mama Melrose was for a long time (never eaten there) when folks were talking about it because it's plunked behind that giant soundstage. I'd always envisioned gutting, facade-ing, and filling that building with an attraction or meaningful addition to the park. But knocking it down, appending the giftshop to MV3D's exit proper, and letting the courtyard grow would *really* open up the space and make it feel like a "land" without much new investment needed.

 

[Wngo905]

Ohhhh - even I'd like to walk through Mr. Hooper's store...

...Does anyone want to tell him?

View attachment 281934

i'm gonna tell him meme

Spoiler: In case you don't know, here is a spoiler...

One of the saddest moments I can ever remember on TV, is the Sesame Street episode where the cast is all sitting in the courtyard. Big Bird is so excited about his drawing of Mr. Hooper and can't wait to show it to him. Maria informs Big Bird that Mr. Hooper has died. Being a childlike character, Big Bird does not understand what death is or why he wont see Mr. Hooper anymore. They explain it to him, with real tears coming down their faces. Of course, true to character Big Bird says at the end "Well, I sure am going to miss Mr. Looper." Maria says, "Hooper, Big Bird. Mr. Hooper." and fade out....

The scene was done in one take and one of the most memorable.