The Muppets Take Hollywood Studios: Reimagining the Muppet Courtyard

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

The Muppets Take Hollywood Studios:
Reimagining the Muppet Courtyard​

So, with the potential end of Jim Henson’s final project in sight, I figure now was a good of a time as any to show Disney that they could expand the Muppets area of the park and make it a full land!

But how, you ask? Well, that’s for us all to conceptualize! I have my own ideas, but I figured it would be fun for this to be a thread where everyone can share their own ideas, much like my Country Bear overlay thread (check that out too!).

So, it’s time to play the music and light the lights- pitch your plan to save the Muppets at Hollywood Studios!

 

[kathdis2300]

hmmm

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

So, here’s my general ideas:

Keep

• MuppetVision 3D
• PizzeRizzo
• Gonzo’s Royal Flush

Overlay

• Mama Melrose’s -> Swedish Chef’s Kooky Kitchen
  • combination of the two restaurants originally planned for the Muppets Land, complete with rats serving food
• It’s a Wonderful Shop -> Stage 2 Company Shop
• Baseline Tap House -> Rowlf’s Tavern
  • Themed to 2015 series piano bar
• Ice Cold Hydraulics -> Mooney’s Ice-Cold Hydraulics
  • Light overlay to fit the area
• Sci-Fi Drive In -> Gonzo’s Sci-Fi Drive In
  • More or less the same but shows clips from sci-fi Muppet sketches, Gonzo's stunts, and Muppets from Space

Demolish

• Stage 1 Company Store
  • Save Kermit statues and clock and all inside props, relocate to Stage 2 Company Store

New Builds

• The Great Muppet Movie Ride
  • Built in the back, taking up some area of the employee parking
  • Inspired by the original concept. Dark ride through the Muppets making movies, but it’s all horribly wrong.
  • The movies are: Peter Pan, Indiana Jones, Star Wars/Pigs in Space, Mary Poppins, Flubber, The Santa Clause, a Western (homage to GMR), and The Muppets Movie
• Kermit’s Balloon Ride [Better name needed]
  • Hot air balloon flat ride located where the Stage 1 Company Store is. Themed to the various hot air balloons from Muppets history. The center is the original MuppetVision balloon (a recreation since they demolished the original into pieces and sold the pieces), with animated figures of Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo inside the basket. For extra thrills, perhaps the ride raises up higher than normal balloon rides, allowing it to be seen from further away.

Other Additions

• Restore the Kermit and Piggy mural
• Restore the original MuppetVision marquee
• Add a hot air balloon that won’t be see from Galaxy’s Edge
• Restore the Piggy fountain to its original version with all the other Muppets in it
• Restore many of the visual gags around the area
• Bring Muppets Mobile Lab here
• Have a meet and greet area either with puppets or with costumes

 

[Lord Fozzinator]

Excuse me, I heard muppets??

 

[WaltWiz1901]

When I see something I'm really invested in, you know I'm gonna be cookin'...

---

Anything bolded indicates a new attraction or venue. The land is expanded into part of the parking lot to make room for both a definitive headliner and accompanying smaller attractions
Attractions

• The Great Muppet Movie Ride (D+/E-ticket dark ride)
• Muppet★Vision 3-D
• The Great Gonzo’s Stunt Bikes (B-ticket flat ride; located in front of the GMMR)
• Muppet Labs (interactive post-ride play zone)

Dining

• The Swedish Chef’s Kooky Kitchen (replaces Mama Melrose’s; pretty much what @Charlie The Chatbox Ghost described above)
• PizzeRizzo

Shopping

• Muppet Stuff (retheme, or rather restoration, of the Stage 1 Company Store)

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

When I see something I'm really invested in, you know I'm gonna be cookin'...

---

Anything bolded indicates a new attraction or venue. The land is expanded into part of the parking lot to make room for both a definitive headliner and accompanying smaller attractions
Attractions

• The Great Muppet Movie Ride (D+/E-ticket dark ride)
• Muppet★Vision 3-D
• The Great Gonzo’s Stunt Bikes (B-ticket flat ride; located in front of the GMMR)
• Muppet Labs (interactive post-ride play zone)

Dining

• The Swedish Chef’s Kooky Kitchen (replaces Mama Melrose’s; pretty much what @Charlie The Chatbox Ghost described above)
• PizzeRizzo

Shopping

• Muppet Stuff (retheme, or rather restoration, of the Stage 1 Company Store)

I love the idea of the stunt bike ride! Reminds me of those old fairgrounds rides!

 

[cdunlap]

I’ll try to come up with a concept for this!

 

[Streetway]

I want to do a dark ride, but I don’t know how to realistically do one without demoing one or both of these buildings. If not, It’d kinda be a dead end and get blocked off. I have ideas, just not sure how to execute them

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I want to do a dark ride, but I don’t know how to realistically do one without demoing one or both of these buildings. If not, It’d kinda be a dead end and get blocked off. I have ideas, just not sure how to execute them

You'd probably have to take up some of the parking lot. It's hard to know exactly where it could go because Google Earth/Maps is outdated.

In this mockup, I've built a show building in the blue space and rerouted the service road around it (alternatively, you could have the road go down underneath the show building or build a tunnel through the show building for it, building the ride essentially on a second story). I would also demolish the old closed gift shop and move the Muppets merch to the Christmas shop.

I have no clue what exactly is in the dirt area behind Muppets, I assume some sort of materials yard/construction vehicle parking for Galaxy's Edge, which is still in construction in the Google Earth view. Whatever's there now, I'm sure it could move, since I'm pretty sure there's no attraction or shop in that space.

 

[Bryan Jay]

Here’s my take on what I’d change in an updated Muppet Courtyard:

Muppet Vision 3D:
-Restore Miss Piggy Fountain to former glory (IDK if that’s possible but whatever.)
-Change sign back to the original.
-Possibly introduce photo op outside with smaller recreation of the Kermit Hot Air Balloon.
-This goes for the whole land, but bring back Muppet-themed area loop. The original is one of my favorites from any park, and I’d love to see modern Muppet songs in that style.

Restaurants and Shops:
-Reopen Stage 1 Store
-Close all other shops and demolish Mama Melrose's building.
-Update and Expand PizzeRizzo’s to include more muppet theming. Can implement ideas from the scrapped restaurant concepts, such as rat animatronics or video screens displaying a cooking lesson from the Swedish Chef.

The Great Muppet Movie Ride:
-Based off the original dark ride concept with some changes to reference the original Great Movie Ride.
-Uses a suspended omnimover system like the one in Horizons.
-You enter though a Muppet Theater facade, going through a queue themed to a muppet museum. You walk past props from the Muppet’s past films, and enter a theatre playing muppet parody film trailers.
-You board your vehicle themed to theatre boxes, and are taken on a tour of the studios hosted by Gonzo. In order, the movies featured are Peter Pan, parodies of famous scenes from Silent Films, a Miss Piggy version of that Marilyn Monroe thing with the flying dress (don’t know which movie that is), Gangster and Western streets, Frankenstein, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Pigs in Space, Indiana Jones, Casablanca, and Muppets Treasure Island.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Here’s my take on what I’d change in an updated Muppet Courtyard:

Muppet Vision 3D:
-Restore Miss Piggy Fountain to former glory (IDK if that’s possible but whatever.)
-Change sign back to the original.
-Possibly introduce photo op outside with smaller recreation of the Kermit Hot Air Balloon.
-This goes for the whole land, but bring back Muppet-themed area loop. The original is one of my favorites from any park, and I’d love to see modern Muppet songs in that style.

Restaurants and Shops:
-Reopen Stage 1 Store
-Close all other shops and demolish Mama Melrose's building.
-Update and Expand PizzeRizzo’s to include more muppet theming. Can implement ideas from the scrapped restaurant concepts, such as rat animatronics or video screens displaying a cooking lesson from the Swedish Chef.

The Great Muppet Movie Ride:
-Based off the original dark ride concept with some changes to reference the original Great Movie Ride.
-Uses a suspended omnimover system like the one in Horizons.
-You enter though a Muppet Theater facade, going through a queue themed to a muppet museum. You walk past props from the Muppet’s past films, and enter a theatre playing muppet parody film trailers.
-You board your vehicle themed to theatre boxes, and are taken on a tour of the studios hosted by Gonzo. In order, the movies featured are Peter Pan, parodies of famous scenes from Silent Films, a Miss Piggy version of that Marilyn Monroe thing with the flying dress (don’t know which movie that is), Gangster and Western streets, Frankenstein, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Pigs in Space, Indiana Jones, Casablanca, and Muppets Treasure Island.
View attachment 810928View attachment 810929

I love your idea for the GMMR!

 

[etc98]

You'd probably have to take up some of the parking lot. It's hard to know exactly where it could go because Google Earth/Maps is outdated.

In this mockup, I've built a show building in the blue space and rerouted the service road around it (alternatively, you could have the road go down underneath the show building or build a tunnel through the show building for it, building the ride essentially on a second story). I would also demolish the old closed gift shop and move the Muppets merch to the Christmas shop.
View attachment 810915

I have no clue what exactly is in the dirt area behind Muppets, I assume some sort of materials yard/construction vehicle parking for Galaxy's Edge, which is still in construction in the Google Earth view. Whatever's there now, I'm sure it could move, since I'm pretty sure there's no attraction or shop in that space.

If you use the desktop Google Earth app, there is updated imagery. Google Earth online only shows the latest 3d imagery they have, which is from 2018 for Hollywood Studios. But in the desktop app you can open a timeline view and see all imagery. The latest image they have there is from February 2024. It's all just parking lot now

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

If you use the desktop Google Earth app, there is updated imagery. Google Earth online only shows the latest 3d imagery they have, which is from 2018 for Hollywood Studios. But in the desktop app you can open a timeline view and see all imagery. The latest image they have there is from February 2024. It's all just parking lot now

View attachment 810964

Oh nice, definitely replaceable then! It looks like that lot is so big it surely would never be filled as it is

 

[Brer Panther]

All right, let's see what I can do...

- The old MuppetVision sign comes back, and the figures of Fozzie, Gonzo, and Animal are added back to the fountain (assuming they still exist).

- I like the idea of bringing back the hot air balloon as a photo op.

- PizzeRizzo is replaced by The Great Gonzo's Daredevil Academy, my pitch for a madcap Muppet dark ride found here.

- A flat ride would be a great addition to the land - perhaps a double-decker carousel with Muppet chickens, penguins, monsters, and other animals? An animatronic Rowlf could be seated by the carousel with his piano.

- Rename Stage One Company Store (the name always felt a bit generic to me) to Walter's Muppet Memorabilia.

- If we're replacing all of Grand Park or whatever this section is called, Mama Melrose's becomes a Swedish Chef-run restaurant taking inspiration from the scrapped Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor idea. Dunno what the name could be... Chez Muppet, perhaps? It's a Wonderful Shop is still Christmas-themed, but inspired by The Muppet Christmas Carol and called It Feels Like Christmas.

- Ice Cold Hydraulics becomes Muppet Labs Taste Test Station, with all of the same snacks and slushies (each now given a Muppet-y name).

- Baseline Tap House becomes Rowlf's Tavern, as @Charlie The Chatbox Ghost suggested.

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

All right, let's see what I can do...

- The old MuppetVision sign comes back, and the figures of Fozzie, Gonzo, and Animal are added back to the fountain (assuming they still exist).

- I like the idea of bringing back the hot air balloon as a photo op.

- PizzeRizzo is replaced by The Great Gonzo's Daredevil Academy, my pitch for a madcap Muppet dark ride found here.

- A flat ride would be a great addition to the land - perhaps a double-decker carousel with Muppet chickens, penguins, monsters, and other animals? An animatronic Rowlf could be seated by the carousel with his piano.

- Rename Stage One Company Store (the name always felt a bit generic to me) to Walter's Muppet Memorabilia.

- If we're replacing all of Grand Park or whatever this section is called, Mama Melrose's becomes a Swedish Chef-run restaurant taking inspiration from the scrapped Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor idea. Dunno what the name could be... Chez Muppet, perhaps? It's a Wonderful Shop is still Christmas-themed, but inspired by The Muppet Christmas Carol and called It Feels Like Christmas.

- Ice Cold Hydraulics becomes Muppet Labs Taste Test Station, with all of the same snacks and slushies (each now given a Muppet-y name).

- Baseline Tap House becomes Rowlf's Tavern, as @Charlie The Chatbox Ghost suggested.

You might have a mutiny on your hands if you replaced Baseline. Lol

So perplexing the decisions they've made on this space when all it would take is just a little more. Pizzarizzo really could've been so much better with a few touches here and there.

100% agree with those that suggested a flat ride. That and actually using the shops properly and a redo of Mama Melrose would be plenty for me. Maybe some inspiration from the Zootopia land using Muppet characters to add some energy to the area.

 

[kathdis2300]

you know there should be an attraction involving puppetry