Ever since the D23 announcement that the long rumored Monsters, Inc. land and Door Coaster would be coming to Hollywood Studios, the questions changed to where it would go. Like many others, I feared that it would be replacing Muppet*Vision 3D. Unfortunately, today those fears came to be as Disney announced a Hollywood Studios shake up. The disappointing Muppet news came with a consolation prize, as Kermit and the gang will be replacing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. In this post, we’ll share the Hollywood Studios news before adding our own commentary at the end of this post. Here’s the release from Disney:

That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. 

To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival! 

We know so many of you share our love for The Muppets and know their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard!

In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls. 

As we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.

Update (6/7/2025): MuppetVision is now closed and we are sad about that. The day did come with a silver lining though, as Disney World has announced that the Muppets retheme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will be coming to Hollywood Studios in 2026. Specific dates have not been given but we know that the coaster will be refit next year.

What follows is my commentary from the original announcement.

Commentary

Let’s get the bad news out of the way. I had hoped, like many others, that the Monsters, Inc. land would be coming to Animation Courtyard instead of taking over the space inhabited by Muppet*Vision. There’s no beating around the bush, no ‘if’s’ or ‘buts’. That the company chose to go this route is puzzling and, frankly, frustrating.

Yes, Muppet*Vision 3D has warts. But between the history of the attraction and some fantastic Muppets humor, it’s an important piece of Walt Disney World. I won’t try to hide my bias here, I’ve been a Muppets fan longer than I’ve been a Disney theme parks fan. Wandering in Muppets just didn’t have the same ring! The attraction was one of the final things Jim Henson worked on before passing away and it’s also one of the best representations of that classic zaniness only the Muppets can convey. The show still works for me and is a necessary part of Hollywood Studios, adding easy capacity and a place for guests to relax while watching a quality show.

That Monsters, Inc. Land is replacing this instead of the nothingness in Animation Courtyard is where the frustration comes in. Perhaps this is surface level analysis but just looking at the roster of attractions, restaurants and shops that would need to be replaced shows just how little Animation Courtyard actually offers.

Going with that simple analysis, you might wonder why this decision was made. The answer is simply time. Turning around the area with Muppet*Vision will be much faster than redoing Animation Courtyard. The latter would need substantial infrastructure changes while the former is ready to build on today. Whether that’s short sighted is a matter of opinion. I’m hopeful and respect that Hollywood Studios likely has a 5 or 10 year plan where Animation Courtyard is used for a massive expansion. I don’t doubt that is currently in the plans. But at some point those plans need to be acted on, as the area has been useless for nearly a decade.

With that out of the way, I am excited for a Monsters, Inc. Land! The door coaster has always been one of the most intriguing rumored projects and having plenty of space for Monstropolis will make Hollywood Studios a better park. I obviously believe it would have been a bigger upgrade in taking over Animation Courtyard but it’s still an upgrade no matter how much I love the Muppets. And having the new land in 3 or 4 years instead of 5 or 6 is nice, albeit (again) shortsighted.

How I view this move in the future may come down to what happens with Muppet*Vision. Finding a theater for it somewhere, anywhere, would make me feel better. The Walt Disney Family Museum or an old Hollywood theater would make some sense! Adding it to Disney+, along with the preshow, would be a nice act by the company. If they find a special home (or two) for the iconic film then I’d feel much better.

The consolation prize of the Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also softens the blow. This is another oft-rumored project. I never thought it would see the light of day because I’m not sure that some of the higher ups in the company really like (or get) the Muppets but clearly some in Imagineering love the franchise. The excellent Muppet Mayhem on Disney+ will be a synergetic tie-in to the coaster. And the pre-show, along with wild ride, lends itself to the right kind of energy.

I’m eager to see what they do with this project, especially since it was past time to get rid of the Aerosmith connection. The cynical side of me is worried that this is just a temporary layover to soften the Muppet*Vision blow. But that’s not actually founded on anything, and is more just me worrying.

If I put on my optimism hat (it has a cool feather in it!) then I start dreaming about the Muppets turning that corner of the park into a full land. At the moment, a new villains show will be debuting at Sunset Showcase next year. Maybe after that’s run it’s course, the space could be converted for a new ride or… Muppet*Vision’s triumphant return! I’m getting ahead of myself but there are some options.

Ending this post with a broad look at Hollywood Studios, the park seems to keep a trend going. Adding more quality attractions, dining and shows is great. They are definitely doing this! But boy is it a smorgasbord with a lack of cohesion.

I don’t think that 90% of park goers care about this, most just want the coolest rides possible and I don’t think that’s wrong. Hollywood Studios is going to be even more fun for attraction-driven people in the coming years. But the Muppets, Twilight Zone and Disney villains inhabiting one corner of the park is whiplash. Going from Galaxy’s Edge to Monstropolis to Echo Lake is confusing, without any connective tissue. I hope that along the way Imagineering finds a way to piece this all together and make the park feel more unified. As has been the case for Hollywood Studios for the last decade, time will tell.

Are you excited for these changes coming to Hollywood Studios? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. This site offers discount tickets for those looking! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!