Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has new tenants. The Muppets, led by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, are now featured in the high speed roller coaster, taking over for Aerosmith. This reimagined ride is now open at Hollywood Studios. In this post, we’ll review Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.

I keep my reviews on this site honest. Sarcasm slips in often but I try to strip back any fandom I have and offer honest, thoughtful reviews that lean slightly optimistic. Readers deserve that for putting up with my bad jokes. I say all of this to start because my love of The Muppets knows no bounds. If Kermit and the gang are around I’m probably laughing with them, tearing up at a timely speech or wanting to congratulate Fozzie on his fart shoes creation. I promise that this review will be more than “I love The Muppets and don’t have a connection to Aerosmith so this version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is better” but, well, that is how I feel.

The announcement that The Muppets would move across Hollywood Studios, relocating from MuppetVision to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, came in early 2025. After the shock, disappointment and dust settled, the excitement for the coaster change grew, at least for me. Walt Disney World has been marketing The Muppets takeover pretty hard in the last month, being the biggest addition coming to WDW this summer. It’s been clear for years that Imagineering has some Muppets fans and with each passing easter egg shared, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

While the hype kept growing, the biggest concern for me about the project was the quick turnover time. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith closed less than 3 months before this reimagining officially opened. Sure, some of the work had already began in the queue before that but that’s an extremely quick turnaround. How much could they actually change in that timeframe?

Turns out that they can change a lot! Be warned, spoilers ahead. Those changes begin in the courtyard where guests are greeted by the same guitar that was there before, instead now it’s been psychedelified, as Dr. Teeth might say. The new colors look great, especially paired with the poster to the left of the building. While walking into the courtyard, guests still pass under a convertible that’s now complete with a Muppets license plate.

This facade and decor leads to the outdoor queue, which features some great Muppets posters and not a lot else. The outside portion is still hot and not all that pleasant to wait in. It is redeemed partially by different announcements made by Muppets over the PA, usually giving a safety spiel on the coaster. We’ve heard Joe the Legal Weasel (reappearing after his star performance in the new World of Color preshow) and Rowlf the Dog make the most announcements so far. That makes the outside portion of the queue more tolerable but grab some water beforehand, it’s not the most enjoyable wait.

That all changes once you’re inside. My Muppets fandom definitely comes in here but this is among my favorite queues I’ve ever been in. The space starts off with social media-like videos featuring a bunch of different Muppets along with celebrity cameos. Apparently, there’s about 30 minutes worth of these videos. Even the most devout fans will probably never see it all, since you’re not in that room very long, What we’ve been able to watch has been an absolute hoot, showcasing The Muppets in very short sketches or interviews akin to some of their most recent shortform work.

As you move along in the wonderfully air-conditioned building, the first props appear. Animal’s drum set, The Bust of Beethoven (seen in The Muppet Show), Lips’ saxophone and other Muppets relics are behind a glass wall at G-Force Records, where the band is laying down some tracks before their show.

What follows is treasure trove of easter eggs and details that is nearly impossible to catch all of. I love the effort here, as it makes Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster re-rideable. The line can move quickly once inside so the probability of missing something is very high. Pictures line the walls, generally having something to do with music. We even get a portrait of J.P. Grosse, Scooter’s uncle in charge of G-Force Records, to tie the whole thing together. That helps the attraction story but is the least interesting of the pictures to me, as they reference classic Muppet Show sketches and movies.

Before long, guests are moved into the preshow. The setup is the same as the Aerosmith version, where we meet the band in the studio. We also meet Scooter (in animatronic form) and a couple of penguins who are at the 1’s and 2’s in as recording engineers. It’s hilarious! Up on the screen, Electric Mayhem is playing their classic hit ‘Can You Picture That?’ as everyone enters the studio.

Classic Muppets hijinks ensue. Scooter tells the band they need to get going, the band is too busy rocking to listen. Kermit comes on the screen asking where everyone is, the band said they didn’t know they were late and then blame Scooter. A rotating cast of characters fill in on the other screen, mostly acting as an opening act for the band before getting booed off the stage.

Shortly after, a car comes crashing through the (screen) studio. No, it’s not the courtesy car from Happiness Hotel but it does come straight from Muppet Labs. Dr. Bunsen has created a L.I.M.O. (Lengthy Immediate Motion Object, of course) to get the band, and all of their fans who have backstage passes, to the show. Naturally, Beaker has paid the price for testing out the L.I.M.O. Everyone agrees that this is the best solution and off we go to the loading room. Stick around for a minute to see Sweetums come on screen, this time sweeping up instead of putting out fires. He’s truly a man creature of the people.

The pre-show is a true highlight of the whole experience. It feels crisp but smooth, transitioning between jokes and plot points seamlessly. Having a rotating cast of characters on the second screen is a great choice and adds to the re-rideability, again. The Scooter animatronic is outstanding, with unbelievable movement and attention to detail. I fully admit that I’m the target audience but all of the jokes hit for me in the queue and pre-show.

As you move out of the studio to the loading area (known as ‘The Alley), there are plenty of other sight gags, props and references to other Muppet entities. MuppetVision gets a lot of representation in this queue and I’m happy to see that. I’m glad the props are still in use and could easily be reinstated if they ever decide to bring the fantastic show back. I’m going to stay away from just listing all of the great jokes and visuals in this area but the Parks Blog did put out a guide to some of the easter eggs found.

It’s truly amazing how much is put in here. While you nitpick about how much of it actually belongs in the ride’s story, that misses the point when it comes to The Muppets. That IP constantly breaks the 4th wall and is self-referential to no end. A few extra props thrown in is The Muppets way. They’re all just fighting to have a glorious 3 hour finale.

The one thing that went through minimal changes in this reimagination is the on-ride experience. Before I get any fanboy accusations thrown my way, of course the on-ride experience is the main part of any attraction. If you’re going into Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets looking for a new coaster then you’ll be disappointed. The track is the same, ride vehicles haven’t changed outside of a paint job, some of the signage you zoom past is the same, the 0 to 57 mph launch is still there but is now counted down by Animal.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster still has riders zipping through LA, trying to get a band to the show. That band is now The Electric Mayhem instead of Aerosmith. After takeoff, the next 10 or 15 seconds is extremely dark. This is the worst part of the whole attraction. Yeah, the corkscrew is fun for the ride but there is nothing to look at. Maybe the key to beating LA traffic is total darkness? It’s a disappointing way to start the ride visually.

After those first 15 seconds, the ride does look a little better. It’s still quite dark, with a few bright street signs lighting the way. Some of those classic LA signs are left over from the Aerosmith version of the ride but there’s been a few Muppets ones thrown in. The Sweetums sign made me happy! So did this Beaker sign below. They don’t save the ride from being weak visually but it does get more and more enjoyable with each ride.

As you take off, one of these 5 songs are being played:

• Song 2 – The Electric Mayhem
• Born To Be Wild – The Electric Mayhem ft. Camilla the Chicken
• Love Rollercoaster – The Electric Mayhem ft. Jennifer Hudson & Questlove
• Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) – The Electric Mayhem ft. Def Leppard
• Walking on Sunshine – The Electric Mayhem ft. Kelly Clarkson

I’ll have a post ranking the songs later this week but adding a rotating music element to the ride is a fantastic choice! While the on-ride visuals may be a little dull, the soundtrack is not. I’m sure some people dislike a few of the songs but I genuinely enjoy all of them. They don’t fit quite as well with the attraction as Cosmic Rewind’s music pairings but they’re an improvement on the previous iteration of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and another fun piece of the ride.

As the ride slows, Statler & Waldorf’s voices come over the speakers mocking the ride, and pretty much everything else. Those voices are attached to two animatronics that were moved over from MuppetVision. This is a fantastic idea and I’m so happy to see those guys! Unfortunately, the execution and space limitations make it very hard to view our favorite old curmudgeons. In fact, you’ll only see them quickly in passing unless you’re in the very front row, left seat. You can view them there while waiting to unload but all other seats are blocked off. Odds are not in your favor!

I don’t think there’s a way to remedy that situation, unfortunately. It’s one of the only times where you can really tell that The Muppets have been retrofitted into this new space. Still, I’d rather have Statler & Waldorf be there than not.

If you couldn’t tell by now, my impressions of this reimagination are overwhelmingly positive. Frankly, I can’t believe they pulled this off and did so in such a quick turnaround. There is more detail and enjoyment put into this ride’s infrastructure than I thought was possible. Without a full blown coaster change, which was never in the cards, I don’t know what else they could have done to impress me more.

I’m also riding a high off of The Muppets. In the past few days, I’ve seen more shirts featuring Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, The Electric Mayhem and more than I ever have in my life. I smile with each one. Obviously, there won’t be as many once the ride is beyond the opening weeks but there’s always hope that this attraction, along with the excellent Muppet Show special earlier this year, can reinvigorate the franchise

Having that dream wouldn’t be possible without Imagineering successfully pulling this off. The constraints were many but the ride has been upgraded in every conceivable way. Along with being Walt Disney World’s most intense coaster, it should draw crowds now thanks to the personality, quotable script and easter egg filled queue. The way they got there was in uncanny fashion but The Muppets have found a long term home at Hollywood Studios. I guess that’s just their way. It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights.

Are you excited for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets? 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 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!