If there’s one attraction Disney fans LOVE to armchair engineer, it’s the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. This attraction, which opened in 1999, hasn’t exactly aged well, with many suggesting that the Aerosmith theme makes the ride feel dated, as the band hasn’t produced any new hits in quite some time, and their older music isn’t as timeless as other bands from their era.
When the roller coaster closed earlier this year for refurbishment, rumors swirled once again that the theme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster would change. Walt Disney World even released a statement addressing these rumors, saying that the ride would “resume its super-stretch limo rides,” alluding to the attraction’s current theming.
Of course, even though fans were throwing ideas around about what could possibly replace Aerosmith, the ride reopened with the same Aerosmith theming it has had for over 20 years. However, some very interesting news broke several days ago that has fans thinking that, even though the ride’s original theming is intact as of now, plans could be in the works to actually get the ball rolling on a real re-theme in the near future.
Why a Muppets Mayhem re-theme would work for Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Earlier this month, Jeff Yorkes, co-creator of The Muppets Mayhem series on Disney+ posted a reply on Twitter to an article discussing rumors of a Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, saying “Not gonna lie–this was absolutely part of our original pitch and is another piece of this dream. Fingers crossed that it happens.” Yorkes quickly deleted the Tweet, but the impact had already been made. Fans all across social media rallied around this idea of a potential Muppets re-theme for this attraction and highlighted some very good reasons why Disney would be wise to invest in this idea.
First of all, the Muppets property is Disney-owned, meaning that they wouldn’t have to pay for licensing the way they do now with Aerosmith. Not only would swapping the IP save them money, but it could also be used to promote both the Mayhem series on Disney+, as well as future Muppets projects, of which there are sure to be many in the coming years. The Muppets is one of Disney’s most timeless IPs, entertaining families for over 60 years, and it seems unlikely to slow down any time soon, which means that this re-theme would be just as relevant today as it would be 20 years from now.
In addition to the obvious benefits Disney would have when it comes to swapping out the Aerosmith band for their own IP, there’s also the fact that band frontman Steven Tyler has been in hot water recently, with allegations of sexual misconduct coming out of the woodwork over the past few years. If Disney was just casually considering re-theming Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster before, it is likely that these claims have made them more seriously consider the possibility, as they likely don’t want one of their most popular rides associated with someone revealed to be a sexual predator. Getting the ball rolling now on a Muppets re-theme could help them avoid any such association and get the ride a new theme before any more issues arise.
The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has been re-themed before, both temporarily AND permanently
Though there is plenty of work that goes into re-theming an attraction, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is unique in that it has already been re-themed both temporarily and permanently in different locations.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has gotten a temporary Star Wars overlay twice that included Star Wars music on the ride, queue decorations, and no pre-show. Though this quickie overlay only happened twice during special occasions in 2015 and 2017, (and naturally fueled rumors of a Star Wars re-theme at the time) it shows that Disney certainly isn’t above swapping out the Aerosmith theme, should the occasion call for it.
However, over at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has already been completely re-themed to fit in with the park’s new Marvel Land. The Aerosmith version of the ride closed on September 1, 2019, and the attraction reopened as Avengers Assemble: Flight Force with a new theme featuring Captain Marvel and Iron Man on July 20, 2022. Though the reaction to this new attraction has been lukewarm in Paris, it shows that a re-theme of this attraction can be done moderately successfully, and Disney could potentially use the Marvel template to re-theme this ride using the Muppets IP in a similar way.
Could this be another rumor of the week that never materializes?
The idea of a Muppets takeover of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is certainly exciting to think about and seems very plausible when you consider the evidence. However, this isn’t the first big rumor about a Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster re-theme. Earlier this year when the ride first closed for refurbishment, a rumor about a Queen re-theme went wild on social media. And prior to that, many thought that the attraction would be rethemed to the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana when those musicians were in their Disney Channel era. Fictional band Powerline, from A Goofy Movie has even been floated several times as a potential replacement. Some even speculated that the Marvel version of this attraction that is now open at Disneyland Paris could potentially come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios if a deal with neighbor Universal Studios could be reached.
Of course, none of these ideas came to pass, and it is entirely possible that this one will fade away eventually as well. However, one thing that is certain is that there is quite an appetite for a re-theme of this attraction, as evidenced by the sheer number of rumors about it over the years. The popularity of the new Electric Mayhem show on Disney+ could finally give Disney the opening they need to finally bring this attraction into the 21st century with an IP that fans won’t simply grow tired of in a few years.
Do you think Muppets will replace Aerosmith? Do you think something else will eventually replace Aerosmith at this attraction in the future? Let us know your thoughts on the potential Electric Mayhem re-theme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster by voting in our poll or by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
