Meanwhile…
When Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1999, it was quite literally unlike anything Walt Disney World had seen before. Though Disney was in the midst of a thrill-focused era at the time (look no further than EPCOT’s transformation into a “discovery park” defined by Soarin’, Test Track, and Mission: SPACE), when it came to coasters, Disney had always tended more “mild” than “wild.”
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster changed that. This enclosed, LSM-launched thrill ride propelled riders from 0 to 57 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds, racing down a straightaway and then racing skyward into a massive “spaghetti bowl” of intertwined track. (See the hand-illustrated layout of the ride by our friends at Park Lore, below.)
Leaping, bounding, and swirling through the darkness to the tune of an on-ride Aerosmith score, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster did what no U.S. Disney Parks ride had done before: it turned riders upside down. In fact, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster includes three inversions along its 3,200 foot course.
Now listen – with all due respect to one of the most legendary rock bands of all time, the overt connection to Aerosmith was sort of an odd fit even before the New Millennium when the ride’s core audience – teen thrillseekers – would likely have bought into Nirvana, Green Day, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers more readily. And in the quarter century since, it’s just sort of one of those weird oddities that Disney has continued to pay licensing fees or extend contracts with Aerosmith when even a “jukebox” selection of rock songs (a la Universal’s Rip, Ride, Rockit) would seem to work fine.
Frankly, fans have spent nearly every one of the ride’s refurbishments suggesting that this closure will be the closure when the Aerosmith tie-in bites the dust… but it’s never happened. Fans spent decades dreaming up could-be replacements for the ride, or ways to re-fresh it with new, hot musical acts. (In the early days of California Adventure’s poor reception, “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring No Doubt” [who are natives of Anaheim] was allegedly on the table, and maybe would’ve been ported back to Florida, too.)
A Muppet Thrill Ride?
Most recently, fans couldn’t help but notice that promo pictures for the Disney+ series “Electric Mayhem” (focused on the Muppet band that features Animal as its drummer) looked a whole lot like the pre-show of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster where fans meet Aerosmith in the studio. Especially given that the rock band seemed like a hilariously perfect fit for the ride, fans daydreamed and Blue Skied their way into thinking it might be possible! But when (like most modern Muppet outings) Electric Mayhem was canceled after one season, that was the end of that.
Somehow, even into 2025 – fifty years after “Dream On” – Aerosmith is still a part of a major E-Ticket at Walt Disney World. But 2025 looks to be when it’ll end…
Almost unbelievably, it looks like fan discussion boards weren’t so far off after all. Wild as it seems, the Electric Mayhem (and indeed, the Muppets more broadly) may be packing their bags from Muppet*Vision, but they’ve got their sights set on new real estate just across the park. Perhaps as a “make-good” for the closure of Muppet*Vision, Disney has officially announced that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will officially bid adieu to Steven Tyler and say hello to Kermit and Piggy, embracing the ’70s pop culture of the Muppets once more.
Now, of course, there’s substantial controversy to the decision. Is it really a fair and equal swap to say, “Well sure, we’re closing Jim Henson’s last work – a beloved, all-ages, totally accessible, and joyfully chaotic family attraction… but we’re adding the Muppets to the most intense, nausea-inducing, turbulent ride at the resort, blocked by a 48″ height requirement – literally the tallest height requirement of any Disney ride!”?
In their defense, some online commentators insist that hey, this is exactly the demographic of the Muppets – nostalgic adults. (One could argue that Disney’s three-season Muppet Babies revival was meant to correct that, leaving a gap between Muppet Babies kids and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster; and it goes without saying that just because a Muppet fan is tall enough to ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster doesn’t mean they want to have to in order to see the characters they love.)
But when it’s all said and done, we’d probably all acknowledge that this is “better than nothing” at worst, and a fun, creative, and unique way to incorporate the Muppets while also refreshing an often-demoted E-Ticket at best.
… And then what?
Fans also can’t help but dream on, noticing that right next to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is the Sunset Showcase Theater – a very odd flex space that opened in 2015 even though Disney didn’t really seem to have any plans for what to do with it? The black box event space basically just hosted dance parties on-and-off until “Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy” gave the theater a semi-permanent purpose in 2019.
We learned at the 2024 D23 Expo that its next inhabitant will be a new show called “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” (above). It looks like the Villains show will equip the space with more permanent show infrastructure… and assuming that show is merely a holdover until Disney has a true Villains land ready for Magic Kingdom, that could mean that in the not-so-distant future, the building right next to the brand new Muppets Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will be looking for a show… Frankly, we think Disney ought to just fess up now and announce that the Villains show is a limited two year run, and that after that, Muppet*Vision will overtake the space. But for now, that’s just fan speculation.
We get it – this is confusing. So many people love the Muppets, and the closure of Muppet*Vision is a serious change to this park’s history and lineup. Likewise, while the Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is certainly curious and creative, it doesn’t singlehandedly solve the issue alone. So we have to ask: what do you think of the Muppets mayhem overtaking Disney’s Hollywood Studios? We can’t wait to read your thoughts in the comments below!
