The Monsters Inc. Muppets saga continues at Walt Disney World.
At the recent D23 Brazil event, many anxious Muppet fans were waiting with baited breath to find out if we were finally going to get more information on the location for the Monsters Inc. roller coaster coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Unfortunately, Disney Parks and Experiences head Josh D’Amaro provided no new information on this project during his presentation at the event. Everything pertaining to the Monsters Inc. roller coaster was all a rehash of everything we’d already heard during the California event a few months back.
Concept art for Monsters Inc. Land via Disney Parks Blog
READ: Will Disney DESTROY The Last Bit Of Jim Henson’s Legacy With Monsters Inc. At Hollywood Studios?
At that time, D’Amaro announced the Monsters Inc. project to great fanfare. The attraction is Disney’s first inverted rollercoaster, and it’ll take guests hurtling through the Monsters Inc. headquarters door storage wing. This is a project that has been kicking around the Disney rumor mill for over 20 years, so many were very excited that it was finally coming to life.
FINALLY! THE MONSTERS INC ROLLER COASTER!!! #d23 pic.twitter.com/jtrgTLsyFp
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 11, 2024
However, soon after the announcement was made, Disney fans started to have a startling thought.
Where was this attraction going to go?
Upon closer inspection, the concept art shown off by D’Amaro seemed to showcase buildings that looked suspiciously like existing structures in Grand Avenue and the Muppet Courtyard. Specifically one building with a green rectangular roof that looked an awful lot like the Pizzerizzo restaurant.
A screenshot of Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios via DocumentDisney YouTube
That made fans start to wonder if there was a Monsters Inc. Muppets connection, and whether the new attraction would tear down the beloved Henson 3D show.
At that same California event, D’Amaro oversaw announcements for Cars and Villains lands coming to the Magic Kingdom. However, no announcement was made that day on a location either. It wasn’t until the following day that Disney announced it would be filling in the Rivers of America and destroying Tom Sawyer Island to make way for these new areas.
Concept art for Frontierland expansion via Disney Parks Blog
The fan backlash was swift and it became evident quickly why D’Amaro didn’t want to deliver the news himself in front of a live crowd. After that outcry, there was no word on the Monsters Inc. Muppets situation. Disney has been totally tight-lipped on the matter ever since.
Muppetvision 3D is one of the final projects Jim Henson worked on before his untimely passing in 1990 at the age of 53. It’s a piece of living Muppet history. As such, many longtime fans fear losing it forever to make way for a new rollercoaster.
A screenshot of Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios via DocumentDisney YouTUbe
However, there might be hope for the Muppets yet. In a September episode of the Tammy Tuckey Show, a former Disney animator named Laurie Ashbourne Sacks, who worked in Hollywood Studios for many years stated that Disney would be tearing down the animation courtyard and Star Wars Launch Bay for the attraction instead of Muppetvision.
“News just came down last week that they’re tearing down the entire structure,” she said. They’ve obviously moved animation out to make room for Star Wars in the park. But even the new building, they’re getting rid of [it].”
Concept art for Monsters Inc. Land via Disney Parks Blog
She stressed that this information wasn’t formally announced yet. Also Ashbourne Sacks hasn’t worked for the Disney company since the early 2000s, so this information is far from confirmed.
It’s unknown whether the Monsters Inc. Muppets mess will clear up anytime soon. Disney had an opportunity to confirm its plans with this major event in Brazil but chose not to. The fate of Jim Henson’s final Muppet legacy in the Disney Parks rests in the balance, and only time will tell whether Kermit and the gang can continue to be a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Do you think the Monsters Inc. rollercoaster will replace the Muppets or the animation courtyard? What does the future hold for Henson’s legacy in the Disney Parks? Sound off and let us know!
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