The Jim Henson Company has made an official statement in the wake of Disney announcing plans to destroy MuppetVision 3D, the final work of company founder and Muppet creator Jim Henson.
The studio founded by Henson, which continues to bring puppet creatures and creations to life today, gave a respectful and reflective look back on the work with an eye toward the future. The post was made on the company’s official Instagram account.
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“Jim Henson’s final project was MuppetVision 3D, now regarded as a true theme park classic.” the company now owned and controlled by Jim’s kids said in the post. “Innovation was always Jim Henson’s North Star, and his trailblazing career led him to a unique challenge: a truly immersive Muppet experience where audiences are part of the happy chaos of the iconic Muppet Show. Originally debuting in 1991, MuppetVision 3D combined 3D technology with real-world practical effects, alongside animatronic and live Muppet characters. The result was a one-of-a-kind Jim Henson experience, and an unforgettable capstone to Jim’s magnificent career. As we learn of the show’s upcoming closure in its current form at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we look forward to MuppetVision 3D’s next act.”
A screenshot of Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios via DocumentDisney YouTUbe
It should be noted that while the Jim Henson company still exists and still bring creations to life in the Henson Creature Shop, the studio hasn’t owned the rights to The Muppets since the early 90s. Disney purchased the IP from Henson shortly before his untimely death in 1990. His final project was MuppetVision 3D, a three-dimensional multi sensory live showcase within the iconic Muppet theater.
The Henson company still owns the rights to Fraggle Rock and still creates characters for Sesame Street despite selling the rights to Sesame Workshop in the early 2000s.
Disney will close MuppetVision 3D sometime in the near future to make way for a Monsters Inc. land that absolutely no one asked for, bulldozing the legacy of one of the last true visionaries the world of entertainment ever had. It will move the Muppets into a re-theme of Rockin’ Rollercoaster. However, this won’t feature the talents of Frank Oz, the late Richard Hunt, or Henson himself. Instead, we’ll get the modern Muppets, led by Matt Vogel as Kermit The Frog in a performance so bland and terrible that it has the potential to unite the world for the first time ever.
A screenshot of Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios via DocumentDisney YouTube
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Vogel replaced Jim Henson’s chosen successor Steve Whitmire, who was fired by Disney for sticking up for Jim Henson’s legacy. Since then, Vogel has given performances so heinous that Disney has kept Kermit out of the limelight entirely, focusing instead on characters like Scooter, Gonzo, and The Electric Mayhem.
This is, of course, the work of Disney’s smarmy smirking head of the Parks and Experiences division Josh D’Amaro, a man who would pave paradise to put up a parking lot with an artificial and expensively manufactured smile on his face.
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro via Disney Parks YouTube
Fan outcry to the death of this popular longstanding attraction was fast and furious. For Disney fans, MuppetVision 3D represents more than just Henson’s final work. It’s one of the final pieces of Disney MGM Studios, the park first created by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner during an era when Disney CEOs actually created new things instead of repurposing, purchasing, and destroying everything within reach.
Disney CEO Bob Iger alongside D’Amaro have been working hard to destroy everything associated with Eisner’s MGM studios over the last several years. This includes:
- Tearing out the Streets of America and the Osborn Christmas Lights for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, a themed Star Wars land that doesn’t feature anything from the original trilogy or prequels.
- Turning The Great Movie Ride into Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Injecting Star Wars sequel content into Star Tours
- Turning Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream into a character meet and greet location and preview center for upcoming films
- Ripping out the animation studio for the Star Wars Launch Bay, a museum and meet and greet location that has had a large percentage of its space closed since opening
- Closing Disney Jr. Live on Stage and Voyage of The Little Mermaid, leaving absolutely nothing of substance for anyone in the animation courtyard
- Closing It’s a Wonderful Shop Christmas store and turning it into a seasonal meet and greet location for Santa Claus
- Turning Villains in Vogue, a villains-themed store, into a generic toy store that sells the same merchandise guests can find anywhere else
- Shuttering the Muppet store which featured sets and props from original Jim Henson productions along with Muppet merchandise
- Taking the Kermit the Frog hot air balloon away from the Muppet theater
- Painting over a mural of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy on the side of the Muppet theater
- Pulling all Muppet background music out of the Muppet Courtyard in favor of the generic Grand Ave. soundtrack
- Closing and gutting the Writers Stop coffee shop and bakery in favor of the Baseline Tap House, which serves alcohol
- And much more
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
With MuppetVision decimated, the last vestiges of MGM studios remain the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (an attraction under constant threat of a re-theme reminiscent of its treatment in Disneyland), and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, a show that sits in a large footprint that many feel is on borrowed time.
What’s interesting to note in the Jim Henson Company official statement on MuppetVision 3D is the last part.
“As we learn of the show’s upcoming closure in its current form at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we look forward to MuppetVision 3D’s next act.”
A poster for the Muppet overlay of Rockin’ Rollercoaster – Disney Parks Blog
Disney had also mentioned in its official statement that it would be working to preserve the original film. Many took this to believe the company might reconstruct the attraction elsewhere in one of the many empty spaces across Disney’s four theme parks. However, the more likely scenario based on historical precedent is that the company will simply rework the footage into a Disney+ release for home viewing.
And, really, that’s not enough.
What do you think of this statement by the Jim Henson Company on the end of MuppetVision? Do you think Disney will actually preserve MuppetVision 3D somehow? Sound off and let us know!
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