There is almost no greater joy than listening to Steven Tyler scream “three… too… ONE” and then zipping 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. That may soon be coming to an end.
According to sources close to That Park Place, although not yet corroborated, The Walt Disney Company may already be drawing up potential contracts for negotiations with a future (undisclosed) band to replace Aerosmith at Hollywood Studios’ Rockin’ Roller Coaster. While other sites are reporting than an extended refurbishment through much of 2023 would allow for ample time to replace the band, our source is claiming that Disney is accelerating its efforts to get a new crew. Allegedly, this is due to allegations made against singer Steven Tyler from a woman who claims she was treated unethically and illegally back in the 1970s by a then-adult Tyler and a then-minor young lady.
Well it has now come to light that due to allegations that have been made against Steven Tyler of Aerosmith in recent days that terms from the original contract which we assumed would run up until 2028 could be lifted early and Disney could exit this without penalty. We also assume that if the allegations are proven then Disney will not want Aerosmith represented in their parks.
One of the reasons we find such a rumor to be so likely (that is that Disney is already preparing to negotiate with new musical acts) is because of the allegations. Should this get ugly and should Steven Tyler find himself in a more evidenced accusation, one could see Disney even going so far as to striking the likeness of Tyler from their ride early. It’s unlikely they would want to have a ride open that prominently features someone credibly accused of very inappropriate acts. However, we also need to clarify that these allegations are made about something have allegedly happened in the 1970s — all persons should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Steven Tyler is no different.
In the past there have been discussions at WDI about potentially changing Rock’n Roller Coaster’s story completely. A full redo of the concept could prove to be quite fun. One Blue Sky concept had the attraction narrative shifted so that guests are the music star auditioning to be in a hot new band — then after the audition they’re rocketed to a concert in the super stretch limo where they’ll be the star. With good execution that could be a very cool experience. However, because Disney may be scrambling with the ulgy allegations against the attraction’s star, Disney likely does not have time to implement such a change. Instead, we could be looking at either a long-term replacement or a transition phase to get them closer to a longer refurbishment when such a thing could be constructed.
Whatever happens, this is a reminder to all companies that basing an attraction on a celebrity can be a dangerous game. Not only can a famous person die or get in trouble, but sudden and necessary downtime related to those dark events can leave companies in a real pickle.
One final note: at this time we do not believe Disney has yet entered into contractual negotiations with any new music groups… at least officially.
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