Hi-O, Lyndsay here to tell you all the reasons you should love Muppet Vision 3D and why I am so sad it is leaving! I am always thankful for the Muppets so I thought this was a good Thanksgiving day post. First of all it fits perfectly into Hollywood Studios to me and I can’t picture this park without the Muppets. Not only is it a nice break from the Florida heat in a comfy albeit worn theatre chair but it it is also just a great show with a funny storyline and the comedy you know and love from the Muppets. The Muppets Courtyard where the theatre is located is perfectly themed and has so many fun things to find just walking around and exploring. You typically don’t have to wait for the show too long, and you wait in the building so again, air conditioning! The Muppets are timeless and great for all ages, while I am glad the Muppets will still be in the park, I am very sad that this iconic area will no longer be in the park. Let’s talk about some details on what makes this so special!
Muppets Courtyard
You never just get a random building with an attraction in it at Disney and this is no different. The Grand Arts Theatre is the home to Muppet Vision 3D and it is located at the entrance to Muppets Courtyard. A lot of people just walk right by this area soon their way into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and it’s a shame! When you come in there is the most wonderful Miss Piggy fountain right in the center. Miss Piggy is dressed like the Statue of Liberty and surrounded by little Muppet fish squirting water, it’s the perfect centerpiece! I would like to lobby for this fountain to just be relocated to the Rock’n’ Rollercoaster courtyard!!
To the left you will find Gonzo’s Royal Flush which are the big restrooms in this area. Of course poor Gonzo got the restrooms! Hahaha.
Behind the restrooms you find Pizza Rizzo, that’s right, Gonzo got the bathrooms and the rat got the pizza joint! Pizza Rizzo is not going to give you the best food but it is a neat atmosphere and theme and it has some of the best seating in all of Hollywood Studios! It’s really a hidden gem! There is a ton of upstairs seating where hardly anyone goes to as well as an outside shaded balcony with lots of seating and FANS! Plus you get a great view of the courtyard if you sit in the right place. Y’all there is even a party room with disco lights in this place. And little hidden secret here, at night you should most definitely watch the neon sign. It goes from saying “The City’s Top Rated Pizza” to saying “It’s Rat Pizza”!!!! Wherever shall we get our puffy pizzas and crappy Caesar salads??
If you continue down the alley from the courtyard you will find Mama Melrose Italian Restaurant and unfortunately closed stores. There used to be a Christmas store back here that is technically still there but not open. There is also a huge Muppets store that is also closed. It was such a cool store and I really hope they have some Muppets shopping over where they are moving to. I also move to relocate the giant kermit and keep the paint spill theming from this shop!
The Story
Every good Muppet movie has to have a great story right? Well this one is no exception! This one starts in the pre show area where you see all of the Muppets props and costumes labeled in bins. You may even see ads for upcoming feature Muppet films like PRAWN (Tron) staring Pepe the King Prawn! You see on the screens as the cast and crew start to go backstage and enter the theatre to prepare for the show and of course there is chaos and comedy here too! To me this is one of the most entertaining the pre-shows in all of Disney and really feels like the show has started.
The story for the show is that the Muppets have developed a new 3D technology and they are testing it out at Walt Disney World. Waldorf and Statler are there to heckle everyone, especially poor Fozzie Bear and when asked why they are there they say “We entered a contest” “Yea, we lost”! It wouldn’t be the Muppets without them and some heckling!
First issue is that they invited all the best scientists to come and work on this project……but none of them showed up so Professor Honeydew and Beaker are the ones leading the project, what could go wrong! And who doesn’t love Professor Honeydew and Beaker?!
Their machine spits out a little creature named Waldo, a 3D creation that likes being outside the machine! They try to suck him back in but he’s not having it and decides to run amuck instead! Meanwhile, Bean Bunny just wants to help and be part of the show but is told to go away after ruining Miss Piggy’s big musical number so he decides to run away.
Sweetums, Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo all start looking for Bean who has now made friends with 3D Waldo. I love this part in particular because an actual live Sweetums comes into the audience with a flashlight looking for Bean! I will also be petitioning for Sweetums to be in the sound booth for the pre-show of Rock’n’ Rollercoaster! Haha!
They find Bean Bunny and decide that he can help with the grand finale Sam Eagle has been working on……A Salute to All Nations but mostly America! He has created a glorious 3 hour finale that Kermit lets him know he has a minute and a half for!
As the finale begins and Sam tries to fit it all into a minute and a half while the band is playing, firearm salutes are happening and fireworks are being set off it, of course, all falls apart! Miss Piggy is left standing in here Lady Liberty undies, the penguin band fires a cannon at the Sweedish Chef who is running the projector and then he fires a bigger cannon back at them! The theatre is not looking so great and Kermit rides in on a fire truck to put it all out and get it back together for the next show! You get a good little glimpse of old school MGM Studios when Kermit rides in the blown out wall too.
The History
There are so many great jokes and effects in this show that have held up since its first performance in May of 1991 and it’s something the whole family can enjoy! This was Jim Hensons final project before he passed away in 1990, to me that makes it extra special as well. The show was very innovative for the time. Incorporating audio animatronics, live actors, 3D effects as well as 4D in theatre effects like bubbles, smoke, lighting effects and projections. The version located in Disney’s California Adventure closed in February of 2014 so Hollywood Studios is the only place to experience this show now. With Monsters Inc moving in, this show as it is now will no longer exist. But I am hopeful that maybe there will be a new iteration that comes to life with the move down Sunset Blvd.
This is the final performance of Jim Henson and veteran Muppet performer Richard Hunt in their character roles with the Muppets. Henson passed away in 1990 before the film was completed and Hunt passed away in 1992. Jim Henson voices the Sweedish Chef, Waldorf and Kermit the Frog and Hunt voices Scooter, Statler, Beaker and Sweetums. I think it’s worth noting that famous actor and director Frank Oz voices Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Sam Eagle in this show as well. So it’s really a star studded cast on and behind the screen! Cinematic history really!
The courtyard was updated in 2017 and now you can find posters advertising new movies and shows like the new Muppet Mayhem series on Disney+. I can’t help but think this series may have been popular enough to warrant the retime for Rock’n’ Rollercoaster!
Conclusion
I obviously love Muppet Vision 3D and really all things Muppets. They are funny and I feel like are still allowed to have that slight rough edge to their comedy that seems to be dying out in the world. The kind where we can still make fun of ourselves and each other without it being a thing and you just laugh at the situation falling apart in beautiful chaos! I am excited for this new move for the Muppets but oh so sad to see Muppet Vision 3D as it is now go away.
As always guys, I hope you enjoyed this weeks post and I so appreciate you being here! I hope you all had the best Thanksgiving and are reading this in a nice food coma! If you haven’t gone to enjoy Muppet Vision 3D in a while and the whole Muppet Courtyard lately, make a point to stop in the next time you visit HollyWood Studios and while you’re at it, if the back in 5 minutes sign is up at the Box Office, make sure you check under the mat they usually leave the key there. Have the most magical day!