Muppets Coaster Coming to Hollywood Studios Replacing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

After years of rumors, Disney has finally announced that the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is closing in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and being replaced by a new Muppets-themed roller coaster.

To anyone that has been following the rumors of a replacement for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster this news likely does not come as a shock, nor does the fact that it will be The Muppets to replace the iconic Hollywood Studios roller coaster. What is kind of surprising is the timing of it all.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was closed for half of 2024, and much-needed improvements were made to the ride system and lighting. However, no changes were made to the theming at all.

I highly doubt that changing the attraction’s theme to The Muppets was a last-minute decision my Disney execs, so in my opinion it would have been much better to start working on the theme changes at the same time it was already down for the other maintenance update instead of it being down for two lengthy closures.

Getting back to Disney choosing a Muppets theme, it makes a lot of sense and it’s something we had as a possibility for some time now.

Ever since the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster opened in 1998, guests have been jamming out to the tunes of Aerosmith as they looped and twisted their way to the concert. However, rumors have persisted and that is now coming to fruition.

The most recent rumors of a Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster re-theme comes from Muppets Mayhem creator Jeff Yorkes who took to Twitter (now X) in June 2023. There he answered questions regarding the rumors of a Muppets Mayhem theme coming to the attraction saying:

“Not gonna lie — this was absolutely part of our original pitch and is another piece of this dream. Fingers-crossed that it happens.”

Up until now, Disney has always denied rumors about removing the Aerosmith theme and using another Disney-owned IP. Past allegations against frontman Steven Tyler and the fact that they are not exactly the most popular group with young people today all probably played a factor in the decision.

This news coincides with the other big news for Hollywood Studios that the Monsters Inc. Doors Coaster that was announced at the latest D23 Expo will indeed be taking over the Muppets Courtyard, and Disney has also confirmed that MuppetVision 3D will be closing to make way for the new Monstropolis land.

We don’t really have too many details about the Muppets coaster at this time like what the storyline will be for the ride and exactly which characters will be included. The only thing Disney has said is that “The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!”

The question most people are now wondering is: “When will the new Muppets coaster open.?”

At this time we don’t have an opening date for the Muppets coaster, and we don’t even have a closing date yet for the current Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride either. Disney has said that fans will still have some time left to enjoy the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster so it’s not going to close tomorrow.

Ideally, they would wait to close the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and start working on the new project until the Monsters Inc. coaster is done. That way guests would be able to ride one of the coasters the entire time. That doesn’t seem very likely however.

We don’t expect the Monsters Inc. land to open until around 2028, and I highly doubt Disney would make an announcement about the Muppets coaster this early if they weren’t planning on starting work on it for another 3 years. What is more likely is that they will first finish the Muppets coaster, then start working on Monstropolis.

If the Muppets coaster is only going to be a light overhaul and the ride system is staying (all signs point to yes there), Imagineers may be able to get it done in about 6 months time. The smart thing would be to close Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster after the holidays in Winter 2025, and it could theoretically reopen in Summer 2025.

That is all hypothetical since we don’t know how far along Imagineers are in the process for the ride design and theming. But if they have been sitting on this for some time and were just waiting for the green light from the Disney execs, that would be the best move imo.

That way Disney has another “new” ride to promote in 2025 (like they did in 2024 with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure), while guests are patiently waiting for the actual new rides like the Monsters Inc. coaster. That’s just my 2 cents, we’ll see what they decide and as soon as they tells us, we’ll let you know!

Overall, we are sad to see the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster go, it’s been one of our favorite rides since it opened and a staple of Hollywood Studios. However, we can’t say that we didn’t see a change like this coming, even though we are kind of surprised they really gave the ok on a Muppets Coaster.

30 years is a long time for an attraction, and there have been rumors of it changing themes now for well over 10 years. There were certain elements of the ride that needed overhauling, and it’s no surprise that the majority of guests under 30 years old don’t have any emotional connection with the group Aerosmith.

Granted, many of those guests don’t have any emotional connection with The Muppets either, but bringing them to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will keep this classic IP alive for decades to come and it will at least appease some of the older fans.

I guess it’s a positive that it’s not just being replaced by the Monsters Inc. coaster, and instead we are getting a totally different theme, plus the Monsters Inc. coaster on the other side of the park.

It comes down to what would you rather have, MuppetVision 3D and a Monsters Inc coaster that takes over the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, or a Monsters Inc. coaster AND a Muppets coaster. Long-time Disney-goers may choose the former, but the later will be a bigger hit with most fans (especially teens) and it will give Hollywood Studios another big E-Ticket attraction, in a park that is desperately needing more capacity.

Change is always hard, but we are hopeful that the Imagineers will be able to get these new projects right, and if they do, these moves should be an overall “Plus” for the park, especially if they find another place for MuppetVision 3D. It’s highly probably it will become one of the best attractions at Hollywood Studios, and one that guests will enjoy for generations.

That wraps up our look at the new Muppets roller coaster. We’ll be finding out more info in the coming months so stay tuned for more updates!

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Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the coming Muppets roller coaster…

• Are you happy to see the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster be replaced by a Muppets coaster?
• What are some things you would like to see in this attraction?

Let us know in the comments section below!