As part of the recent Cool Kids Summer promotional push, Walt Disney World announced a number of opening dates for attractions and experiences. Most notable was the announcement that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will open on April 8th, and that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen in early May. One offering that didn’t receive an opening date, but that we expect will be opening sooner than expected, is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. Here’s the latest.
Disney World Teases Muppet Announcement Coming Soon
A few days ago, we were the first to report that Walt Disney Imagineering was targeting a quick turnaround for The Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Walt Disney World has officially announced a “Summer” opening timeframe for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, but our report said that we “believe that Imagineering is looking at the start of Summer for a reopening, not the end of Summer”.
Since then, others have reported on a Memorial Day opening timeframe. While that is consistent with what we had been hearing, we didn’t want to commit to reporting a specific timeframe. Instead, we had hoped that Disney would announce an opening timeframe during their Summer marketing push. They didn’t, but they did tease that “more rocking news” would be “coming soon”.
This revamped attraction will come speeding into Hollywood Studios this summer, fueled by the fun tunes of the Electric Mayhem and the high-speed hijinks of The Muppets. Stay tuned for more rocking news coming soon!
One line of thinking is that Disney only announced opening dates for attractions and experiences through late May, and that The Muppets version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster wasn’t included in the announcement because it won’t hit the Memorial Day timeframe.
Right now, I would say that the best-case scenario is that Disney wanted a special, standalone announcement for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, and that an early Summer opening timeframe is still on the table.
As a quick aside, it’s worth mentioning that Disney Marketing Summer is not the same as astronomical Summer (June 21) or even meteorological Summer (June 1). Instead, Disney Marketing Summer typically begins a little bit earlier in late May during Memorial Day Weekend. Therefore, when we’re talking about Summer or Spring opening dates, we’re typically talking in the marketing sense, not the astronomical sense.
Either way, we’re hopeful that the promise of “more rocking news coming soon” means that we’ll learn more next week. Imagineers have some work to do, and some of the work is certainly quite involved, but the Muppets retheme won’t be nearly as invasive as other rethemes like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Whenever it opens, here are some of the highlights of what guests can expect from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets:
- Electric Mayhem Takes Center Stage: The Electric Mayhem are headlining their biggest Hollywood concert ever! Anyone who’s anyone is in attendance to witness Animal, Dr. Teeth, and the rest of this groove-tastic group rock the house down. There’s just one little problem: the band is nowhere to be found!
- G-Force Record Backstory: Across town at G-Force Records, we’re treated to a VIP tour of the legendary rock and roll recording studio. Things might look a little different around this Hollywood institution, as the label has recently come under new management – The Muppets! The colorful crew has landed some new digs… with just a little help from Scooter’s uncle, real estate tycoon and owner of the Muppet Theatre, J.P. Grosse (he really puts the G in G-Force). Just wait until you see how they’ve made these hallowed halls their own, creating the perfect place to make sweet, sweet Muppet music together!
- New Audio-Animatronics: Side by side with a dedicated team of penguin audio engineers, Scooter, in his capacity as band manager, will be trying hard to convince the Electric Mayhem to stop laying down tracks so they won’t be late to their own concert. This will be the first time Scooter has ever been imagined as an Audio-Animatronics figure, and I hear he might not be the only Muppet Audio-Animatronics figure joining the attraction… but we’ll have to wait to learn more about that.Â
- New Look for Iconic Guitar: For fans of that big – really big – hilariously big guitar, you’ll be stoked to know that the newest residents of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster are putting their own spin on that ruby red paint job. A vibrant and psychedelic new design will grace the bottom of the guitar (inspired by a classic Muppet car paint job), and the piano motif at the base will feature a golden key as a nod to a certain far-out band leader.
- New Setlist: Throughout the journey, you’ll hear the Electric Mayhem playing some of the most iconic, rockin’ hits in your ears to keep the music and adrenaline pumping. I’m sure G Force Records will release a concert setlist soon.
- Muppet Labs: With the help from our friends at Muppet Labs and a very fast limousine, we’ll take a twisting, turning, and screamingly fun road trip across Hollywood to reach the concert in time.
- Muppets Tinseltown Twist: The iconic scenery and landmarks of Tinseltown will feature a Muppet twist.
For everything we know about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring The Muppets, check out our dedicated attraction page below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!