Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 5: Muppet Studios

When it comes to the various franchises showcased at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Muppets is one of the most grossly underutilized. Yes, the Muppets may be past the height of their popularity but as Disney’s “The Muppets” showed last year they still have a very loyal and dedicated following. Yet, the only Muppets presence found at Hollywood Studios is the aging Muppet Vision 3-D. However, Disney’s original plans for the Muppets were on a much grander scale.

In the early 1990s, the Walt Disney Company came very close to purchasing the Muppets, something they would not actually do for over another decade, and when it was looking like things were going to go ahead (Jim Henson personally thought that Disney would be good caretakers of his creations), Disney Imagineering set forth on designing a whole land for the Muppets.

Imagineers set apart a small area of the newly opened Disney-MGM Studios to create a mini-land which would be called Muppet Movieland. The area was meant to be opened by 1991 and signs were even put up showing the future location of the studio. In addition, a teaser show called Meet the Muppets had a short run at the park.

However, when Jim Henson died the Disney acquisition that would have enabled Disney to benefit from the project fell through. Without ownership of the Muppet characters, Disney was reluctant to expand the Muppet presence in the parks and the land was abandoned. The only attraction that did come to fruition was the Muppet Vision 3-D attraction that still exists today and was actually the last project that Jim Henson worked on before he passed away.

My plan calls for the creation of a Muppets-themed area similar to what was originally planned. It would include a brand new attraction, an update to the existing Muppet Vision 3-D, and new themes for both Pizza Planet and Mama Melrose’s Italian Restaurante. This is something this area of the park desperately needs. With exception of Muppet Vision 3-D, there is currently nothing in this corner of the park to draw Guests following the last Lights, Motors, Action show of the day.

Muppet Vision 3-D is a very funny show, but one that could definitely use some updating. I have always considered the preshow to be better than the actual show itself. I have never been a fan of Waldo, a character created especially for the movie, and I think too much of an emphasis is placed on Bean Bunny. Because this was the last project worked on by Jim Henson it does have certain sentimental value. I would not touch the preshow at all because it is classic Muppet comedy, whether it be the Three-D’s of Dorothy, Dina, and Max (Debbie was sick) or Gonzo tap dancing with a pot of flowers balanced on his head.

The actual storyline of the show itself would change to something similar to the recent movie “The Muppet.” The premise would be that the Muppets are looking to raise money to restore the theater and are performing a variety act that will showcase the talents of various Muppets. The show would be hosted by Kermit and would include the comedy of Fozzie Bear, the wild antics of the Great Gonzo, the whistling skills of Walter, a performance by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and, of course, it would end with Sam Eagle’s salute to all nations but mostly America. This new show would feature appearances by far more Muppets than the current version of the show and even include some celebrity cameos that are so common in other Muppet movies (with a definite appearance by Jason Segel and Amy Adams).

While an updated Muppet Vision would be a major improvement, the highlight of the new Muppet Studios would be the Great Muppet Movie Ride, something that was originally planned by Imagineers to go into Muppet Movieland in the early 1990s. This ride was to be somewhat of a spoof on the park’s Great Movie Ride. Just like The Great Movie Ride, Guests on the Muppet version would tour the history of movies, only this time it would star an entirely Muppet cast. Jim Henson described it as "a backstage ride explaining how movies were shot... and all the information is wrong."

With one scene Guests would enter an old, shadowy castle, with strange scientific machines, test tubes, and generators buzzing and flashing. Parodying the 1931 version of Frankenstein, we would come across mad scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew in the title role ready to pull the switch on a twelve foot high Beaker. Gonzo, in the role of the director, would shout instructions through a megaphone while a team of rats would man the equipment. Two rats in particular would, through a hamster wheel, power a generator providing power to the machinery via a cable. Fozzie, holding the two ends of the cable in each hand, would light up each time the machinery sparked.

Another scene would parody the Disney version of Peter Pan with Kermit as Peter. Skeeter, Fozzie and Janice would have roles as the Darling children flying over a cardboard cut-out London, each in a very visible harness dangling by rope from a rig above. The ever graceful Miss Piggy, squeezed into a green leotard, would be playing Tinkerbell, but something has gone wrong. Piggy’s harness is swinging all over the place, causing a Miss Piggy shaped hole in the backdrop, and a team of rodents and Animal desperately try to get her under control.

At another point in the ride, Guests would enter the set of a motion picture version of Pigs in Space with a recreation of the bridge of the USS Swinetrek currently locked in battle with a bunch of space pirates. In this case, it would be a crew of space pi-rats, lead by Captain Rizzo, with peglegs, eyepatches, and laser guns swinging in from a spacefaring Spanish galleon.

On top of this, Statler and Waldorf would be seen from time to time throughout the ride in a movie lot golf cart, commenting and heckling in their usual way, before riding off again into the darkness.

The ride itself would be located in the area currently occupied by the Premier Theater. This theater used to be the home of the Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, but has since been used primarily for special events.

Another major component of the new Muppet Studios would be its restaurants. First, the existing Pizza Planet would be converted into Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. In this counter service restaurant the walls would be littered with photographs and props of the Great Gonzo performing some of his wildest stunts. There would also be animatronic figures of Camilla and other chickens who would entertain the Guests as they enjoy their meals:



The other restaurant in this area would be in the location of the current Mama Melrose’s Italian Restaurante only now the new proprietor would be the Swedish Chef. The interior of the restaurant would be completely redesigned to look similar to the preshow area of Muppet Vision 3-D, featuring props from various Muppet movies.

There would also be television monitors positioned throughout the restaurant giving Guests a glimpse into the kitchen where they could see the Swedish Chef preparing their meals, although things are not necessarily going as planned:



The area would also include various entertainment offerings. Back in 2007 Disney tested the Muppet Mobile Lab featuring Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker at Epcot. These were animatronic figures that drove around Future World and interacted with Guests. This would be the perfect addition to Muppet Studios.



In addition, I would re-theme the popular Mulch, Sweat, and Shears group to include Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, with animatronic figures that would perform alongside the live entertainers.

All of these things, with new and updated attractions, restaurants, and entertainment, would be a much better utilization of the popular Muppets franchise than what Hollywood Studios currently has. Muppet Studios would be a highly themed and immersive land that would offer something for the entire family and help draw Guests to what is currently a very quiet area of the park.

Stay tuned for my next blog entry where I will finish my re-imagining of Hollywood Studios with a greatly expanded Pixar Place.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 4: Lucasland

Disney’s Hollywood Studios highlights many iconic movies, but arguably two of the most popular are grossly underutilized within the park. Indiana Jones and Star Wars are two of the biggest movie properties of all time and feature hugely passionate and loyal fan bases. Universal has seen tremendous gains since it opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including a 29% jump in attendance at Island of Adventure in 2011. Star Wars and Indiana Jones have the same type of following as Harry Potter (if not more so) and an increased emphasis on these properties could really help put Hollywood Studios on the map.

As it stands right now, a stunt show and a flight simulator are not the type of attractions that are going to make Guests specifically want to come to the park. However, if you were to design a whole new land to immerse Guests into these stories then you would have a real recipe for success. My goal for this area of the park is to create the same type of immersive atmosphere found in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure or the new Carsland at Disney California Adventure, areas that bring these movies to life and put you right in the middle of the action.

As popular as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is, the theater take up an incredible amount of space (enough to fit two good-sized rides). Hollywood Studios is already show-heavy, so I would therefore remove the stunt show. The first attraction I would place in this area would be along similar lines to the incredibly popular Indiana Jones Adventure found in both Disneyland in California and Tokyo Disney Sea. Disney World already has Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom which uses the same ride system, so my vision for this new Indiana Jones ride is somewhat different. The ride would still utilize the Enhanced Motion Vehicle found in the other Indiana Jones Adventures and Dinosaur.

Up until this point, however, the vehicles have always been trucks/jeeps. With this new attraction I would take all the aspects of the Enhanced Motion Vehicle and put it with a boat. The Indiana Jones River Adventure would be a state-of-the-art experience for guests the likes of which have never been seen before.

The storyline of the attraction would be similar to that of Disneyland where Indiana Jones has reunited missing fragments of a map scroll of parchment documenting the precise location of an ancient temple. The Temple of the Forbidden Eye, containing countless intriguing artifacts, is undergoing excavation for archeological research. To raise money so the excavation can continue, Sallah has begun conducting guided tours. Good fortune has come to many of the tourists who survive, but others have not returned. Promising to find the missing tourists, Jones ventured inside the temple approximately one week ago, and has not yet reappeared. Marcus Brody has asked Sallah to continue conducting the tours, in the hope they may locate Dr. Jones. With this new version of the ride, the only way for tourists to reach the temple is by river and even the temple itself is still partially submerged in the water.

Guests would enter a queue themed to be an archaeological museum displaying a variety of exotic artifacts. After winding among the museum’s treasures, Guests would view a grainy black-and-white video documenting the discovery of a partially submerged temple deep in the jungle and its mysterious origins and curious symbols and writings found inside. Next, guests exit the museum and into another building that appears to be a rundown travel agency which is offering river tours to the temple. From here guests board their boats and begin their journey.

The first portion of the ride is all outside and begins peacefully with the boats travelling through the beautiful jungle environment encountering various wildlife (almost like the Jungle Cruise). The boat then begins to have engine trouble and, at a split in the river, is forced down the wrong side. We then encounter a series of wild rapids, with the boat getting tossed and spun around. After making it through the rapids we approach a massive temple and here the boat enters for the indoor portion of the ride. We pass through several rooms of the temple full of various treasures and eventually come upon Indiana Jones who warns us that we should not be here and to get out of the temple right away. Looking for a way out, the boat next enters a room with three passageways.

At this point, the ride would actually have three different variations. The first option, the passageway to the far left, leads to a room filled with animatronic Tigers who begin growling and swiping at the passing boat. The boat again has engine trouble and all the lights go out. Here the motion of the vehicle makes it feel as though a tiger actually has jumped onto the front of the boat. Gunshots are then fired, we hear a roar from the tiger, and the lights are restored as Indiana Jones enters to save the day. In the second option, the center passageway, the boat enters a room that has been booby-trapped and the spiked walls and ceiling begin closing around us. Again, Indiana Jones arrives in the nick of time to save the guests. With the third option, the passageway on the far right, the boat enters into a darkened cave. Here the boat strikes a rock and begins to feel as though it is sinking. We then see a couple of animatronic crocodiles swimming toward the boat. Like in the previous two versions, Indiana Jones again arrives to save the day. From here, the boat leaves the temple and Guests make their way back through the jungle to the load/unload boat dock.

The second attraction would be a mine train rollercoaster inspired by this scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:



This attraction would be more of a dark-ride/rollercoaster hybrid, combining various show scenes and animatronic figures with the high speed thrills of a coaster; picture something along the lines of The Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando or the new Grizzly Mountain coaster that just opened at Hong Kong Disneyland. Guests would ride past waterfalls and over rivers of lava, be chased and shot at from other mine cars, and have the illusion that their mine car is ever in danger of tipping off the tracks. All the while, the ride would be set to John Williams’s dramatic musical score from the movies.

The overall look of the land would be very similar to the Lost River Delta at Tokyo Disney Sea. Guests would navigate winding pathways through the dense jungle past various archaeological digs and ancient artifact.

Appealing to a younger demographic there would also be an interactive adventure akin to Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom and the Agent P World Showcase Adventure where Guests would be helping Indiana Jones looking for various artifact scattered around the land.

This area of the park would also be home to a new restaurant, a reimagined version of the Adventurers Club which closed at Pleasure Island. The restaurant would be the newest branch for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers and throughout the course of their meal Guests would be treated to comedic skits by some of the club’s resident adventurers (and maybe Indiana Jones might make an appearance every once in a while). The restaurant would be littered with curious and wacky artifacts that would help pay homage to the original Pleasure Island version and would also help link this location to both Tokyo Disney Sea (where club member Harrison Hightower III is the main character in their version of the Tower of Terror) as well as Hong Kong Disneyland (where club member Lord Henry Mystic is the main character in the park’s version of the Haunted Mansion known as Mystic Manor).

The transition from an Indiana Jones-themed area to a Star Wars-themed area might seem difficult, but the transition would be smoothed by having Guests leave from the lush jungle environment surrounding the Indiana Jones attractions and emerging into an area resembling the Forest Moon of Endor. I envision the Star Wars land as being divided into a series of smaller areas highlighting various planets from the films. Guests could explore the streets of Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine or the City Plaent of Coruscant. There would even be an area for kids to run, climb, and play amongst the Ewok village on the Forest Moon of Endor.

Star Tours would, of course, remain but with a whole new exterior giving it an apperance more along the lines of the spaceport featured in Star Wars Episode II.

The theater that was formerly the home of Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey would be converted into a permanent indoor home for the Jedi Training Academy. The exterior of the building would be redesigned to resemble a Jedi Temple and the show itself would be tweaked from its current format. Right now, the only real allure of the show is the opportunity to see Darth Vader on stage. Other than that, most of the people who watch the show are the families of the children participants. The show needs more to it to broaden its appeal. Having an indoor location would allow more lighting effects and various other effects like smoke and fog. The show would still feature the children learning from the Jedi Master and fighting Vader, but there would also be an epic light saber duel between the Jedi Master and Darth Maul as well as an interactive Yoda who would speak with the young Padawans (something akin to Turtle Talk with Crush). All this would help make the Jedi Training Academy more of a real show.

Next, I would remove the restrooms located across from the entrance to Star Tours and construct a meet-and-greet area where Guests would be able to take photos and get autographs from some of their favorite Star Wars characters. With this new Star Wars area every day would be like a Star Wars Weekend and there would be much more streetmosphere with Stormtroopers, Jawas, and other creatures walking around and interacting with Guests.

The Backlot Express would be converted into the Mos Eisley Cantina.



The restaurant would remain counter service, but would also include a bar serving strange intergalactic beverages, such as blue milk.

As Guests enjoy their meal they would encounter various alien creatures walking around the restaurant. The main attraction, however, would be performances by the Cantina Band. These Audio Animatronic figures would be akin to Sunny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café at the Magic Kingdom.

The major new attraction in this Star Wars area would be a brand new type of rollercoaster the likes of which has never been seen before and the result would be one of the most immersive and exciting Star Wars experiences ever created. I wish I could take credit for this attraction, but I actually found these blueprints circulating online. I was so amazed when seeing them that I needed to include this attraction in my plans for the park. In order to fit this attraction into the park, however, it would require some expansion into areas that are now backstage and a possible rerouting of the entrance to the parking lot from the main Auto Plaza.

The ride is described as a Warring Coaster, “a concept that takes an armed conflict from a film or a story and allows riders to live it. Through the use of multiple trains on multiple tracks, giant themed arenas, animatronics, interactive laser gun systems, and much, much more, the Battle of the Death Star from Star Wars roars to life! This is the ultimate in themed rides and roller coasters combined."

The coaster could have up to six different tracks with six vehicles moving simultaneously. The vehicles would have the capability of reaching 50 miles per hour in a few seconds and would be themed to look like X-Wing fighters and Tie Fighters. Each vehicle would have six seats and each guest would use a mounted laser gun to shoot at the "enemy". Each hit will be counted and appear on the fighter’s screen.

The entire interior of the ride building would be fully themed so that this battle between X-Wings and Tie Fighters would take place over the surface of the Death Star and Guests waiting in the queue would also be involved. Guests will be divided when entering to join either the rebels and board an X-Wing fighter or the Empire and board a Tie Fighter. They would be directed down two different paths and in each of them they would have access to Death Star or Rebel Fleet ship turrets. Each turret would be equipped with laser guns and, using these laser guns, Guests in the queue would be able to fire at the roller coaster vehicles as they soar over the Death Star.

Each hit from the turret guns to the vehicles would tally additional points which would be counted in the final count. At the end of each ride, depending who is the winner (based on the number of points), either the Death Star would explode, using lighting and pyrotechnic effects, or if the Empire wins it would be the rebel planet base which would explode with projection effects.

This new attraction, combined with more immersive theming throughout Star Wars area would make Guests feel as though they have stepped right into the middle of one of the Star Wars movies. It would be for Hollywood Studios what the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is for Islands of Adventure. Lucasland, with its Indiana Jones and Star Wars themed areas, would be the crown jewel of the reimagined Hollywood Studios. Not only would Guests be able to experience state of the art E-ticket attractions, but they would be surrounded by some of the most immersive atmospheres found in any of the Disney parks around the world.