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.
I actually enjoyed reading through this posting.Many thanks.
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