Hello everyone! Today's topic is going to be one that I have a pretty big opinion on and that is the presence of the Muppets in Walt Disney World. As always the views in this blog are my own and if they are different than yours, hey that's okay. If they are the same, look at that our thoughts line up! Whatever the case I am always open to some good conversation so feel free to leave a comment! Anyway, onto the blog.
The Muppets really need no introduction. It's hard to find someone who has never heard of Kermit the Frog and the rest of the gang. Even young children today are exposed to the lovable Muppets through the Muppet Babies series that returned in 2018. The Muppets, though not the powerhouses they once were, still have a place in the hearts and minds of millions of people. With so much love for these characters out there it seems that Disney kind of doesn't know what to do with them. The last movie to hit theaters was Muppets Most Wanted in 2014 which failed to live up to the success of 2011's The Muppets. Since then there was also a television series on ABC that was cancelled after just one season (granted that show featured the Muppets in a very different light than I've ever seen, and not in the good way either). While the Muppets may be seemingly in a state of limbo when it comes to television (mostly now just seen in commercials), there is one place where the Muppets while still seeing love, are in a constant state of question.
Welcome to Walt Disney World! The Muppets have a home in Hollywood Studios Grand Avenue where Muppet*Vision 3D operates daily, a Muppets themed gift shop exists, and Pizzerizzo serves up some pizza with a Muppets/L.A. style theme. In the Magic Kingdom you can sometimes see The Muppets: Great Moment's In History performed in Liberty Square. The show used to run multiple times a day, but has become more of a special event showing as it has only been playing around holidays. In Epcot, the Regal Eagle Smokehouse will soon be opening and will be hosted by Sam Eagle. So it sounds like a lot of good Muppet thing right? Well let's look a bit deeper and see why there is a big question mark surrounding a lot of these things.
Muppet*Vision 3D over time has lost a decent amount of it's unique Muppets theming on the outside of the building. Where once was mounted a large Kermit the Frog sign with a massive Muppet*Vision 3D logo now rests a large movie theater marquee sign. The Kermit hot air balloon that sat on the roof became a casualty due to the fact it would have been visible from within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The gift shop next door, while still Muppets themed offers very little in the way of Muppets merchandise. In fact the last time I was in there there were Muppet Babies plushes from the Disney Junior series and Kermit the Frog plushes, but that was basically it. The fountain that used to be the center of Muppet's Courtyard has lost several of it's characters and every time it goes under refurbishment, it's a wonder if it is going to return at all. Pizzerizzo took the place of the old Pizza Planet and while it certainly fits Grand Avenue better than Pizza Planet did, it's basically the same menu and even through it only opened 2016, is now closed throughout parts of the year. It feels like piece by piece the Muppets are losing ground in Hollwood Studios, but I would love to see one big thing happen that I think would bring some new life to Grand Avenue.
This is not my original idea and it was a rumor during the construction of Galaxy's Edge, but I still would love to see the Muppets gate crash Galaxy's Edge. Just before the gateway leading to the Star Wars area there is a strip of building that are leftover from the old Streets of America section. How amazing would it be to have the Muppets performing shows in the windows of those buildings in a similar fashion to how they do in the Magic Kingdom. Step it up a notch. Have them tell Muppets version of the Star Wars saga. Disney owns all the pieces to that puzzle, lets see it happen! It doesn't always even have to be Star Wars. The area is modeled off of L.A., and unless I'm mistaken, the Muppets (2011) largely took place there, so you could even do little comedy shows or something. It would make use of the buildings in the area and personally I think it'd be a lot of fun.
This is the sort of thing I would love to see the Muppets doing in the Walt Disney family of theme parks. Putting on short shows like Great Moments in History to me is the perfect way to keep the Muppets alive and well in the parks. Is Muppet*Vision 3D safe for the long term? Who knows. I'd wager yes for at least a few more years given all the work that is wrapping up at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT becoming construction central. Beyond that who knows, but either way I believe that the Muppets are popular enough characters that people want to see, and what better way to see them than having them do what they do best. Putting on a show!
Thanks as always for reading! Stay tuned for the next blog coming real soon!
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