Souvenir Mug

As more of a passive and observant member of the online Disney parks community, I tend to sit on the sidelines while more active and vocal fans volley their hot takes back and forth across the Internet stratosphere. Every few months, some dingus will climb onto a prohibited structure at Epcot. Or an entitled influencer will complain about the sudden “lack of magic” after a cast member interaction that didn’t result in a freebie. Then the Maleficent audio-animatronic at Disneyland will catch on fire. Stories like this often pop up and inevitably populate my social media feeds with heated chatter for days until the next big, buzzworthy theme park news. 

While these divisive topics come and go like the tides of Bay Lake, there is one thing that brings Disney park fans together in unison: a permanent ride closure. When Disney announces a final date of operation for a particular attraction, park fans will unite to collectively celebrate and mourn a piece of their childhood, former work post or the site of bountiful happy memories. Of course, there’s always that outlier who doesn’t quite get the hype. But whether or not they make their opinions known, there will always be a dedicated, niche fan base for nearly every attraction at the resort. 

This communal outpouring is certainly evident when it comes to Hollywood Studios’ soon-to-be defunct attraction: Muppet*Vision 3D. In its 34-year run, Muppet*Vision 3D has built up a fanbase spanning multiple generations, exceeding the lifespan of other widely lamented losses such as Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Horizons. It was the very first attraction I ever experienced at the Walt Disney World resort, and it makes me proud to see that it has endured far beyond my own childhood. But as the general appeal of 3D films waxed and waned, and as newer, shinier attractions came and went around the Grand Arts Theatre, Muppet*Vision 3D has been a wacky, colorful beacon in the southeastern corner of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for both myself and millions of other park goers.    

The story of Muppet*Vision began in August of 1989, when Disney announced that a 3D Muppets attraction would debut at the then new Disney-MGM Studios park (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios.) Production on the 15-minute film occurred in January 1990, months before Jim Henson’s untimely passing. In fact, the show features one of Henson’s final performances, as well as that of veteran Muppet performer Richard Hunt, who died in 1992. Perhaps as a way to memorialize Henson, the show officially opened on the first anniversary of his death on May 16th, 1991. I’d like to think that the sentimental aspect of keeping Henson and Hunt’s final performances alive is what propelled park officials to keep it open for so long, apart from the lack of Muppet representation in other parts of the resort. But I digress…

A typical visit to Muppet*Vision 3D goes as follows:

You arrive at the Muppets Courtyard, passing the iconic fountain featuring Miss Piggy as Lady Liberty. Look at the water at the base of the fountain, and you’ll find a couple of rats in a boat, trying to fish out coins and other useful junk. (You are right across from Pizzerizzo, after all.) When it’s not too crowded, you should be able to walk straight into the Grand Arts theatre, where a cast member will greet you and ask you to continue down the hallway. If it’s a busy time, you’ll likely stand in the shaded, outdoor queue, where you will wait beside classic Muppet parody posters such as “The Bride of Froggen-Schwein”, “Star Chores”, “Dive Hard 2”, “Cleopigtra”, and “Pirates of the Amphibian: At Wit’s End” (among more.) Upon entering the theatre, immediately you will find yourself surrounded by Easter eggs and other gags that I’ve yet to find – even after seeing the show over 20 times.

After the hallway, you’ll wind up in the pre-show area: a carpeted room adorned with even more props from other Muppet projects, along with even more visual gags and Easter eggs. In case a cast member hasn’t given you 3D glasses, just grab a pair from one of the bins. Above you, there are four rows of four monitors each, playing the 12-minute pre-show on a loop. I’d love to get into details, but I’ll point out a few highlights instead for time’s sake:

• Fozzie introduces a song-and-dance trio called “The Three D’s”: Dorothy, Dinah, and Debbie. The first two come out in pink tutus, as expected, followed by Max – a gruff, blue collar type in a matching tutu. In his gravelly, weathered voice, he explains: “I’m Max. Debbie was sick so uh, the union sent me.” One of the greatest disappointments is the fact that we will never get to see Dorothy, Dinah, and Max’s complete performance of “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”.
• Four separate Gonzos – each on their own monitor – dance with a flower pot on their heads accompanied by a jaunty “Tea for Two”.
• Sam Eagle announces a very special appearance from Mickey Mouse himself, only for Rizzo the Rat to come bopping out in a makeshift Mickey costume. When called out, Rizzo quips, “They’re tourists – what do they know?!” Always a crowd favorite.    
• During Sam Eagle’s safety instructions, Gonzo tries to demonstrate how you would trip if you put your 3D glasses on before sitting down in the theatre. Annoyed, Sam Eagle implores Gonzo to “Stop this foolishness,” to which he replies, “What foolishness would you like to see?”

Then, the theatre doors swing open, and you are instructed to take one of the many plush, red fold-down seats in the iconic theatre. 

Again, for time’s sake, I will point out my personal highlights from the 15-minute show:

Fozzie showing off some “cheap 3D tricks”: a party horn unfurling across the theatre, a can of spring snakes, and one of those joke flowers that actually sprays water on the audience. Then there’s the remote-controlled banana cream pie, which inevitably malfunctions and lands on his face.

Waldo, the spirit of 3D, bouncing on people’s heads. I could have sworn a lucky few were specifically chosen to have their heads bounced on for each showing.

Miss Piggy, dressed in her finest garden party get-up, sits beside a pond in a beautiful springtime set to perform a little song huge, show-stopping, major song: her rendition of “Dream a Little Dream of Me”. At one point, bubbles – both real and 3D – begin to fall from the ceiling. Along with the rest of the audience, I remember trying to determine which ones were real and which ones were fake by seeing which ones would pop.  

After being fired for sabotaging Miss Piggy’s number, Bean Bunny tells Gonzo he’s going to run away, to which he responds: “Oh, great! Could you get me a sandwich?” He then turns to the audience to ask, “Would any of you people like anything? I mean since he’s going out he could- FOR-EV-ER?!”

When the rest of the Muppets find out Bean’s gone missing, they – along with some help from the audience – start searching for him. At one point, Sweetums (usually a cast member in costume) actually comes out into the theatre with a flashlight, asking if anyone’s seen him. The more I think about this moment, the more I realize just how immersive this show is. Think about it: you get to witness a live Muppet right in front of your eyes during the show, not just on film.

Once Bean is finally found, he explains his tearful reason for running away. Of course, the two old guys in the balcony can’t help but do what they do best:

Statler: “This is a very moving moment.”

Waldorf: “Yeah, I wish they’d move it to Pittsburgh!” 

*Signature hearty chuckles*

And perhaps my personal favorite moment, when Kermit asks Sam Eagle about the next performance he’ll soon be presenting:

Sam Eagle: “It’s a glorious 3-hour finale.”

Kermit: “You got a minute and a half.”

Sam Eagle: *GASP!*   

These are moments (if not, the entire film) that are burned into my memory. No matter how much time has passed between viewings, I can always hear the echo of Sam Eagle’s gasp or Gonzo’s sudden “FOR-EV-ER?!”. 

In terms of popularity, Muppet*Vision has always felt like a hidden gem. More often than not, the attraction has been a “walk-on”, meaning no waiting in line before the pre-show. Cynically speaking, the 564-seat theater also made for a good “people eater” during more crowded times, and also functioned as a top-tier “time-killer” when waiting on a Fastpass/Lightning Lane window. Unofficial labels in quotations aside, the rush to see the Muppets in three dimensions fizzled out as 3D movies became more commonplace and less of a novelty reserved for theme parks.

As I grew older, I noticed the 3D effects began to look less and less convincing. Not even my suspension of disbelief could make me flinch when Fozzie would “spring” something on you or squirt the gag flower on the audience. During Miss Piggy’s musical number, I could start to distinguish between the real bubbles and the 3D ones, without trying to pop them. Yet, I kept going to Muppet*Vision 3D. As a matter of fact, I cannot recall a Disney World trip when I didn’t go at least twice. The show has been a must-do not out of nostalgia or some obligation to “honor the past”, but because it was an immersive Muppets experience that I could recite, anticipating each and every beloved moment and punchline throughout the show. Like putting on a pair of broken-in shoes after years of wearing ones that don’t fit, watching Muppet*Vision 3D has provided a familiar comfort that persevered long after the “cheap 3D tricks” lost their luster.

Sure, we would definitely pay Kermit and the gang a visit when waiting for a Fastpass or Lightning Lane window to open. But being able to pass the time with the Muppets always felt like a privilege – a perk of a trip to Disney-MGM or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. 

Muppet*Vision 3D’s final date of operation is scheduled for June 7th, 2025. As I write this, it is currently February 2025, so I understand my eulogy is a bit preemptive. My last visit to Muppet*Vision was in May 2024, when the conversation surrounding the show’s fate was merely rumors and murmurs amongst the Disney parks community. For that reason, I made sure to take it in as much as I could – just in case. Though unless I find it in me to go on a quick trip to the resort – something I usually take a week to do –  my spring 2024 trip would be the last time I drop the pink 3D glasses back in the bin.

No matter the hubbub of misbehavior at the parks, disagreements about what should close and what should stay open, I’d like to think every park fan has that one (or even several) attractions that stick with them in this way. Surely there’s someone out there who can recall each and every single beat of Magic Kingdom’s version of Mr. Toad, despite its over 25-year absence. I’m also willing to bet that Chris Russo, a.k.a. Hoot, knows Horizons better than his hometown.

We may no longer have Max to fill in for Debbie, that brief moment when bubbles cascade from the ceiling of the theatre, or Fozzie’s cheap 3D tricks, but we’ve always got…

“-…A minute and a half”

*GASP*