Inside Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster revamp: Aerosmith, MuppetVision 3D, and Jim Henson ...

Walt Disney Imagineering exclusively reveals to EW that guests can find a Henson tribute &34;in Muppet form&34; and &34;MuppetVision 3D&34; pieces that moved to the new attraction. Inside Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster revamp: Aerosmith, MuppetVision 3D, and Jim Henson tributes Walt Disney Imagineering exclusively reveals to EW that guests can find a Henson tribute &34;in Muppet form&34; and &34;MuppetVision 3D&34; pieces that moved to the new attraction. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiBiophotof93a23298bdd47ba9c13f53815fc469b.jpg) Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at .

Walt Disney Imagineering exclusively reveals to EW that guests can find a Henson tribute "in Muppet form" and "MuppetVision 3D" pieces that moved to the new attraction.

Inside Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster revamp: Aerosmith, MuppetVision 3D, and Jim Henson tributes

Walt Disney Imagineering exclusively reveals to EW that guests can find a Henson tribute "in Muppet form" and "MuppetVision 3D" pieces that moved to the new attraction.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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on May 20, 2026 7:35 a.m. ET

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Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets first look inside the new Disney World ride. Credit:

Steven Diaz/Disney

- Disney Imagineering gives * *an exclusive look inside Disney World's new Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets revamp of the former Aerosmith ride.

- Guests "may just find a tribute" to Jim Henson in Muppet form inside the attraction, Imagineering says.

- EW can also reveal that the fan-favorite MuppetVision 3D pieces from Muppets Courtyard return inside the new attraction.**

***Note: Based on information EW was given, an earlier version of this article mistakenly reported that the Miss Piggy fountain returned.***

It's time to play the music and light the lights, because the Muppets are officially back in action to take over Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney World — and * *has exclusive insights from inside the revamped version of the classic attraction featuring celebrity musicians (Kelly Clarkson! Jennifer Hudson!), star cameos (Darren Criss! John Stamos!), and even a sweet tribute to the late Muppets creator Jim Henson.

Set to open May 26, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets reunites the famed characters in a new location at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park, where the classic MuppetVision 3D show (which opened in 1991 as one of the final projects Henson worked on before his death in 1990) closed to make way for an upcoming *Monsters, Inc.*-themed area.

The Electric Mayhem band, Scooter, and MuppetVision 3D penguins inside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster preshow.

Steven Diaz/Disney

And, as a representative for the parks' creative and technological hub, Walt Disney Imagineering, tells EW, the new iteration of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is "a perfect mix of music, humor, and chaos that perfectly complements the high-energy spirit" of the original Aerosmith-starring edition that closed earlier this year.

"Honoring the legacy of *The Muppets* was really important to us when creating this attraction," the Imagineering rep tells EW of the history preceding the attraction, confirming that the ride now contains a tribute to Henson in the interior portion. "None of this would be possible without Jim Henson, and when you visit the attraction, you may just find a tribute to him hanging around — in Muppet form, of course!"

Jim Henson as a Muppet.

Henson isn't the only one getting a tribute. Imagineering confirms to EW that original, fan-favorite pieces from the *MuppetVision 3D* attraction were preserved and ported over to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, including the Waldorf and Statler audio-animatronics from the *MuppetVision 3D* attraction, and the sarcophagus with 3D glasses from the shuttered show, too.

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"There are a ton of Easter eggs for fans to spot from the moment they get in line all the way to the gift shop," adds Imagineering, explaining that there are even tributes to the former Aerosmith-centered edition of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster inside the new *Muppets*-inspired iteration. "Eagle-eyed fans might spot some of the props from not just *MuppetVision 3D, *but [also the] 70-plus years of *The Muppets*. Even the dialogue has references to* MuppetVision 3D* and the original version of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster."

Rocker Steven Tyler led Aerosmith's appearance in the first version of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's storyline, as the band zoomed off to a concert, while guests followed behind them in a stretch limousine (famously, on Tyler's suggestion in a preshow video, with "some backstage passes" in tow.) The new story centers on the Muppet-fronted Electric Mayhem band, consisting of Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd, Janice, Zoot, and Lips, who are set to take the stage at a high-profile concert, with guests speeding alongside them in rainbow-hued cars to make it to the venue on time.

Replacing Aerosmith in the attraction's preshow are some other familiar Muppets faces, including the penguin animatronic figures from the *MuppetVision 3D* attraction, as well as the world's first audio-animatronic figure of Scooter, who's managing an Electric Mayhem studio session as riders enter the preshow area.

"To get his movements just right, Imagineers worked closely with our partners at the Muppets Studio to motion capture Scooter and his Muppet performer, David Rudman," Imagineering reveals of the technology used to bring Scooter to life. "By doing this, our team was able to build a figure that looks and moves exactly like Scooter should."

Visual components represent only half the magic inside this new imagining of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. The ride's soundscape and accompanying musical tracks, of course, were vital to get right — and that meant going out to some A-list recording artists for help in assembling the ride's rotating roster of onboard songs that play as riders traverse the nearly 60-mile-per-hour coaster's course.

Inside Disney World's new Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets ride.

Steven Diaz/Disney

"Fans will still recognize the high-speed thrills and energy that make Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster so iconic, while the Muppets bring an entirely new layer of music, comedy, and chaos to the experience," says the Imagineering rep. "We went through an extensive list of songs and did a ton of on-ride testing. The team rode Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster a lot and literally listened to tracks in the coaster environment to see what truly worked. After reviewing more than 100 songs, we narrowed it down to the lineup guests will experience today."

Tunes chosen for the ride include Electric Mayhem tunes like "Song 2" and a cover of "Born to Be Wild" (with the latter featuring Camilla the Chicken); "Love Rollercoaster" with Jennifer Hudson and Questlove; "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)" with Def Leppard; and a "Walking on Sunshine" cover with Kelly Clarkson.

These songs "best matched the energy of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and humor of *The Muppets*, while also making sure there's an artist and song for everyone to enjoy" across genres, per Imagineering.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets marks only a small part of the large number of projects currently in development at Disney World. In addition to the aforementioned *Monsters, Inc.* area at Hollywood Studios, a Tropical Americas land is now under construction on the former Dinoland, U.S.A. area at Animal Kingdom, and will include rides adapted from the *Encanto* and *Indiana Jones *films.

Muppets memorabilia inside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets at Disney World.

Craig Williams/Disney

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter*****.**

At Magic Kingdom, a *Cars*-themed area called Piston Peak is set to open on the site of the old Tom Sawyer Island interactive attraction, while an "incredibly twisted" (and highly anticipated) Villains-centric land is under construction just behind it.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets opens May 26 at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. See first-look photos from inside the attraction above.

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Source: "EW Disney"

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Source: Disney

Published: May 23, 2026 at 08:38PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

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