This week, on June 7th, Walt Disney World park-goers will be among the last audiences for MuppetVision 3D. The lights will dim in the Muppet Theater, never to shine on Muppet fans again. Boy, that sounds bleak. But this is pretty much how many of us feel about the grand finale of this classic Muppet experience.
When the announcement was made about the closing of MuppetVision, I just assumed I wouldn’t be able to see it again. It’s been almost a decade since my last trip to Disney World, and even longer since I’ve been to Hollywood Studios. But this past March, I found myself visiting family in Florida. While planning for the trip, I realized that Orlando was just a short two-hour drive away. It was as if the Muppet gods were telling us that we had to make one last visit to pay homage to the attraction, which we did with the shortest day-trip to Disney World ever.
On this visit, I spent as much time as I could soaking in all the details of the Muppets Courtyard. I stood in front of the iconic Miss Piggy fountain and chit-chatted with other Muppet fans. I studied the walls of PizzeRizzo (which didn’t exist yet on my last visit). I did… what people do in Gonzo’s Royal Flush. And of course, I took in a show.
We arrived in the waiting room for MuppetVision just in time to see the beginning of the pre-show. Despite the small screens and oh-so-many visual distractions all around us, the crowd around me (and it was a crowd – the room got very full, very fast) were as entranced with the pre-show as if it was the main feature. They laughed at all the funny bits, and they even laughed at the less-than-funny bits. Rizzo’s entrance as Mickey Mouse got the biggest reaction from the folks around me.
In the few times I’ve seen MuppetVision, I’d never sat in the front row, so I made sure to snag that coveted front row center seat. I wanted to feel like I was in the real Muppet Theater without the distraction of other humans in my line of sight. As the penguins popped up in the orchestra pit right in front of me, I was no longer at a theme park, but inside an episode of The Muppet Show. The real kicker was Sweetums, who was within reach every time he appeared. There was something visceral and surreal about being so close to Sweetums, especially accompanied by Richard Hunt’s voice, that will stand out as the highlight of my MuppetVision memories.
Okay, I take it back – there’s one highlight that trumps Sweetums being close enough to trip over my outstretched legs. And that was the sound from behind me. Laughter. MuppetVision 3D has a lot of corny jokes, and this audience (again, a surprisingly full one) had a vocal reaction to every one of them. I’ve seen MuppetVision a handful of times before, and never before had I been in the presence of an audience that ate it up as much as this one did. Was it because they knew it was closing, and they took the opportunity to let loose and enjoy themselves? Or was it because audiences today are hungry for more Muppet content wherever we can get it? Whatever the case, it was an absolute delight to bear witness to people who love watching the Muppets as much as I do, even if it’s just for about 25 minutes.
After taking up so much time in the Muppets Courtyard, I knew it was time to move on (I mean, there are other things at Hollywood Studios, or so I hear). I enjoyed one final quiet moment in the center of the square and said goodbye to the experience that may be the closest any of us ever come to sitting in the Muppet Theater to catch a real performance of The Muppet Show.
Over the past few months, ever since receiving the news about MuppetVision’s closure, I’ve gone through all the emotions. Disappointment that the Muppet footprint in the parks is being reduced once again. Intrigue at the possibilities of what the Muppets’ Rockin’ Roller Coaster will entail. Hope that the recent digital capture of the attraction will find its way somewhere new for public viewing. Confusion as to what Disney’s overall plans for the Muppets could be, and if they’ll ever really invest in the franchise in a significant way again.
But mostly, I’ve found acceptance in the whole situation. We were lucky enough to get this attraction for 34 years – longer than almost anything else at Hollywood Studios. We had time to celebrate Jim Henson’s final work, and the technology to ensure that it will never become lost media. We have the satisfaction knowing that Bean Bunny was lost and found again thousands of times over, and that countless Disney World visitors got to see Sweetums in the flesh (or, fur). And much like Jim Henson’s own philosophy, we recognize there’s a time to let our current projects end so we can make room for new challenges.
We are so lucky to have had MuppetVision in our lives. And while it’s always sad saying goodbye, it’s wonderful to see so many people celebrating it in a way we haven’t seen since its inception. Much like the end of the MuppetVision show itself, it’s ending with a bang.
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by Joe Hennes – [email protected]
