Disney unveils four Muppets preshows

Walt Disney World this week began showing more of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets ahead of its May 26 opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as Disney and park-focused fan accounts highlighted new preshow footage and character-specific variants. Disney’s official attraction page says the reworked coaster opens May 26 on Sunset Boulevard, replacing the Aerosmith-themed version with a Muppets story led by The Electric Mayhem. Disney Parks Blog said on May 15 that the new ride drops guests into G-Force Records for a VIP tour while The Electric Mayhem rehearses and runs late for its own concert across town. Disney’s official preview also showed the first Scooter Audio-Animatronics figure and described a queue and courtyard rebuilt around the band and other Muppets references. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) ### Where does the new preshow fit into the ride? Disney’s official attraction page says guests enter G-Force Records for a VIP studio tour before boarding a limousine for the launch through Hollywood. The setup keeps the broad structure of the old attraction — studio tour, preshow, then ride — while changing the cast and story to The Muppets and The Electric Mayhem. (disneyparksblog.com) A May 15 Disney preview, as described by AllEars, showed Electric Mayhem recording in the studio, penguins at the soundboards, Scooter greeting guests as the VIP tour, and chaos from a Muppet Labs experiment before riders head to the loading area. That footage established the baseline preshow scene now attached to the reworked coaster. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) ### What exactly is new in the rotating versions? Social posts on May 19 and May 20 said Disney had prepared four character-focused preshow scripts tied to Miss Piggy, Uncle Deadly, Swedish Chef and Gonzo. Those posts circulated as previews continued ahead of the public opening, indicating that guests may not see the same character beat every time. (allears.net) Disney has not, in the official material surfaced so far, published a detailed breakdown of those four variants on its attraction page or in the May 15 Parks Blog post. The official material instead focuses on the main story: Scooter, Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets trying to get everyone to the concert on time. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) ### Which characters are confirmed by Disney itself? Disney’s attraction page names Scooter, Kermit and Miss Piggy as part of the story that gets riders to the show, and describes the ride soundtrack as songs by The Electric Mayhem. Disney Parks Blog also says the queue includes celebrity cameos and references spread from the courtyard through the merchandise shop. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) WDW News Today, which attended previews on May 20, reported that the courtyard, queue and gift shop had all been updated for the Muppets version, with FØØD by Swedish Chef replacing the former snack kiosk and posters throughout G-Force Records reframed around Electric Mayhem. That outlet also said the ride was in previews ahead of the May 26 opening. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) ### Why are fans paying attention to preshow changes? Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster has long used its preshow as a major part of the attraction’s setup, and Disney kept that basic format in the Muppets overhaul. A rotating preshow gives repeat riders a visible change before they even reach the loading platform, which is why fan accounts focused on the variants as soon as preview access began. That is an inference based on the attraction’s format and the timing of the social posts, not a statement Disney has made publicly. (wdwnt.com) Disney’s official rollout has also bundled the coaster with adjacent additions on Sunset Boulevard. Disney Parks Blog said on May 15 that new merchandise would arrive with the attraction, and separate Disney material said FØØD by Swedish Chef would open nearby on the same date. ### What happens next for guests? May 26 is the next firm date. (disneyworld.disney.go.com) Disney’s official attraction page lists that as the opening day for Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s food announcement ties the opening of FØØD by Swedish Chef to the same launch window. Guests visiting after that date should be able to see the full queue, preshow and ride package in regular operation. (disneyparksblog.com)