The Aerosmith-themed roller coaster that has been a part of Disney World in Florida for over a quarter of a century will soon be no more. Or rather the ‘Rock N’ Roller Coaster’ as it’s currently styled will be rebranded and subject to a takeover by... The Muppets.
The upcoming change is the result of a reshuffle taking place at the theme park, due to the new Monsters Inc. land being built there. The longtime attraction Muppet*Vision 3D will be shutting down to make room for the new section and in order to maintain the Muppets’ presence there, Kermit and co will take over the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster.
An exact date for this has not yet been announced. Until then visitors can still enjoy both Muppet*Vision 3D and Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith for the time being.
Disney World has issued a statement on their blog explaining the move: “To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!”
“We know so many of you share our love for The Muppets and know their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard!”
In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls.”
In recent years, there was speculation that the Aerosmith branding may get quietly removed due to a sexual assault claim against singer Steven Tyler. That suit was eventually dismissed, but earlier this year Aerosmith announced that they were retiring from touring as a result of the singer's vocal injury.
Perhaps, with the band now winding down, Disney decided that now was as a good time as any to move on. After all, Disney World is supposed to be for kids (isn’t it?) and the Muppets undoubtedly have greater brand recognition amongst that demographic than a rock band whose peak years are getting on for half a century ago now.
