Disney World is in a state of transformation, with massive construction projects, refurbishments, and ride closures dotting the resort’s landscape. Of all these projects, there’s perhaps no transformation eliciting reactions at the moment quite like the Muppets takeover of the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster.
The guitar
The coaster first opened in 1999 and has featured American rock band Aerosmith since its inception. However, in 2024, Disney announced that the attraction would be rethemed to feature the Muppets, who had recently been announced as being evicted from their longtime attraction, MuppetVision*3D, to make room for Monsters, Inc. at Hollywood Studios.
From the time the announcement was made, fans were split. Some welcomed the Muppet takeover, which will feature a new pre-show including the characters and music from the Muppet group The Electric Mayhem. While others lamented the decision, either because they felt that the “family-friendly” Muppets shouldn’t headline a thrill ride, that the “Bad Boys of Boston” shouldn’t be removed from the attraction at all, or that another rock band or music artist should take their place.
Those arguments have stretched on since the announcement, even through the March 2nd permanent closure of the original version of the attraction.
🎸 It’s the end of an era… and the crowds showed UP.
On the last day of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with Aerosmith, things actually didn’t look too wild outside the park 👀 — but once we got inside? The line for the ride stretched ALL the way to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.… pic.twitter.com/Ap3kf8oZKV
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) March 1, 2026
When we shared a post documenting the long lines that accompanied the Aerosmith version’s last day on March 1st, we received a litany of responses that… questioned (to put it mildly) the decision. @TheCody_716 expressed their opinion bluntly, writing, “The Muppets idea is a flop. I can’t believe they didn’t do A Goofy Movie, even High School (Musical) using the limo as a theme to rush to prom or graduation, or even Radio Disney with Disney music as a whole. The Muppets was a TERRIBLE decision,” while @countmcdantes wrote, “This is what a deaf C Suite looks like. Ravaging an established ride that so many love because they can figure out what to do with other aspects of their IP.”
Ouch.
Other readers took a more melancholy tone. @khan145527 wrote of the reaction to the closure, “Power of memories, some in this line remember their late dad, how it was his favorite ride, remember how they rode it in 2002 with their siblings who loved it. One last time, reliving these memories.” @Pathogen0 expressed their own love for the ride, writing, “Thank you, Aerosmith, thank you for all the memories and all the thrills and for the love in a roller-coaster.”
Aerosmith’s presence on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was a major change for Disney at the time.
However, not every response was angry or sad. As @stevemcniven pointed out, “I mean it’s gonna functionally be the exact same ride, just new overlay. Seems strange to spend hours saying goodbye to… Aerosmith, who haven’t been relevant for decades.”
Opinions on the ride have remained split since the closure, as evidenced by the responses we received to a Facebook post detailing the new paint job that Disney added to the hanging convertible at the ride’s entrance. Reader Jack fell on the angry side, writing, “It’s a shame! Muppets are NOT an appropriate rebrand. Another rock band, yes. The Muppets, no!”
The classic Rock ‘n Roller Coaster
Reader Sonya expressed a similar sentiment on a related post featuring the new look car, writing, “I don’t like the Muppets. It should still be a rock music ride.” However, they were rebuked by fellow reader Justin, who pointed out that, “It’s still going to be a rock music ride. The Electric Mayhem plays harder rock than anything by Aerosmith.”
©Disney
Meanwhile, reader Gabe expressed the opinion that “Nobody asked for Muppets Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster.” Unfortunately for Gabe, several readers did very much express excitement, with Kari writing, “Looks great!!”, and John exclaiming, “Wow, that looks awesome.”
The NEW car!
In a different post, reader Stephen defended the choice, writing, “With all due respect to Aerosmith and the original theme- I’m a Muppet guy first and foremost, and I cannot wait for this transformation! I’m sure they will work in an Easter egg or two to pay homage to the original ride that we all loved!”
©Disney
As you can see, opinions on social media are still split — to say the least — about the upcoming Muppet takeover of the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. Stay tuned to DFB for more on Disney World’s evolution.
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Aerosmith is great, but their music hardly aligns with Walt’s vision or family values. More significant concern is how cheap is Disney going to be on the re-theming. They have been squandering their IP for decades.
People just love to complain about change. Few realize that Aerosmith was far from the first choice when the ride was built and only ended up as the band because several other declined or wanted too much money. I’m glad it will be IP that Disney owns rather than another band that will eventually become irrelevant too. The last significant album that Aerosmith released was in 1989. It’s time to move on.
Just like with anything else not everyone is going to be satisfied. Walt himself said Disneyland would never be finished so why should we expect different from WDW? I like the muppets and you can do a lot of cute stuff in the queue that couldn’t be done with aerosmith. All the whiners and complainers will be there to ride the new ride even if just to while and complain more so the ride will have something for everyone:)
I’m looking forward to the retheme, but I’m mostly hoping they fix the in-car speakers. The last two times I rode, I heard more speaker crackle than I did rock music.
Fingers crossed that the countdown for the launch is Animal.
I’m not an Arrowsmith fan, and too old for roller coasters. I AM, however, a Muppet fan. Perhaps they’ll be a way to see the pre-ride stuff and bail before the ride.