Walt Disney World’s most musical thrill ride is back, and rolling along with Dad jokes, sight gags, nostalgia and a tweaked name. Disney’s Hollywood Studios officially will open Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets on Tuesday.
The attraction is a bright update of the Aerosmith-fronted ride that debuts at the theme park in 1999. Now it’s had a Muppet makeover, inside and out.
You know your Dad’s sense of humor is rooted in Fozzie, Statler and Waldorf, yes?
The route remains the same. Riders still get that immediate blast-off, but now it’s prompted by a rowdy countdown from the Animal character. And the journey still memorably travels through one of the O’s in the HOLLYWOOD sign.
“Once you launch, you’re going to see a lot of the different show sets and flats that have been Muppetized,” Todd Richins, executive producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said during a preview for members of the media.
“You see Gonzo flying along, getting ready to fly through the flaming circle. You see Sweetums selling star maps in Hollywood,” he said. Other sights include Beaker face-planted on a road sign and later, a set of chickens crossing the road.
The indoor coaster remains dark, keeping the upcoming course a bit of a mystery.
“If anything, it should feel brighter because all of the show sets have new paint jobs on them, which means they have brand-new black-light paint,” Richins said.
Invited guests get a first-look ride on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Superfan Demi “Magical Hijinx” mimics The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” drummer Animal as she arrives for a first-look ride at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds and takes riders upside down 3 times. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
A solo rider celebrates his first look on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Invited guests prepare for departure on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets at Hollywood Studios on Wednesday (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Superfans Caitlyn Haas and Scott Johnson arrive for a first-look ride on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Invited guests get a first-look at the pre-show before riding the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Invited guests get a first-look ride on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Scenes from the first-look at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Scenes from the first-look at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Gonzo’s stuff — some old wares from MuppetVision and some new items — is displayed in the queue for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Invited guests prepare for departure on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
A solo rider celebrates his first look on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Superfan Demi “Magical Hijinx” mimics The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” drummer Animal as she arrives for a first-look ride at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds and takes riders upside down 3 times. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Superfans Caitlyn Haas and Scott Johnson arrive for a first-look ride on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Wednesday. The offical opening day is May 26 (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
A scene from the gift shop at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Scenes from the first-look at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
1 of 16
Invited guests get a first-look ride on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Officially opening on May 26, the reimagined coaster launches from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, taking riders upside down 3 times and features The Muppet’s “The Electric Mayhem” rock band. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Expand
The rail was not replaced a la the recently refurbished Big Thunder Mountain Railroad that recently reopened at Magic Kingdom. The ride maintains its rib-rattling reputation.
The ride queue features Muppet memorabilia – some relics from “The Muppet Show,” some precise reproductions – and video interactions with celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris, John Stamos, Yvette Nicole Brown, Wayne Brady and others.
It’s the second major attraction ever to feature the Muppets at Hollywood Studios. The long-running MuppetVision 3D show closed last summer, and that general area is being transformed into a land based on “Monsters, Inc.” characters.
MuppetVision lives on in several ways in the revamped coaster, mixed in with funny new bits, Richins said.
“So, like, the hot dirt cart by Swedish Chef on the left side of the track, there is a fun nod. The little Squeaky Z that you see where all the rats go to have a drink after work, that was also new,” he said.
First look: Disney’s Scooter animatronic for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
“The Gonzo stunt show, that is a big mix of props from MuppetVision as well as some new ones,” Richins said. “For those who are really eagle-eyed, you will see the obligatory Easter egg of Waldo, the (MuppetVision) character that is on one of the signs in there as well.”
Also watch for multiple PizzeRizzo references, another callback to the former Muppet Courtyard.
There also are nods to the Aerosmith version of the coaster, including the once-pivotal Les Paul guitar, Richins said, and the sound-mixing room with Electric Mayhem and the new animatronic of Scooter is a certain throwback. There are moments of Ken Marino, who played the sound engineer in the original attraction, and Illeana Douglas, who portrayed the manager who requested a superstretch limo for the band.
“She was super-excited to come do a little call-back,” Richins said. “She has a very funny moment in the media.”
There are moments with familiar felt faces such as Kermit, Sam Eagle and Dr. Honeydew in the studio.
Walt Disney World’s new president started as Jungle Cruise skipper
An obvious change was repainting the guitar that fronts the coaster building, which now coordinates with the upside-down car over the entrance gate as well as the ride vehicles.
“Before, where it was kind of red and pink tied together, it kind of blended to the building a little bit,” Richins said. “So now we really wanted the pop guitar on the front here, and so that’s why we went with a little more neutral shade of the grays behind it, in order to bring out the color of the Muppets. We want the color, the chaos, and the mayhem of the band to really be front and center here.”
Inside, the trains – now known as Lengthy Immediate Motion Object – speed by plenty of jokes. Blink and miss one, literally.
“One thing that we really wanted from this iteration of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is repeatability, and so the fact that you have to ride multiple times in order to see everything, that was part of the design element,” Richins said.
“The launch sequence now has multiple iterations. The pre-show has multiple iterations within it. Different Muppet characters call in to the pre-show. There’s over 45 minutes of new media in the queue area … Then there’s another over three minutes at the exit with more of the stars, more of the Muppets, more callbacks to other parts of the attraction.”
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
