In November of 2024, Disney announced that after 34 years of operation, “Muppet*Vision 3D” and Muppets Square would close permanently in Walt Disney World to make space for Hollywood Studio’s new “Monsters Inc.”-themed land. This announcement caused an immediate uproar among fans of Jim Henson, The Muppets, and Disney World.
Jim Henson was first approached by Disney to purchase The Muppets franchise in 1989, with talks of creating a Muppets universe within Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM-Studios). The first part of this merger was “Muppet*Vision 3D”, a 15-minute special that would immerse viewers into the world of The Muppets. Tragically, Henson never saw this project come to fruition. In 1990, after a brief illness, Henson passed away at only 53 years old, making “Muppet*Vision 3D” the last project he would ever personally work on. Though Disney chose to put their Muppets universe on hiatus, Frank Oz completed “Muppet*Vision 3D” so that a piece of Henson’s legacy could live on in the parks.
Although it is not uncommon for Disney to rebrand existing attractions, one of the most famous being Splash Mountain’s “Princess and the Frog” revamp, many found this one in particular to be an insult to Henson’s legacy. With it being his last project, as well as the last time he would voice Kermit the Frog, many fans felt that Disney was erasing what has become something of a memorial to Henson.
Despite the sadness surrounding the attraction’s closure, there was beauty in the way it ended. On my last trip to Walt Disney World, I walked straight into “Muppet*Vision 3D” without waiting in line, but in the months leading up to its closure, videos often showed the queue spilling out the door and into Muppets Square. On its final day of operation, fans gathered outside the theater to sing “Rainbow Connection,” and Jim Henson’s daughter had the honor of being the last guest to enter and watch its final showing.
Although the closure sparked anger and backlash, it ultimately brought so many people together to honor what was a key piece of many of our childhood’s. Whether we were fans of Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, or, of course, The Muppets, Jim Henson’s was always there, and his legacy will never die, even if we can no longer view his final project.
Even though the theater is dark now, the words of Jim Henson still ring true: “My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here.” Thanks to The Muppets, he did just that.
