The Jim Henson Company has released its own statement about the future of MuppetVision 3D in response to Walt Disney World’s announcement of its closure and replacement at Hollywood Studios. This shares the full official statement along with background about the Jim Henson Company’s rocky relationship with Disney as well as other context and commentary.
Let’s start with a quick recap for those who have missed the Muppet mayhem. Walt Disney World announced during the 2024 D23 Expo that a brand-new land themed around Monsters, Inc. will come to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc.
Walt Disney World fans quickly realized that Monstropolis would almost certainly need to replace an existing area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Further reinforcing this notion is that Disney released two pieces of concept art for Monstropolis, showing seemingly conflicting locations for the land. We previously discussed the potential candidates in What Will Walt Disney World Sacrifice for Monstropolis?
Unfortunately, we now know that the loser in the Monstropolis sweepstakes is Muppet Courtyard. Walt Disney World has announced that they’ll be opening ‘new doors’ for Muppets and Monsters at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. On a positive note, this means the Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and replacing Aerosmith. On a negative note, it means MuppetVision 3D closing to make way for the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster and Monstropolis.
Which brings us to the official statement on the closure of MuppetVision 3D from the Jim Henson Company:
Jim Henson’s final project was Muppet*Vision 3D, now regarded as a true theme park classic. Innovation was always Jim Henson’s north star, and his trailblazing career led him to a unique challenge: a truly immersive Muppet experience where audiences are part of the happy chaos of the iconic Muppet Show.
Originally debuting in 1991, Muppet*Vision 3D combined 3D technology with real-world practical effects, alongside animatronic and live Muppet characters. The result was a one-of-a-kind Jim Henson experience, and an unforgettable capstone to Jim’s magnificent career. As we learn of the show’s upcoming closure in its current form at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we look forward to Muppet*Vision 3D’s next act.
Some of you may be confused as to why the Jim Henson Company is putting out a statement about MuppetVision 3D. After all, doesn’t Disney own the Muppets? So isn’t this no different than a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company releasing a statement, like if LucasFilm were to comment on the quality of the latest Disney+ show? Not really.
This is more like the Walt Disney Family Museum–or really, Walt’s grandkids and other relatives–commenting on something being done by the current company. If you look at the Jim Henson Company Board of Directors, you’ll notice a common last name. Spoiler alert, it’s Henson. The company is (once again) controlled by Jim Henson’s family, including his adult children: Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson.
The Jim Henson Company is not owned by Disney in whole or in part. But it almost was! Back in the late 1980s, Jim Henson started to negotiate a deal in which the Muppets would be sold to Disney. (This is probably a story many diehard Walt Disney World and Muppets fans have heard before, but in case not…)
Michael Eisner was looking to expand Disney’s reach by purchasing other franchises, in a pre-cursor to the many moves made by his successor, Bob Iger. Disney and the Muppets were a perfect match. Both were highly successful companies with characters beloved by generations.
Walt Disney had Mickey Mouse and Jim Henson had Kermit. They were two creative titans, and in my opinion, about the only acquisitions that would’ve ‘fit’ as well as the Muppets would’ve been Pixar and Studio Ghibli, the latter headed by Hayao Miyazaki, known as the “Walt Disney of Japan.”
By all accounts, Jim Henson agreed with this assessment that the Muppets and Disney were a perfect fit for one another. Henson had grown tired of the business side of the Muppets and wanted to get back to creating. His studio was in debt, the Muppets weren’t as hot as they were a decade earlier, and the Walt Disney Company had proven itself capable brand-managers. Henson felt Disney could revitalize the Muppets in a truly win-win deal. And Eisner really wanted to make the deal happen.
Negotiations got really far along, with the two studios partnering to produce a 60-minute special called The Muppets at Walt Disney World, one of our all-time favorite Disney TV specials.
Before the acquisition was finalized, Imagineering and Henson got to work on creating attractions for the Disney-MGM Studios, both sides figuring it was a done deal. This resulted in stage shows and entertainment offerings: Here Come the Muppets and Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Rose. It also brought to life MuppetVision 3D, and was supposed to include a whole land themed to the Muppets.
Tragically, MuppetVision 3D was last project that Jim Henson personally worked on, as he passed away on May 16, 1990. The show was finished after his passing by Henson’s longtime collaborators, but bears his fingerprints and trademark humor and heart all over it. Disney’s plans to create a whole Muppet land were put on the back burner, and the deal to acquire the studio fell apart.
There are a number of reasons for the deal not coming to fruition, all revolving around Henson’s passing. The sordid saga has become the stuff of legends in fan circles, and it’s believed that Disney’s acquisition of the Jim Henson Company was only days away from happening.
Years later, the Jim Henson Company did sell the rights to certain characters and properties away to other companies, including the Muppets to Disney and Sesame Street to Sesame Workshop. That’s why those characters are in two different theme parks.
The Jim Henson Company also maintains the rights to certain titles in the back catalogue, which is why Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas isn’t part of Disney, and why there have been reboots of the Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock (some very good!) on other streaming services in the last few years.
All of that should explain the distinction between the Disney and Henson companies in a nutshell (more or less). As you’ve probably gathered, there’s a lot more to the story about the early 1990s fallout, rocky relationship between the companies for a period before making amends (in typical Eisner fashion), and also to the morass of rights to Henson characters. But that’s the basic gist of it.
As for why this statement from the Jim Henson Company matters, for the same reason that it matters when Walt Disney’s grandkids and family come out in favor of or against something the current company is doing. Jim Henson may not have the same stature as Walt Disney, but for a large swath of Americans of a certain age, they are regarded similarly. Both ‘American Originals’ who broke the mold, with few more impactful creative people in our nation’s history.
MuppetVision 3D is essentially the last legacy of Jim Henson, and when people (like me) say it’s culturally significant and should be treated as such, we aren’t kidding. MuppetVision 3D is a prime example of theme parks as art and national heritage. This statement by the Jim Henson Company shines a light on that, and may bring it to the attention and concern of people–beyond just theme park fans–who may have been previously unaware of Jim Henson’s personal involvement.
All of this will help add to the pressure campaign for the Walt Disney Company to do the right thing with regard to MuppetVision 3D. I’m not suggesting that means Walt Disney World walking back the decision and relocating Monstropolis–that isn’t happening. There’s a reason they took so long to make this announcement, and it’s because there had been internal deliberations and debate about all of this. What was announced, at least in terms of where the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster and miniland will go, is a done deal.
What isn’t necessarily settled is the fate of MuppetVision 3D. Given that, we’d encourage you to add to the pressure campaign by contacting Walt Disney World to respectfully express your opinion, if you have a strong one on this matter (and I assume you do if you’ve read this far) as soon as possible.
The best way to do that is by emailing [email protected]. Trust me–it’s not too late to make your voice heard on this subject. (We’re currently traveling, but have more Muppets posts planned in the next couple of weeks to help spread the word and fight the good fight–apologies for the lack of responses to your many thoughtful comments on the earlier Muppets posts.)
Ultimately, there are a range of possibilities and outcomes when it comes to the future of MuppetVision 3D. It could live on as something lame like a multi-angle tribute put up on Disney+ or YouTube. At the other end of the spectrum, it could be something ambitious like relocating the stage show completely–either within Walt Disney World or to somewhere else entirely. Or something in between the two extremes. The Jim Henson Company’s statement was clever in the sense that it pushes the notion that MuppetVision 3D will have a “next act,” and subtly attempts to force Disney’s hand to make that hand. Here’s hoping it works and the gang is able to save the theater (or rather, the show inside it) once again!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the Jim Henson Company’s statement? Think there’s any chance of MuppetVision 3D being “saved” in any meaningful sense of the word? Do you believe it’ll end up being relocated within Walt Disney World, outside the parks, or just on Disney Plus? What do you think of Monstropolis replacing MuppetVision? Is this addition still “worth it” to you now that it’s replacing Grand Avenue and MuppetVision 3D? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!