It’s time to stop the music and it’s time to dim the lights because MuppetVision 3D is closing for good at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Take a last look at the details of the show’s theater, including the queue and waiting area.
MuppetVision 3D Facade
MuppetVision 3D is in a brick building with a tall clocktower on the right. There is a covered exterior queue — rarely used in recent years. It once displayed parody movie posters featuring the Muppets.
The Lightning Lane and stand-by entrances have individual green overhangs with red signs. Over the center entryway — which was more often used as the stand-by entrance — is a light-up marquee inspired by old movie theaters.
On the marquee, the “M” of MuppetVision is green with a Kermit-inspired collar. This marquee was installed in 2017 when Muppets Courtyard was re-branded Grand Avenue. Prior to that, the theater had a large “MuppetVision 3D” sign featuring Kermit and a film clapboard.
The MuppetVision 3D facade also originally had an iconic Kermit hot air balloon atop the clocktower. This came down in 2017, too.
Not all whimsy was removed, though. A flat black and white figure of Gonzo has always hung from a hand of the clock in reference to the 1923 silent comedy “Safety Last!” starring Harold Lloyd. The image of Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock became an icon of film.
Window shutters across the facade are purple, blue, and green. For a time, banners featuring Muppet characters hung on either side of the marquee, covering two of the fake windows.
A flat figure of Sweetums is next to the Lightning Lane entrance. He holds a MuppetVision 3D-branded bounce back paddle ball, with the ball on a string being three-dimensional. Sweetums appears in MuppetVision 3D on screen with the paddle ball — one of many 3D jokes in the show.
The flats on the opposite side of the entryways depict Statler and Waldorf in tourist-y clothes saying, “I hear MuppetVision 3D is better than getting hit on the head with a 2 by 4.” “I won’t believe that til I see it! Let’s go in!” Statler and Waldorf also appear in the show.
Framed MuppetVision 3D posters on the entrance columns feature Kermit and Miss Piggy. Kermit lounges in a director’s chair.
Miss Piggy is depicted as Lady Liberty. She appears in this costume at the end of the show.
Queue & Waiting Area
After entering the building, guests see a security window on the right. A sign hanging in the window reads, “Back in 5 minutes key is under mat.” If you lift the mat on the ground, you see the key (screwed into the ground so guests can’t actually take it).
On the other side of the entryway is a Cast Members-only door. Signs leading to the door read, “Really top secret,” “Really really tippy top secret,” “Keep out,” and “This means YOU!”
The queue is themed to the production offices of MuppetVision 3D World Headquarters. A framed set of boards on the wall display the office directory.
Here’s the directory in full.
Muppet Vision 3D World Headquarters
Directory
- Institute of Heckling & Browbeating
- Statler and Waldorf – Curmudgeons in Chief: Box A MEZZ
- Muppet Kitchens & Pyrotechnic Research
- Swedish Chef – Tippy Top Cookie Guy: Suite 2649
- Dept of Poultry & Mold Cultivation
- The Great Gonzo – Paramour Connoisseur: Suite 1913
- Patriotic Analysis & Protocol
- Sam the Eagle – American: Suite 1776
- Sartorial Accumulation Division
- Miss Piggy – Diva: Very Suite 4444
- Academy of Amphibian Science
- Kermit – The Frog: Suite 5235
Muppet Vision 3D World Headquarters
The Rest of the Directory
- Division of Decibel Development
- Animal – Percussionist at Large: Suite 6420
- Attitudinal Adjustment & Groove Testing
- Dr. Teeth – Chairman & Floyd Pepper – Ottoman: Suite E129
- Dept of Comedic Timing & Delivery
- Take Fozzie Bear – Please: Suite 8232
- Cute Cuddly & A.W Shucks Attorneys
- Bean Bunny – Your Pal: 2 Suite 4 U
Soup of the Day
- Split Pea
- Cup – 2.95; Bowl – 1.50; No Soup – 3.95
- Alphabet Soup
- P M E N W P V D F C N
The MuppetVision custodians have a special dustbin painted with Animal’s face.
The indoor queue features fake skylights and orb lights.
The archway leading out of the atrium is chipped with a written note on the wall reading, “You must be shorter than this to enter!” Maybe Sweetums had an accident.
After the atrium, guests make their way down a hallway lined with office doors and close-up photos of various Muppets. Miss Piggy and Kermit are the first photos on either side of the hall.
The office doors all feature the MuppetVision 3D and Muppet Labs logos. The departments include Department of Artificial Reality – “This is Not a Door” and the Institute of Advanced Chronology – “Staying Ahead of the Times.”
There is also the Division of Fashion Technology and Stress Testing Dept. Other Muppet photos feature Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Swedish Chef, Bunsen, Beaker, Scooter, and Bean Bunny.
At the end of the hallway, guests pass under another archway leading to “Stage 3D.” The archway has more “Keep out” and “Top secret” signs.
Guests now find themselves in a backstage-themed warehouse. They pick up their 3D glasses from crates next to the doorway. The end of the first crate reads:
Lookee here!
Can’t see 3-D??
Then stop by the Muppet Vision Center today!
Non-prescription 3-D lenses in stylish purple frames
Absolutely free!
Inquire within
The fronts of the crates have arrows with “This side up” text and drawings of the 3-D glasses.
Near the door is the painting “The Sleepy Zootsy,” a parody of a Henri Rousseau painting. This first appeared in the 1984 “Miss Piggy’s Art Masterpiece Calendar.” It’s accompanied by two crate lids labeled for the Props Dept. Div. of Art Masterpieces. Another crate is labeled “Rowlf’s Self-Portrait” from the production “My Life as a Mutt.”
A clapboard on a nearby column is for scene “Two Bit Quarters,” take “The A Train” in “Muppets Take Manhattan” directed by Kermit with Gonzo on camera.
Another clapboard is for scene “Happiness Hotel,” take “My Wife, Please!” in “The Great Muppet Caper” directed by Fozzie. Hanging above that clapboard is a poster for “The Great Muppet Caper” featuring Muppets crammed into a car.
There’s also a flat standee depicting Kermit rocking out on a guitar.
Boxes in the entryway hold instruments and costumes for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. The largest box is labeled:
- Paisley bell bottoms
- Nehru jackets
- Beattle boots
- Love beads
- Incense
- Indian bedpsreads
- Tie-dye scarves
- Groovy shades
Maybe the band is packing up for their move to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
This crate contains Rowlf’s piano, dog food (expiring “tomorrow”), and “Ol’ Brown Eyes is Back” albums. “Ol’ Brown Ears is Back” is the name of a 1993 Rowlf album, which was a reference to Frank Sinatra’s “Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back.”
After picking up their 3D glasses, guests entered into a large space packed full of props from floor to ceiling. Several TVs hung from the ceiling to display the pre-show. A net full of jello hanging on the left is a pun on Annette Funicello, who was one of the original Mouseketeers of “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
One TV showcases posters for Muppet film parodies. These include “Prawn,” a parody of “Tron” with Pepe the King Prawn and “High School Mayhem,” a parody of “High School Musical.”
On the left are some of Miss Piggy’s items, including tall crates of “Really fancy satin gowns” and “More really fancy satin gowns” and “Even more really fancy satin gowns.”
A mirror surrounded by lights features a photo of Kermit and the frog with Miss Piggy, plus a hand-drawn heart reading “Moi-Kermie 2gether 4ever.” The lid of a pink crate is labeled “Miss Piggy Dressing Room XL.” There are multiple boxes of satin evening gowns.
The crate below Miss Piggy’s mirror is addressed to Walter, “Whistler-in-Residence,” who was introduced in the 2011 “The Muppets” film. It’s from Gary and Mary, the human characters of the film portrayed by Jason Segel and Amy Adams.
There’s a “Casino in a Crate” addressed to Rizzo the Rat and a box of joke props for Fozzie Bar.
This robot face appears to be a creation of Muppet Labs. Its eyes are two different-sized gauges and it has an orange kite attached to it.
In front of a sky backdrop is a yellow plane — the Curtish Moth — with a blue banner reading “The Great Gonzo.” Sticking out of crates in front of the plane are two butterfly nets covered in fake butterflies.
A poster hanging from the ceiling features Miss Piggy dressed as an astronaut. It’s for a film titled “Closet Encounters of the Worst Kind,” a reference to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” It’s tagline is “In space, no one can find their shoes,” a riff on the “Alien” tagline “In space, no one can hear you scream.” This artwork originates from the 1981 “The Miss Piggy Cover Girl Fantasy Calendar.”
The poster and the nearby pig-shaped spaceship also serve as references to “Pigs in Space,” a recurring bit on “The Muppets Show” featuring Miss Piggy, Captain Link Hogthrob, and Dr. Julius Strangepork.
“Pigs in Space” comic artwork hangs nearby, depicting the trio in their spaceship.
An ocean backdrop hangs behind a small mounted sailboat. Gonzo is pictured next to the boat in scuba gear and holding a camera.
A red, white, and blue crate holds “Sam the Eagle’s Patriotic Paraphernalia” including flags, fireworks “& so forth & so on.” There are a few suitcases in the warehouse covered in travel stickers. A crate addressed to Scooter is from Spanky’s Spectacular Spectacles and contains various types of glasses.
There are barrels of pickled herring, all addressed to Nicky Napoleon and The Emperor Penguins. A yellow barrel featuring Chiquita labels is full of banana puree. There’s a cannon behind some of these barrels, possibly the same cannon that appears in the MuppetVision 3D finale.
Several red crates hold the Great Gonzo’s “weird stuff,” “really weird stuff,” and stunt props including mold, fungus, helmets, helmets covered with fungus and mold, helmets with fungus – no mold, helmets with mold – no fungus, fungus and mold – no helmets.
Atop a crate from the Scientific Doohicky Company is a giant pencil, propellor, gas pump, and more random props.
In the center, far end of the room is Kermit’s tuxedo from “The Muppets” (2011), accompanied by a signed photo of Kermit.
Below that is a broken crate with tubes spilling out.
“Do not remove this plank,” reads a plank. It sits on top of a crate from Gonzo’s Royal Flush Plumbing Co. to Gonzo the Great in “Little Whatever’s Room.” Gonzo’s Royal Flush is the name of the bathroom structure across from MuppetVision 3D.
A box full of 2D fruit flats is labeled “2D Fruities.” It’s atop a crate to Kermit the Frog from Amphibianco at The Total Swamp Store. In that crate are swamp supplies like lilypads, pondscum, waterlilies, mosquitos, and a log. These items all appear in an early scene of “The Muppet Movie” (1979) when Kermit is seen in his swamp.
Dozens of film reels are stacked atop more crates. A large crate from Sven & Ingmar’s Kooking Kollections in Sweden is for Swedish Chef. There’s a box of emergency tuxedos for Nicky Napoleon and The Emperor Penguins.
One crate is full of Lew Zealand’s boomerang fish “a product of Long Island Sound & Seafood Supplies.” A small crate has “Bean Bunnie’s Great Big Box of Really Cute 3D Props Fragile (and extremely sensitive too!)” Bean Bunny is a prominent character in MuppetVision 3D.
Several screens are draped in colorful, feathery boas. A portrait of a Muppet version of Jim Henson hangs over the space.
Some of the TVs are housed in black crates labeled “Muppet Labs” and featuring stickers.
In the rafters above the TVs are various props, including some of the toy soldiers that appear at the end of MuppetVision 3D. Sparkly drapes fill out the space.
Select TVs have closed captioning. The pre-show sees Scooter try to give important information to guests while other Muppets interrupt. Rizzo the Rat famously appears as Mickey Mouse.
The right wall holds the doors leading into the theater. The walls appear to be made out of crates with various labels and arrows. The box for the microphone used by Cast Members is labeled “Thing you talk in.”
MuppetVision 3D Theater
The inside of the theater features white columns and red wallpaper. It’s inspired by the theater of “The Muppet Show.” Figures of Kermit and Fozzie are above the doors. Fozzie is inspired by the classic comedy and drama theater masks.
The Kermit figures wear Grecian laurels. One holds a scroll and megaphone. The other has an ancient clapboard featuring Roman numerals.
The higher sections of the walls were scrims with projected images on them. At the end of the show, exploded holes in the walls would be visible. They also served as screens for the Waldo C. Graphic projections and other effects.
Bean Bunny appears in the theater’s decor as white cherub sculptures on the front of the stage. The space in front of the stage is blocked by red ropes. This is where Sweetums walks around during the show. The theater seats are red.
Miss Piggy sculptures are atop some of the columns. Two boxes overlook the stage, both red with golden trim and decorations. They have red curtains that pull back to reveal Statler and Waldorf on the right, and Bean Bunny on the left.
Statler and Waldorf first appear before the show officially begins. They wear their own purple 3D glasses.
At the back of the theater is the complex MuppetVision 3D “Yell & Howl Projector,” run by the Swedish Chef. He appears in a hole on the right at the start and end of the show.
Above the stage is a “MuppetVision 3D” sculpture featuring Kermit, representations of Miss Piggy, and Gonzo’s face.
MuppetVision 3D Exit
When exiting after the show, guests pass a few posters. The “Frankie’s Formalwear” poster features one of the penguins in a tuxedo. A Fozzie Bear poster reads, “No joking! I need a job!” Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem is also seeking gigs. Another poster advertises the piano stylings of Rowlf.
Watch our video of MuppetVision 3D below.
Saturday, June 7 will be the last day of operation for MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Hours for the show were extended on the last day. The theater, which was custom built for the show, will likely house a new show when the area becomes Monstropolis. The “Monsters, Inc.” land will have a suspended door coaster featuring Disney’s first-ever vertical lift.
There are rumors that Disney will record a full performance of MuppetVision 3D, attended by Cast Members, for archival purposes. The attraction’s film was already digitized over a decade ago. Disney stated they are “exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.”
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