Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has officially closed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and all remnants of Aerosmith have been removed. The ride is being rethemed, now “Starring The Muppets,” and is expected to reopen in just a couple months. Plus, construction continues on the Monsters Inc land taking over the former Muppets Courtyard, and the new Walt Disney Studios Courtyard has its opening date set.

Let’s go over all of the work happening around Hollywood Studios in today’s news update. See the video version of this story below for additional visuals.

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Muppets Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in its original form closed for good on March 2, 2026, and by the next morning all remnants of the word Aerosmith had been scrubbed from public view.

New signs explain how The Muppets will be moving in, with the official name for the attraction changing to “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets” once it reopens later this summer.

Work walls went up around the front of the building, but the guest pathway must remain open as that is the only way to get to the Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After show.

The large guitar in front of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster building is behind work walls, with official concept art showing what the new version will look like once repainted.

A few days after closing, additional scaffolding with scrims were added, further blocking the view of this guitar.

The upside-down car above the entry into the courtyard started to see refinishing work immediately after the ride closed.

In the couple weeks since its closure the car’s new paint job is already starting to look more like psychedelic design seen in official concept art.

Disney set up two pressed penny machines as soon as the ride closed, offering 8 different new Muppets designs.

These pressed coin collectibles feature different Muppets characters and the attraction’s new name, as well as the words UNDER CONSTRUCTION 2026, so these may be very temporary souvenir offerings.

It is expected that any mentions of G Force Records will remain, as the new story for the updated attraction has The Muppets taking over the record studio.

The closed attraction signs also feature a logo for Lock ‘n’ Roll, the fictional name for the parking garage that the coaster’s load station is themed as, so perhaps that will remain through the retheme as well.

Several permits have been filed for the installation of set elements in the months prior to the ride’s closure, presumably so work could happen fast for a quick turnaround.

Even the attraction’s preshow closed prior to the ride’s closure, so that it could be transformed into the Muppet version.

Disney says the new preshow will feature animatronic figures, as seen in the official concept art below.

We are still awaiting the official set list for the ride, which Disney says will feature “Electric Mayhem playing some of the most iconic, rockin’ hits.”

Many fans are wondering if one track we hear could have been teased as the final number in the recent The Muppet Show special that aired on ABC and released on Disney+. The special concluded with The Muppets performing “Don’t Stop Me Now” from Queen.

So far a specific opening date for the revamped ride has not been announced, with the latest press release saying it’ll open “this summer,” and Disney Parks Blog saying they’ll be “news coming soon.”

With how fast they seem to be moving, it probably won’t be too long after Memorial Day it’ll open, and we’ll get The Muppets back in action at Hollywood Studios.

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Monstropolis Construction

Looking to the area The Muppets used to call home, work continues on the upcoming Monsters Inc land at Hollywood Studios.

The main attraction for the area, a large indoor suspended family roller coaster, continues to see its multi-later foundation be built up.

Located at the back of the area, and taking over sections of parking lot formerly located outside of the theme park, this ride’s large gravity building has not gone vertical just yet.

Instead, the foundation is being laid in several different layers.

The first layer of poured concrete was then covered in sand. The area on the right side of the next photo shows the sand layer, laid on top of a previously poured section.

Another layer of concrete will be poured on top of the sand.

Rebar can be seen here in this section of the large footprint, for preparation of another pour.

Nearby, in another section, complex highways of conduit are visible running through this layer.

Connections are being added now throughout these sections. which are for structural support beams to be installed.

Zooming out, we can see the workers in the high visibility vests look like dots against the future building’s footprint.

The front of this roller coaster building will be themed as the Monsters Incorporated power company. And the facade for Monsters Inc will be visible at the end of the streets of Monstropolis.

The Monstropolis city area is replacing the former Muppets Courtyard.

Reusing some of the existing city facades, several facades were recently stripped all the way down to their framing.

These stripped facades were then covered in protective plastic sheeting as work moves on to the next sections.

Scaffolding can seen up in front of the former PizzeRizzo quick service location’s entrance.

We can see the base of the now removed PizzeRizzo “It’s Rat Pizza” billboard, still attached to the awning over outdoor dining areas.

Additional scaffolding was recently added around the restrooms attached to this former restaurant.

On the ground in the next photo, street lamps and mounted lighting are seen wrapped in protective plastic.

Work has continued stripping and shaping the existing brickwork on the front facade for the former Muppet*Vision 3D theater.

Official concept art shows this as becoming the Glob Theater for Monsters Inc.

Earlier this month Disney filed a Notice of Commencement related to the theater.

The project description was listed as “install set elements” and it showed Adirondack Studios as the contractor. That company has worked on large Walt Disney World projects like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the past.

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Animation Courtyard Construction

More construction is happening at the park as the former Animation Courtyard and Star Wars Launch Bay are being transformed into the new The Magic of Disney Animation.

The courtyard area is transforming into a recreation of the real Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

As part of this work, a new entry sign based on the real sign in Burbank is being constructed here.

The former studios arch that was originally placed here since the park had opened has been completely demolished, paving way for this new smaller entry sign.

Here is how the sign looks in official concept art.

New concrete walls are being constructed on either side of the new sign as well, with the wall on the right of the sign seen farther along in progress.

Work has started on the former entrance to Star Wars Launch Bay. The two columns have been painted over.

The awning over the entrance was stripped down, and now a new rounded awning is being installed.

This will become the new entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation, which will feature the Mickey sorcerer hat, just like the real animation studio in California.

The entrance area for the former Disney Jr show is being reworked now as well, with concrete tore up, the former signage removed, and two new beams now installed.

The new show moving into this theater, named “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!,” has now officially been announced to be opening May 26th.

Based on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ cartoon show, this live show will feature Mickey, Minnie, and their friends with upbeat original songs and interactive fun and dancing.

The new Walt Disney Studios Courtyard will be opening along side the new show on May 26th, but The Magic of Disney Animation is not expected to open until late summer.

New details for what will be found inside were recently revealed, including new concept art.

With this new venue inspired by the “Once Upon A Studio” short film, they will actually be showing it in the on-site theater. Portraits along the walls of the theater will come to life to coincide with what’s happening on screen.

Meet and greets will be moving into the space, themed as different parts of the studio. For example, you will be able to meet Rapunzel in the layout department. This setting is inspired by Walt Disney’s multiplane camera, with layers of backgrounds that created a realistic sense of depth in animated films.

Characters and their locations:

• Mulan in Story
• Rapunzel in Layout
• Chip n’ Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation
• Donald and Daisy in CG Animation
• Goofy in Lighting
• Stitch in Effects

Details were also revealed for the new venue’s Animation Academy drawing classes, called “Olaf Draws!”

Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf, recorded dialogue for a new animatronic Olaf figure who will be on stage during every drawing class.

The classes will be prerecorded and taught by real Disney animators, many of which were animators or directors for the very films the characters they’re teaching are from. For example, Byron Howard, a director of the Zootopia films will be teaching guests how to draw Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.

Drawing Classes:

• Mickey Mouse, with Dan Abraham, director (Once Upon A Studio, Baymax!)
• Minnie Mouse, with Hyun Min Lee, animator (Frozen 2, The Princess and the Frog)
• Donald Duck, with Austin Traylor, animator (Once Upon A Studio, Moana 2)
• Genie, with Eric Goldberg, animator (Aladdin, Hercules)
• Moana, with Samantha Vilfort, story artist (Encanto, Zootopia 2)
• Stitch, with Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and head of story (Wish, Raya and the Last Dragon)
• Olaf, with Trent Correy, director (Once Upon A Studio, Frozen 3)
• Ursula, with Michael Woodside, animator (Big Hero 6, Encanto)
• Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, with Byron Howard director, (Zootopia, Zootopia 2)

As previously announced, the new space will also include an indoor playground based on concept art by Mary Blair for Alice in Wonderland.

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Project Timelines

Exact dates have not yet been announced for The Magic of Disney Animation, set to open late summer, or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, which Disney just says will open this summer.

No timeframe has been given for the grand opening of Monstropolis, but fans expect it to be ready some time in 2028.

One project that does have an official opening date is the new mission taking over Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It debuts May 22nd, the same date that The Mandalorian and Grogu film opens in theaters.

We will keep you updated on these projects, as well as Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom, opening next year, and new Villains Land and Cars rides coming to Magic Kingdom, opening after.

A big thank you to Bioreconstruct for the incredible aerial views. You can follow him on social media and YouTube for more theme park photography.

Be sure to see the video version of this story for additional visuals. And check out our recent update on the Fast & Furious drifting coaster being built at Universal Orlando.

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Original Photos: Alicia Stella | Aerial Photos: Bioreconstruct | Official Art: Disney | Other Images as Captioned

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