Chapter 17 – Hollywood Studios - Muppets Courtyard – Part 1                  posted 3/30/23
The Muppet Courtyard has been moved without moving, many times since it opened in Hollywood Studios.
The area was originally part of the Streets of New York (from 1989 - 1994), then as part of Streets of America (from 1994 - 2016), before it was broken off into its own land- Muppet Courtyard (from 2016 – 2017), Muppet Courtyard became a land within a land.
The Muppets Courtyard featured Muppet*Vision 3-D, PizzeRizzo, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante and several shops.
But in 2017, the location was resorted as part of Grand Avenue.






Muppet Courtyard (from 2016-2017)




Info source:

To get into the mood for touring this area, let’s have a little Muppets Courtyard background Music:
History
Before we being our tour of Muppet Courtyard, let look at some of the history of what is and what could have been the Muppet Courtyard.
 
Muppet Courtyard
The creation of Muppet Courtyard evolved out of an over a 30-year-old idea that the Muppets should have their own land in Disney-MGM Studios. After productive negotiations with Muppet creator Jim Henson, Disney had planned on making Kermit and the gang a staple of Disney-MGM Studios.
 
To do this, Disney wanted to create a Muppet Studios which would feature attractions, restaurants, shopping and entertainment that all revolving around the Muppets.
 
The Disney Imagineers had big plans for a section at the back of the newly opened Disney-MGM Studios for a new "land" to be called Muppet Studios. The area would have essentially imitated, in classic Muppet style, the movie-making themes celebrated elsewhere in the theme park.

First Phase
In “the First Phase” of the Muppet Studio plans it called for the creation of a 3D Show, a parade, and some live entertainment:
  • Muppet Vision 3D – which did come to fruition
  • The Muppet Parade - To promote the new area characters such as Kermit and Miss Piggy would walk around the park, meeting and greeting guests.
  • Live Entertainment – the first Muppet attraction in Disney-MGM Studios, was a live stage show “Here Come the Muppets”, introduced in May 1990, was always seen as a temporary placeholder for the 3D Muppet. It was performed in the theater that now houses The Voyage of the Little Mermaid show.
  • "Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses" which followed, in Sept 1991, was performed outside on a stage at the exit of the Muppet*Vision 3-D attraction.
 
(Note: More about these events below)
 
Second Phase
It would subsequently be followed by "the Second Phase”, which was to consist of "The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor" (an interactive restaurant) and "The Great Muppet Movie Ride":
  • The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor – a Muppet style restaurant
  • The Great Muppet Movie Ride - a spoof of the nearby Great Movie Ride
 
(Note: These will also be discussed below)
But with the untimely passing of Jim Henson in 1990, and with no long-term deal with Henson Studios in place, Disney began to scale back their Muppet plans.
In spite of the fact that it was now clear that Muppet Studios would never come to fruition, Disney continued to work on Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D. The attraction would eventually open to guests on the first anniversary of Henson’s death, May 16, 1991.
Although not on the size of the planned Muppet Studio, Disney did create a small Muppet area to surround Muppet Vision 3D on the Streets of America.

(Note: We will visit the Street of America in an upcoming Chapter)
 
The Muppet Courtyard area outside the proposed attractions, would including the storefronts, that are themed to the Muppets.
In the end, only the area’s Muppet Statue, Muppet Vision 3D and the Fire Station No.1 façade had a direct tie in to the Muppets.
At one time, even the actual fire truck from the scene was on display nearby.
However, the actual creation of Muppets Courtyard finally took place in March 2016, when Disney announced that the area encompassing Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italian and Muppet Vision 3D would no longer be part of the Streets of America, but instead were designated as part of Muppets Courtyard.

In November 2016, PizzeRizzo, a Muppet themed pizza parlor (operated by Rizzo the Rat) replacing Pizza Planet in Muppets Courtyard.

Resource:
Here Come the Muppets
Here Come the Muppets was one of the shows in Phase 1 that was to introduce MuppetLand into Disney-MGM Studios.
It opened on May 25, 1990 and was located in the Animation Courtyard Theater (where the Voyage of the Little Mermaid now plays).

Summary
The Queue area of the show featured Rowlf and Sam the Eagle having a conversation, while Rowlf attempted to serenade guests with his piano playing skills.
Kermit calls the operator (Lily Tomlin as her Ernestine character from Laugh-In) and asks to get Miss Piggy on the phone. Miss Piggy is wearing a robe and has mud on her face. She claims that she is talking with some Disney executives, but when she finds out that Kermit is using a videophone and that she can be seen, she instantly gets ready for the show. Kermit then calls Fozzie Bear. Fozzie thinks that he's lost, but Kermit tells him that he has to go through the door that Fozzie is in front of, and this leads him to the stage.
Kermit the Frog is onstage, but the other Muppets are late. Kermit gets a call from Mickey Mouse on the videophone. Mickey is checking on how the show is going, and Kermit assures him that it's going fine despite the others not being there yet.
Shortly after entering the stage, Fozzie tells Kermit that Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are going to come by monorail. The monorail crashes through the wall, and the band emerges. Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Bean Bunny soon arrive as well, and the show gets started.
Songs
  • Make 'Em Laugh (originally from Singin' in the Rain)
  • Personality (originally by Lloyd Price)
  • Bein' Green (originally by Kermit the Frog)
  • The Heart of Rock & Roll (originally by Huey Lewis)
  • Shout! (Originally by The Isley Brothers)

Cast

On-Stage (speaking): Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Bean Bunny, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Animal, Janice, and Zoot.
 
In Video Footage Only (speaking): Lily Tomlin as Ernestine, Rowlf the Dog, Sam the Eagle, Foo-Foo, and Penguins

Muppet Performers/Voices
  • Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth and Rowlf the Dog
  • Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam the Eagle
  • Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Zoot
  • Steve Whitmire as Bean Bunny and Foo-Foo
  • Richard Hunt as Janice
  • Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper 
The show ran until September 2, 1991, after the show closed, a second live Muppet show, Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses, opened in another location in the park.
 
Source:
Here Come the Muppets (Parade)
Here Come the Muppets Parade was a proposed parade for Disneyland during the failed sale of the Muppets to Disney in the 1990s.
 Models for the proposed parade.                            ©Disney


Disneyland's Party Gras parade which launched in 1990, giant inflatable characters of Sweetums, The Swedish Chef, Fozzie Bear on a trunk with Vaudeville props, Kermit the Frog in his director's chair, Animal bursting from his drum, Beaker, Dr. Teeth, Gonzo in his cape and red tennis shoes (not pictured), and Miss Piggy would have rolled down Main Street U.S.A.
The parade was part of a larger promotion of the Muppets taking over Disneyland, while Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the other Disney characters took a year-long vacation from the redubbed "MuppetLand" theme park, with the excuse being they were tired from Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration.
Reference:
Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses
The Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses show opened in September 1991, two weeks after the Here Come the Muppets attraction closed.
Muppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses was also a live show at the Disney-MGM Studios. The plot revolved around the Muppets filming a movie. The Muppets characters also interacted with the audience, making the show more interactive. It played for nearly three years in an outdoor location near the exit of Muppet*Vision 3D.
Summary

The Electric Mayhem open the show, introducing themselves and performing "Hey a Movie!", as all the other characters appear and join in the song. The movie begins filming, with Miss Piggy portraying a down-on-her-luck flower shop clerk (who is allergic to flowers). She sings "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", with the assistance of appropriate props.
The show breaks for autograph signing, and the Electric Mayhem play through the interval. Dr. Teeth sings "Great Balls of Fire", Floyd sings "On the Road Again", Zoot performs Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax", and Animal emotes during "Feelings". As the last autographs are signed, Janice sings "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", and the cast returns to the stage to complete the filming.
The cast perform a medley of show tunes, which include "42nd Street", "Lullaby of Broadway", "Happy Feet", and the grand finale: Miss Piggy singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses", with more props.

 Click on PhotoCharacters (speaking)
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bean Bunny, The Great Gonzo, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Animal, Janice, and Zoot.

Voices
  • Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal
  • Richard Hunt as Janice
  • Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper
  • Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Zoot
  • Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog and Bean Bunny
  • John Kennedy as Dr. Teeth
Click on photo to enlarge
It played for nearly three years and closed on January 1994. It was replaced by Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Live in Action.

Source:
The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor

The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor is an abandoned second phase concept for a Muppet-themed restaurant for Disney-MGM Studios. The concept was to create a restaurant run by Gonzo and Rizzo.
  • Part of the original concept was to have animatronic Muppet rats deliver pizza to the tables by way of a "train track" system.
  • Other features from the concept included Gonzo being heard crawling through the duct work along the ceiling,
  • Another was video screens depicting classic Muppet clips as well as the pandemonium in the kitchen (featuring Gonzo, Rizzo and the Swedish Chef), and the occasional explosion, blowing open the doors of the kitchen sending clouds of smoke and chicken feathers into the dining room.
  • Guests could watch Swedish Chef making their meals "live" on little overhead television monitors that would also show clips of the Muppets from their television shows and movies.
  • Guests would have seen the food fighting back unexpectedly against the Swedish Chef on the monitor as he tried to prepare meals.
  • Armed lobsters would take over the kitchen to prevent being boiled or an animated lump of pizza dough would spring to life and attack the befuddled chef.
 
The walls of the restaurant, similar to the lobby of Muppet*Vision 3D, would have been covered with recreations of props from Muppet productions, as well as various sight gags.
 
The space originally intended for the restaurant became Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano. The concept of a pizza restaurant run by a Muppet, specifically Rizzo, was revisited in late 2016 with PizzeRizzo.
Resource:
The Great Muppet Movie Ride
The Great Muppet Movie Ride is also an abandoned Phase Two concept.
 
The attraction, which was meant to imitate the park's own Great Movie Ride, would have brought guests through a variety of set pieces in which the Muppets attempted to recreate scenes from classic movies, such as Frankenstein and Peter Pan.

The Great Muppet Movie Ride is also an abandoned Phase Two concept.
 
The attraction, which was meant to imitate the park's own Great Movie Ride, would have brought guests through a variety of set pieces in which the Muppets attempted to recreate scenes from classic movies, such as Frankenstein and Peter Pan.
                                                                                                              Conceptual Scene – Frankenstein                                            Conceptual Scene – Peter Pan
Click on photos to enlarge
  • Statler and Waldorf would have been seated in a cart alongside the guests and would experience misfortune based on the different scenes.
  • Audio-animatronics Muppets would find themselves in classic film scenes.
  • An idea spoofing the snow scene in Dr. Zhivago would have seen Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy in a plastic ball that's turned back and forth,
  • Another would be Western-themed scene would feature horses making the sounds of galloping with coconuts tied to their hooves.
 
Unlike the Great Movie Ride, which features scenes and behind-the-scenes that were loosely based on Hollywood movies, the Muppet version was conceived to explain the way movies are produced, with a typically Muppet spin.
 
Jim Henson explained, "It's the flip side of the rest of the Disney-MGM Studio, which tells you how movies are really made. We're doing it in the most stupid way possible, using lots of misinformation."
 
The Backlot Theater that housed productions like the Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure show was originally intended as the location for the major attraction at the Muppet Studios, The Great Muppet Movie Ride, announced to open in Spring 1993.
 
Plans for the ride, which would have complemented Muppet*Vision 3D in a new Muppet Studios section of the park, were abandoned after the merger between The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company fell apart.
Summary of some potential Scenes
  • One scene was a take-off on the popular 1931 black-and-white horror film, Frankenstein. In this scene, director Gonzo and inept special-effects technician Fozzie Bear are overseeing a frightened Miss Piggy and Kermit who have stumbled into a mad doctor's lair in the dungeon of an old castle. The scientist is Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and on his operating table slab is a 10-foot-tall Beaker (with bolts sticking out of his neck), waiting to be brought to life.
  • The seriousness of the situation is constantly undercut by the effects going wrong, thanks to Fozzie, who is repeatedly electrocuted accidentally, causing his bow tie to spin, his eyes to light up, and his wiggling ears to produce puffs of smoke.
  • The next scene would have been a segment from a big screen version of "Pigs in Space," a popular segment of the Muppet television show. The crew of the intrepid U.S.S. Swinetrek (Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork and Miss Piggy) are in the middle of a battle with space "pie-rats" (pirates who are Rizzo the rat and his relatives). Both groups are wildly blasting lasers as the rodents try to swing across on ropes to board the spaceship.
  • Yet another scene would have parodied Peter Pan, with Kermit (as Peter) teaching the Darling children to fly. The Darling children would have been Janice (the hippie singer with Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem) as Wendy, the ever-proper Scooter as the bespectacled John, and Fozzie Bear as Michael in footie pajamas and holding a teddy bear.
  • Rat technicians clearly operate the awkward and obvious pulley rigs and ropes to help these performers fly. However, they are having difficulty with one of the performers, the robust Miss Piggy dressed as Tinker Bell, who from the huge holes in some of the scenery has apparently had some mishaps, so the massive Sweetums has been brought in to try to help control her rope.
  • There would have been a multitude of gags, including the caustic Statler and Waldorf in a studio golf cart appearing by the side of the ride vehicle every now and then to offer their typically sarcastic commentary before disappearing backstage.
Searches:
Let’s tour Muppets Courtyard.
Notice that the Balloon on top of the Muppet Vision 3D  was removed during the construction of Grand Ave and Galaxy's Edge.
Miss Piggy Fountain

The Miss Piggy fountain is the focal point of Muppet Courtyard. It’s the first thing guest will see as the enter the Courtyard.
Probably everyone’s favorite statue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is on of Miss Piggy in front of Muppet*Vision 3D.
Click on photo to enlarge
Note: After the transfer to Grand St the MuppetVision 3D Theater was renamed the Grand Arts Theater.
In the posturing in the center of the fountain is Miss Piggy in all her gorgeous glory, recreating her role as Miss Liberty as seen in the Muppet 3D movie. To one side of the fountain is Gonzo the Great directing the shot. On the other side we have Fozzie Bear as the cameraman, with Animal working the plumbing. All of them are surrounded by spouting fish and several Rats fishing for coins.

The Muppet fountain is a fantastic photo op.
Gonzo’s Toilet Business

Gonzo's Royal Flush Sits just adjacent to PizzeRizzo.
The actual name of the building is Broadway Plumbing (seems fitting in light of the New York tribute restaurant serving Italian cuisine).
 
At first glance, guests can guess that the building inspector may have overlooked a few details during the construction process - with all the pipage.
In the 2011 “The Muppets” movie, there was a replica of Gonzo’s toilet company. In the 1979 classic Muppet movie, The Great Gonzo was first introduced.
Everyone has to get their start somewhere, and it appears Gonzo was great at plumbing. Gonzo’s battered truck reads: “The Great Gonzo, Plumbing Artiste: The Prince of Plumbers.” It seems only fitting that a prince be close to his throne.
Guests will notice, how these signs are designed to look a little weathered, a little dingy. This is intentional, but it's such a seamless effect that it's easy to overlook. That's Imagineering theming at its absolute best!
 
Here's a look at the building's side facade. Gonzo has established another business. Do you have a clogged drain?
This demonstrates that Imagineering has stepped things up a notch or two in terms of designing loos.
 
There is a classic New York skyline wooden water tank adorns the roof of Broadway Plumbing's Florida headquarters. Again, check out all the ductwork here
 
Here's a sign featuring the simple, hilarious backstory to this loo. Everyone's favorite weirdo has apparently opened a showroom featuring used toilets.
If guests look closely, they’ll notice that Gonzo's Royal Flush is the actual name of this loo. To our knowledge, this is the only restroom on property that is actually featured with its own name.
A trip to the loo, takes us to his showroom, where, as this sign suggests, these toilets have been used.
Research:
Pizza Planet

Pizza Planet is a Toy Story themed restaurant in fact it was mentioned in the movie “Toy Story”.
In the movie it was a “space age” arcade and pizzeria where Buzz Lightyear and Woody climbed into the spaceship-shaped claw machine. They found themselves in a sea of three-eyed Green Aliens who revered “The Claw.”
Hold it, we’re drifting away for the tour. Besides most guests has seen the movie and know the plot. Also, if you’re a fan of the Toy Story series of movies, you’ll note that Pizza Planet makes a cameo in all of them.

Well, welcome to once upon a time Pizza Planet that had been in the Muppet Courtyard. It didn’t look much like Pizza Planet in the movie. It looks more like the Metropolitan Department of Water and Power and Philo’s Fish Co. But it has arcade machines and pizza, like those in the movie.
Jim Henson was in the process of selling his company and his creations to The Walt Disney Company when he died in May 1990 and the deal disintegrated. Muppet*Vision 3D proceeded, but the restaurants did not.
  • The space that would later become Pizza Planet opened as the Rocketeer Gallery, a display of props from the movie Rocketeer (1991).
  • Next, it became Studio Showcase, with models from Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and then from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
  • Then it became the Studio Arcade, a game arcade. Finally in December 1995 it became Pizza Planet.
With a name like Pizza Planet, pizza is the star here. With inside seating on two floors. If it’s a nice day—or you prefer heat and humidity over arcade noise—take your food to the outdoor seating.
Pizza Planet opened just three weeks after the release of Toy Story, the animated feature that launched Disney-Pixar. 
Besides a restaurant it also had an arcade, to keep the young ones entertained so that you can relax.
Click on photo to enlarge
“The Interstellar Fast-Food Fueling Station”
Click on photo to enlarge
Toy Story Pizza Planet closed in January 2016 to begin a major refurbishment.
 
 Info:
PizzeRizzo
“Rizzo The Rat owns and operates the pizzeria, where guests can grab a pizza pie and a cold drink. Enjoy a casual Italian-American dining experience in a whole new way, through the eyes of the lovable, wisecracking Muppet.”
PizzeRizzo opened in November 2016. Despite the references to New York and New Jersey. PizzeRizzo is now part of Grand Avenue, representing Los Angeles. The explanation is that Rizzo brought New York memorabilia with him when he relocated to Los Angeles.
PizzeRizzo exterior, with a dining balcony on the second floor.
Click on photo to enlarge
Rizzo the Rat comes from New Jersey and New York and knows how to make pizza.
But, PizzeRizzo opened with essentially the same food menu that Toy Story Pizza Planet had. Even the photos on the menus are the same.
Word has it that the pizza at PizzeRizzo comes in frozen from Nation Pizza and Foods in Schaumburg, Illinois, near Chicago. But it’s nothing like Chicago’s renowned pizza—deep dish or thin crust—either.
 
Look-up:
Lew – Fish Boomarang

 The Muppet Courtyard was originally to include Lew Zealand's Boomerang Fish Market; however, this became simply “Philo's Fish Co”.
Lew Zealand’s act would involve a boomerang fish. "I throw them away, and they come back to me!" He has appeared in almost all of the Muppet movies.
Guests walking along the street would have heard the performer practicing. In the windows would have been fish packed in ice that would spin around or offer awful puns like being "hard of herring."
 
Lew's first appearance on the The Muppet Show was in 1978, where his timely boomerang fish throwing saved Kermit from being tricked into a real marriage during Miss Piggy's "wedding sketch."
 
Lew Zealand was meant to only appear in that one episode. However, after that, a more permanent puppet was built and Lew Zealand became a regular character.
 
Aside from his boomerang fish act, Lew supplied the Muppets with paper towels in The Great Muppet Caper, played one of the merry men in the Muppets production of Robin Hood, and told Leslie Uggams how to be a great boomerang fish thrower: "Well, you gotta have sole. And if you can't get sole, use halibut."


Source:
Muppet Show 3D

With the unexpected and tragic passing of Jim Henson, Disney abandoned further development of Muppet Studios. However, one major project was almost complete, and arrangements were made for it to open as planned as a tribute to Jim Henson.
It was finished by his friend, puppeteer Frank Oz, who coordinated a small group of other creative personnel from both Henson and Disney. This popular attraction opened at Disney-MGM Studios in May 1991.
If guests look up at the minute hand, they’ll see a familiar face hanging on for a ride. Gonzo must have gotten the idea from Peter Pan.
Muppet Vision 3D is film starring the Muppets, the show features a combination of 3D video and Audio Animatronics to bring the Muppets to life.
There are Muppet 3D references in the queue, such as the Statler and Waldorf signage outside of the attraction comparing the show to getting hit in the head with a 2×4.
As you walk into the queue area, guests will pass a few doors, which lead to different Divisions of Muppet Labs.
"Where the future is being made today," is the place where scientific enquiry, technological breakthroughs, and sundry explosions occur
/Guests should make sure to stop and check out the ticket counter. Inside the building, guests will pass the box office on the right. But the ticket attendant has stepped out, but left a note letting everyone know the key is under the mat. Well, check out if it really is there, we know you want to.
Click on photo to enlarge
The queue area of Muppet*Vision 3-D, became the Muppets Studio warehouse. Where a few remnants of the cancelled Muppet Studios project, but the crates are clearly addressed to be delivered to the Muppet Studios.
Clik on photo to enlarge
                                Miss Piggy's Wardobe                                                               Some of Gonzo's props
Click on photo to enlarge
        Boxes containing props for various Muppets
                planned productions.
                                                                                                                               The Queue
After the pre-show guests are escorted into the main Theater which is a perfect replica of the Muppet Theater from the classic TV series, “The Muppet Show,” complete with an orchestra of penguins.
Don’t forget to grab your 3-D glasses on the way in.
The MuppetVision-3D Show
  • The show begins with Statler and Waldorf in their usual box putting on the glasses, and heckling the audience.
  • The cranky old Muppets watched the show along with you and interacted with both you and the characters on screen. Their wise-cracking comments added another layer of humor, with their jokes landing each and every time.
  • A penguin orchestra rises up. They tune and play a fanfare, which leads into the opening.
  • Gonzo appears behind a door and pushes a stick labeled "3D" towards the audience.
  • Kermit the Frog appears and welcomes the audience to Muppet*Vision 3D. He then gives the audience a tour of Muppet Studios, where many of the Muppets are preparing for segments in the show to follow the tour.
  • Then Fozzie Bear appears to perform some 3D effects. This includes a noisemaker, a can of springs, and a flower that sprays water.
  • Kermit then takes the audience to the Muppet's top-secret laboratory where he explains that they hired scientists from all over the world to come and work there. He then says, "Unfortunately, none of them showed up." He then introduces Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker.
  • Kermit then reappears and apologizes for the delay since the lab was "sucked up".
  • Fozzie also returns and attempts to demonstrate his flying pie but it malfunctions and hits him in the face. Kermit then says, "Fozzie, that's terrible." Fozzie then replies with, "You're right. It needs more sugar."
  • During a demonstration of three-dimensional imagery Waldo is "created" by Dr. Honeydew and Beaker, but he proves to be uncontrollable and wreaks havoc in the lab.
  • Dr. Honeydew tells Beaker to use the lab's inflatomatic to deactivate Waldo.
  • He does so, but instead of being deactivated, Waldo explodes into smaller versions of himself and says that he can start his own football team.
  • Dr. Honeydew then tells Beaker to use the lab's vacuum cleaner to suck up all the Waldos, but also accidentally sucks up the entire lab.
  • All but one Waldo is sucked up and realizing he's free, shape shifts into a taxi cab and drives away.
  • The show’s plot focuses on Waldo, “the spirit of 3D” and the first computer-made Muppet.
  • As Fozzie walks away, and Kermit introduces Miss Piggy's musical rendition of "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
  •  Bean Bunny attempts to assist Miss Piggy by using various props to add 3d effects. These include a butterfly on a fishing rod, a bee on a fishing rod, and bubbles blown from a bubble maker. To add the realism, real soap bubbles are blown from the ceiling.
  • Miss Piggy gets annoyed and tells him to knock it off. Bean then gives her a rope, explaining that it's for the water-skiing finale. A toy boat pulls Miss Piggy into the pond and gets her wet.
  • Sam Eagle enters the scene and sends Bean away before he ruins the film more.
  • He leaves and meets Waldo and together, they leave the film.
  • Gonzo sees Bean and Waldo leaving and gathers the rest of the Muppets to help him look for Bean.
  •  Sweetums (who is a live full-bodied Muppet) comes out into the audience to search for him having already done so on screen.
  • With help from the audience, he finds Bean on the other side balcony, across from Waldorf and Statler.
  • He explains why he ran away and agrees to stay if he can help in the finale. The Muppets decide to let Bean shoot off the fireworks.
  • The Swedish Chef "operates" the film projector from the booth above and behind the audience, then tries to destroy the now out of control Waldo, who he believes destroyed the film and is now all alone on a blank screen, by firing a gun at him.
  • After missing several times (shooting holes in the screen, as well as the theater wall), the Swedish Chef decides to use a cannon.
  • Kermit then appears on the back of a fire engine through the hole to apologize for the delays. He then bids the audience a final farewell and the curtains close.
  • Then the curtains on their balcony close and the show ends. A cast member then thanks the audience for coming to see the show and tells them how to exit properly, while reminding them to return their 3D glasses into the bins outside of the theater.
  • The finale begins with a toy soldier marching band playing patriotic music.
  • In the show’s finale, you can find Muppet versions of some of the dolls from “it’s a small world” in the background (during “A Salute to All Nations But Mostly America”), a small reference to Jim Henson’s love of the classic Fantasyland attraction. 
  • During their performance, Waldo bounces on their heads and one of the tuba players gets his head stuck inside.
  • To make matters worse, since he cannot see, he runs into people and causes them to fall down.
  • Sam then tells Bean to shoot off the fireworks.
  • To show off, Waldo shape shifts into a rocket and zooms around Miss Piggy, who is dressed like the Statue of Liberty, and accidentally tears her skirt off.
  • Waldo then plummets into the penguin orchestra, causing smoke to rise.
  • Sweetums reappears and puts out the fire with water, which infuriates the penguins and they decide to retaliate with a cannon.
  •  After Sweetums tells the audience to duck (in which Waldo briefly transformed into a literal duck), the penguins fire their cannon and hit the projector.
  • This causes an explosion as the theater blows up, tearing a hole in the screen, as well as "revealing" some bricks and sheetrock throughout the main theater, and revealing what's on the "other side" of the screen: guests at a Disney Park.
  • Statler and Waldorf wave white flags from their balcony and shout “we surrender”
  • The scene when a wall breaks out in the theater shows a “live” look at guests in the parks looks a little “1991”, this is a piece of nostalgia for guests who love to look back at what the park was like in the 90s.
  • Waldo appears one last time and shape shifts into Mickey Mouse so that nobody would recognize him. However, he shape shifts back to his true form as a vacuum sucks him up.
  • Bean comments on what a cute ending the show was as the curtains on his balcony close.
  • Waldorf asks Statler what he thought of the show. He asks Waldorf if they have time to go to the bathroom before the next shows starts. He replies with, "We can't you old fool. We're bolted to the seats."
Cast
  • Jim Henson – Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, The Swedish Chef
  • Frank Oz – Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Boss (Construction Worker), Sam Eagle
  • Dave Goelz – Gonzo, Rick, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Dinah
  • Richard Hunt – Scooter, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Chuck, Chicken
  • Steve Whitmire – Waldo C. Graphic, Bean Bunny, Rizzo the Rat
  • John Henson – Sweetums (puppeteering only)
  • David Rudman – Roy, Max
  • Wayne Allwine – Waldo's impersonation of Mickey Mouse

Additional performers include; Kevin Carlson, Rick Lyon, Allan Trautman, Rickey Boyd, Steven Ritz-Barr, Len Levitt, and Mark Bryan Wilson.

Background:
As you exit the Theater check out the poster.
Cast
  • Jim Henson – Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, The Swedish Chef
  • Frank Oz – Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Boss (Construction Worker), Sam Eagle
  • Dave Goelz – Gonzo, Rick, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Dinah
  • Richard Hunt – Scooter, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Chuck, Chicken
  • Steve Whitmire – Waldo C. Graphic, Bean Bunny, Rizzo the Rat
  • John Henson – Sweetums (puppeteering only)
  • David Rudman – Roy, Max
  • Wayne Allwine – Waldo's impersonation of Mickey Mouse
Additional performers include; Kevin Carlson, Rick Lyon, Allan Trautman, Rickey Boyd, Steven Ritz-Barr, Len Levitt, and Mark Bryan Wilson.
 
Background:
Note: The first proposal for Muppet*Vision 3-D would have been an introduction to Bean Bunny with all the other better-known Muppets just having cameos.
In 1989, Bean joined the cast of The Jim Henson Hour, appearing in both the control room and "televised" portions of the "MuppeTelevision" segments.
Henson was later convinced that the attraction would be more entertaining for guests if it focused on the more familiar characters, but it helps explains why Bean Bunny is still so prominent in the current show.









Note: The firetruck in the final scene and some of the background imagery was once located in the park.










Source:
In the next Chapter we will explore more of Muppet Courtyard.

    We would definitely like to hear from you.
    Let us know what your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and absolutely, if we've missed anything.
Afterword:
WDWMousing.com is designed to be a tour of Walt Disney World through photos. We have been to Walt Disney World countless times over the past 25 years and accumulated a magnitude of photos in that time. This website is an intention to combine two of our favorite pastimes, Walt Disney World and photography, and provide an insightful pictorial tour.
While doing so, we've done an extensive research of the internet and literary sources for background information on each area and attraction. The information is available, but most bits and pieces are scattered all over. WDWMousing doesn't intend to rewrite the stories, legends or data, but to try and collect it into one location with reference and links to the original articles and authors. And giving rightful credit. We've stumbled through quite a bit of mis-information, most of which came to life by fans because the origins were lost, forgotten or no one seems to remember. Over the past 25 years we've also lost most of the great Imagineers that helped develop, design and build the original concepts of Walt Disney World. So we believe it's extremely important to make sure that their efforts, intentions, details and creativity in making this Happiest Place on Earth isn't lost.
So we ask for feedback, insights, and suggestions.

Thank you
WDWMousing