Brian Henson has showed that the way forward for MuppetVision 3-d comes to AppleVision, with the defunct Walt Disney Global appeal coming to the VR headset. This stocks the newest tendencies post-closing of Muppet Courtyard, plus our observation and hopes for the way forward for the appeal to discover a new house at Hollywood Studios.
MuppetVision 3-d gained a wonderful 13-hour finale final June, with Walt Disney Global sending off the appeal most commonly on a excessive be aware. It used to be a becoming farewell to the long-lasting appeal (for now?), and Heather Henson used to be the final visitor to go into the final public demonstration of MuppetVision 3-d.
Paintings started nearly right away to change into the closed Muppets Courtyard into Monstropolis. Many of the growth that’s visual as of Wintry weather 2026 has been laying the groundwork for the huge Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster gravity development outdoor the park. It’s additionally imaginable to peer paintings at the facade of the previous theater and, in line with new public data, Walt Disney Global is spending $22 million at the MuppetVision theater transformation to arrange for a brand new Monsters, Inc. degree reveal.
Rapid-forward to overdue February 2026, and the newest building is that Brian Henson has showed that MuppetVision 3-d is coming Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. This isn’t the primary time that he’s prompt that the appeal’s long run past Walt Disney Global would contain the VR global.
Brian Henson is the son of Muppets author Jim Henson and present chairman of The Jim Henson Corporate. His newest feedback had been made throughout a Q&A consultation following a efficiency of his improv puppet comedy reveal, Puppet Up!, these days operating at The Montalbán theater in Los Angeles.
Throughout the Q&A, Henson reiterated that Disney’s workforce did a radical activity taking pictures MuppetVision 3-d for the VR revel in, consistent with The Day-to-day Dot. Henson added that customers might be ready to sit down in any seat in the home whilst looking at the reveal, being able to trade their standpoint at any time.
When requested about his opinion on MuppetVision’s long run, Henson joked: “It’s higher than it now not coming to VR!”
It’s price noting that the Walt Disney Corporate used to be an early adopter of Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. The 2 firms partnered to supply a devoted Disney+ revel in at the VR instrument, and Disney+ subscribers can delivery themselves into iconic places whilst looking at content material at the Apple headset.
Those environments are high-resolution digital areas with sensible soundscapes and hidden main points. Apple and Disney introduced the partnership again in 2024 and shared lofty expectancies. Similar to Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional itself, the ones have in large part now not been discovered.
Neither Henson nor Disney have introduced a timetable for when MuppetVision might be introduced in AppleVision.
This aligns with Henson has in the past teased about the way forward for MuppetVision.
Throughout an interview with TheaterMania final summer time, Henson used to be requested whether or not MuppetVision 3-d is long past from the theme parks for excellent? Right here’s his reaction:
“They wrapped [MuppetVision 3D] up in the best way Disney does, the place the whole thing is recorded for historic functions and all of the animatronics are packed away completely. So, theoretically, they might carry it again out in the event that they sought after to one day.
From the get-go, they designed it in order that 500 folks may just undergo each and every 25 mins. It used to be one essentially the most extremely skilled points of interest, I believe, that Disney ever made. And I used to be very unhappy to peer it getting wrapped up.”
Just a little inappropriate, however I’d extremely counsel studying the entire interview in TheaterMania. There are some nice tidbits in there about Muppet Christmas Carol, and the director’s dispute with Disney in regards to the ultimate lower of the movie.
Across the time of the closure, the subject of MuppetVision got here up throughout a Walt Disney Circle of relatives Museum tournament celebrating the Jim Henson Corporate’s seventieth Anniversary. Throughout that, Lisa Henson mentioned the Henson Corporate is “in discussions” with Disney about bringing the loved movie to VR.
Henson added that MuppetVision used to be documented the usage of VR cameras sooner than the appeal closed completely, suggesting that preservation efforts are nicely underway and {that a} public unencumber might be at the horizon.
That fueled optimism that the fan-favorite appeal would possibly live to tell the tale in digital truth by way of units like Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. That is infrequently unexpected, however it’s however reassuring to listen to from Lisa Henson herself.
In a while sooner than the appeal closed, a filming tournament used to be held by way of Imagineering to archive MuppetVision 3-d. The development invited choose Forged Individuals to sign in for the development, the place they served because the in-theater target market throughout the recording of the blended media reveal.
On the time, Walt Disney Global would most effective ascertain that Imagineering used to be digitally recording the total reveal of MuppetVision 3-d. No preservation plans had been showed at the moment–most effective that the recorded pictures would be certain that the appeal is documented for any attainable long run makes use of.
Henson has now showed a kind of long run makes use of–a digital truth Apple adaptation! That is no large marvel, as we’ve mentioned that chance in the past in The place Will MuppetVision 3-d Be Relocated?
Every other fresh building is the spoil good fortune of The Muppet Display revival that debuted in early 2026. The particular tournament drew 7.58M+ multiplatform audience inside of 8 days, doubling its preliminary ABC target market. The particular accomplished a 98% crucial ranking, crowned Disney+ film charts, and rejuvenated the franchise, probably serving as a backdoor pilot for a brand new collection. In nearly each and every possible approach, it’s been an enormous hit that has exceeded expectancies.
Even supposing I’ve been skeptical and cynical about MuppetVision’s long run in-park possibilities, just about the whole thing that has took place because the closure of MuppetVision has been reassuring. It offers me hope that there are such a lot of Muppets enthusiasts inside the Walt Disney Corporate and during Hollywood, however particularly inside of Imagineering.
There are high-profile folks championing the Muppets and MuppetVision inside of Disney, which is most likely how we were given the ‘olive department’ of Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring the Muppets within the first position. In response to the whole thing we’ve heard about that appeal to this point (Audio Animatronics within the pre-show!), it sounds as if increasingly more like that appeal isn’t only a 5-year stopgap till they’re in a position for one thing Marvelous. Whilst the ones Imagineers and others misplaced the struggle to avoid wasting MuppetVision, it’s nonetheless imaginable they’ll win the struggle.
We’re hoping this assists in keeping the door open for Muppets Courtyard 2.0 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
So much hinges at the reimagined Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring the Muppets, which debuts at DHS this summer time after the eviction of Aerosmith. The good fortune of that trip and The Muppet Display revival particular building up the possibility of Muppets Courtyard (revival) that includes a MuppetVision 3-d (revival) as soon as Villains Unfairly Ever After ends, which we suppose will occur across the time that Villains Land opens at Magic Kingdom
On the very least, it is usually a cohesive land, versus what it these days is. Sundown Show off feels tacked on, adore it isn’t in point of fact a part of the park. This has at all times been the largest impediments to displays on this venue (now Villains and Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy it) discovering extra of an target market–it felt such as you had been leaving Sundown Side road and getting into this makeshift house and venue.
Right here’s hoping that we’re status at the precipice of a bona fide Muppet-aissance. That we glance again at 2026 many years from now because the yr when the Muppets began as soon as once more dominating popular culture; as the instant when Muppets’ fortunes modified!
For reference, right here’s the unique reputable observation at the closure of MuppetVision 3-d from the Jim Henson Corporate that used to be made in overdue 2024:
Jim Henson’s ultimate challenge used to be Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3-d, now considered a real theme park vintage. Innovation used to be at all times Jim Henson’s north megastar, and his trailblazing occupation led him to a novel problem: a in reality immersive Muppet revel in the place audiences are a part of the satisfied chaos of the long-lasting Muppet Display.
At the start debuting in 1991, Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3-d blended 3-d era with real-world sensible results, along animatronic and are living Muppet characters. The end result used to be a one-of-a-kind Jim Henson revel in, and an unforgettable capstone to Jim’s magnificent occupation. As we be told of the reveal’s upcoming closure in its present shape at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we sit up for Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3-d’s subsequent act.
And now, our observation about why it’s crucial for MuppetVision 3-d to live to tell the tale, because it’s the most important piece of American popular culture, Walt Disney Global historical past, and extra…
MuppetVision 3-d used to be final challenge that Jim Henson in my view labored on, as he gave up the ghost on Would possibly 16, 1990. The reveal used to be completed after his passing by way of Henson’s longtime collaborators, however bears his fingerprints and trademark humor and middle all over the place it.
Jim Henson won’t have the similar stature as Walt Disney, however for a big swath of American citizens of a undeniable age, they’re seemed in a similar way. Each ‘American Originals’ who broke the mould, with few extra impactful ingenious folks in our country’s historical past.
MuppetVision 3-d is basically the final legacy of Jim Henson, and when folks (like me) say it’s culturally important and must be handled as such, we aren’t kidding. MuppetVision 3-d is a primary instance of theme parks as artwork and nationwide heritage.
Believe this excerpt from Jim Henson: The Biography:
“Disney could be excellent for the Muppets as nicely. If there used to be any group that knew maintain and advertise iconic characters past the lifetimes in their respective creators, it used to be the Walt Disney Corporate.
For Jim, discovering the sort of appropriate house for the Muppets used to be essential…and if he couldn’t at all times generally tend to their well-being, he sought after to make sure they had been with any individual else who would. ‘Having a look approach backtrack the street to after I prevent sitting in my rocking chair and dealing Kermit the Frog, I in point of fact like the speculation of characters dwelling on within the Disney parks,’ stated Jim. ‘It’s a phenomenal long run for those characters. It’s as with regards to an everlasting lifestyles as a bit of inexperienced frog can get.’”
Whilst there’s some fact to the superficial sentiment that “Disney isn’t a museum” that’s bandied about by way of enthusiasts, there’s additionally fact to the perception that some points of interest are untouchable. Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and “it’s a small global” all would absolute have compatibility this invoice. Amongst a undeniable section of enthusiasts, this additionally extends to MuppetVision 3-d.
I’m a kind of enthusiasts, and no resolution of the final a number of years pains me up to the closure of MuppetVision 3-d. Whilst I respect that it’s been preserved and can live to tell the tale for the .00000001% of the inhabitants that owns an Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, I in point of fact hope that we see it revived at Walt Disney Global.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you call to mind MuppetVision coming to Apple Imaginative and prescient? Assume there’s any likelihood of MuppetVision 3-d being relocated inside of Walt Disney Global or outdoor the parks? What do you call to mind Monstropolis changing MuppetVision? Do you compromise or disagree with our tests? Any questions we will let you solution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!
