Theme parks are art. This is a factual statement as far as I'm concerned, and I will not be taking questions. Theme parks and the attractions inside them are creative endeavors made by artists, engineers, and other designers who bring worlds and stories to life, causing emotional reactions in those who experience them.
Unfortunately, there’s an element of theme parks, which means many of them do not last in the way other works of art do. There is only so much space. The creation of a new attraction often means the end of an old one, and once a theme park ride orshow is gone, it’s often gone forever. Unless you’re Muppet*Vision 3D
Muppet*Vision 3D Will Reportedly Return As A 3D/VR Experience
When Muppet*Vision 3D’s closure was announced to make way for the new Monsters Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, many fans felt a great loss. The 3D experience was the last Muppet project that Jim Henson was personally involved in. Walt Disney World assured fans when the show ended that it would be preserved in some fashion, but thus far, no official announcement has been made as to what that means.
However, The Wrap reports that both the Muppet*Vision 3D show and the Muppet Theater show building were filmed priorto the building undergoing redevelopment. The plan is that at some point in the future, exactly when is unclear, Muppet*Vision 3D will be released on the Apple Vision Pro and other VR headsets.
This is fantastic news. I’m one of the chorus of voices that hoped we might see the show get released on Disney+. The fact that many Disneyland attractions have seen ride-through videos released on the platform gave some indication that such a thing was possible. However, this option would let fans truly experience the film in 3D as well as experience all of the theater effects and elements that weren’t part of the film itself
Now Do Captain EO And The Rest
I love everything about this. In fact, I love it so much that I need to see more of it. Muppet*Vision 3D is far from the only 3D film from a Disney Park that has seen its life end that is worthy of preservation. I would love to see this treatment given to the others, too.
The most famous Disney Parks 3D film is Captain EO. The sci-fi short film starred Michael Jackson in the title role, included new music from him, characters from the Henson creature shop, a story written by George Lucas, and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The show saw a revival following Jackson's death, but hasn’t been seen in years.
There’s also Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The movie starred Rick Moranis and worked as a side story to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movies. I think I saw it once during its life. I would love to see it again.
Not every theme park attraction can be saved in this way. No virtual recreation of the recently closed Dinosaur is going to really make it feel like you’re on the ride, but for the attractions where this is possible, it should become the standard.
