Disney Confirms 27-Year-Old Attraction Is Closing for Good, Last Chance Ride Window Announced

If you’ve been watching the steady drip of changes happening around Disney’s Hollywood Studios lately—from shuttered pre-shows to quiet construction signs appearing overnight—you probably saw this one coming. But now the speculation is officially over. Disney has confirmed that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, the long-running, loud, neon-guitar staple of Sunset Boulevard, is heading for a permanent shutdown in Spring 2026.

That gives fans just a little more than a year to squeeze in their last limo launches before the entire attraction is boxed up, stripped down, and rebuilt as something completely different. And yes, the rumors were true: that something different is a fully Muppets-themed coaster, planned to debut Summer 2026.

This marks the most dramatic shift the ride has had since it opened in 1999. And while Disney rehabs and rethemes things all the time, it’s rare to see a headliner go through a top-to-bottom identity swap at this scale. Let’s break down the full story, including the new theme, the revised plot, the updated visuals, and the related Hollywood Studios expansion that Disney revealed alongside the closure news.

The End of the Aerosmith Era

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has been operating without its pre-show for months, leaving guests to walk right past the old G-Force studio lobby and straight into the loading area. That change alone raised eyebrows, but Disney kept quiet about the long-term status of the attraction—until now.

Disney has confirmed that the coaster’s Aerosmith storyline and theming will be retired permanently. The ride will continue to operate with its current experience until Spring 2026, and then it’s done. No more backstage passes. No more “Sweet Emotion” blasting through the alleyways of the queue. No more super-stretch limos racing to a sold-out concert.

When the doors reopen the following summer, the experience will be irreversibly different.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: What Disney Is Building

The re-theme will be significant, but the ride structure itself—the layout, the launch, the inversions—remains in place. Disney is effectively removing the 90s rock aesthetic and replacing it with a Muppets-driven concept built around The Electric Mayhem, the band that has been part of Muppet lore for decades.

Instead of taking riders to an Aerosmith concert across town, the new plot revolves around the Electric Mayhem preparing for their biggest Hollywood performance to date. But the band is missing, the studio is in disarray, and nothing is ready when guests arrive. Anyone familiar with the Muppets knows exactly the type of chaos this setup is primed to deliver.

Inside the Newly Reimagined G-Force Records

In the new storyline, guests visit G-Force Records, which has been taken over by the Muppets thanks to a business deal arranged by Scooter’s uncle, J.P. Grosse. Disney’s description makes it clear that the Muppets did not simply redecorate the studio—they completely transformed it.

Expect the lobby and pre-show spaces to take on a lived-in, haphazard feel:

• Walls plastered with Muppet-style music posters

• Cluttered equipment rooms with the band’s instruments scattered about

• A recording booth staffed by penguin engineers attempting to run a soundboard

Scooter is the primary character trying to hold everything together. He’s attempting to stop the Electric Mayhem from getting lost in their own jam session long enough to make it to their concert. As usual, the band appears more interested in experimenting with new riffs than adhering to a schedule.

The Iconic Guitar Isn’t Leaving, but It’s Changing

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s giant red guitar has become a defining piece of Hollywood Studios’ skyline. Disney confirmed it won’t be removed, but that it will receive a substantial visual update to match the new theme.

The guitar’s underside will be covered in:

• A reworked, psychedelic paint scheme

• Colors and patterns inspired by classic Muppet art and props

• A redesigned piano-key base featuring a golden accent key

The structure will still serve as the ride’s signature marque, but it will no longer read as a rock-and-roll tribute. It’s about to become a Muppet monument.

A High-Speed Chase Across Hollywood—Muppet Style

The ride experience will retain the original intensity: same high-speed launch, same inversions, same track layout. But the sets, projections, lighting, and props will be entirely replaced.

The storyline has riders joining the Muppets in a frantic sprint across the city. The limo becomes the vehicle tasked with getting the Electric Mayhem to the stage before the restless crowd gives up waiting. Along the way, riders will see:

• Hollywood landmarks reinterpreted with Muppet humor

• Set pieces enhanced with visual comedy

• Inventions from Muppet Labs that may or may not behave as intended

• A soundtrack supplied by the Electric Mayhem, woven into the coaster’s pacing

The entire experience aims to fuse the comedic timing of the Muppets with the physical pulse of a high-speed coaster.

Six New Meet & Greets Announced for Hollywood Studios

The coaster update wasn’t the only news Disney dropped. The company also unveiled a significant expansion to character entertainment in the park, focused around a transformed version of the former Animation Courtyard. The area is being updated and rebranded as the Walt Disney Studios Lot, with a new attraction called The Magic of Disney Animation opening in late Summer 2026.

Disney is positioning the space as a walk-through artistic environment inspired by the short film Once Upon a Studio, where animated characters emerge from their artwork and interact with one another.

Within this area, six new meet & greets will be organized around distinct animation departments:

1. Story – Featuring Mulan in front of a large storyboard panel

2. Layout – Featuring Rapunzel in a multilayered set evoking the multiplane camera

3. Hand-Drawn Animation

4. Computer Animation

5. Lighting

6. Effects

Each department will have its own thematic backdrop and visual style, giving guests a range of photo opportunities that tie directly into the animation process itself.

The area will also include Drawn to Wonderland, a creative playground influenced by Mary Blair’s original concept artwork for Alice in Wonderland, incorporating her distinctive color palettes and whimsical shapes.

Hollywood Studios Enters Its Next Transition

Between the closure of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and the addition of the new animation experiences, Hollywood Studios is about to undergo another identity shift. The park has been steadily moving away from its original mission as a working studio toward a lineup of attractions anchored in big intellectual properties and immersive storytelling.

The retirement of Aerosmith signals the end of one era of the park’s history. But the arrival of The Electric Mayhem—and the broader animation overhaul—marks the beginning of a new one that leans hard into character-driven entertainment.

Guests who want one last ride through the original G-Force Records have until Spring 2026. After that, Sunset Boulevard will officially be in the hands of the Muppets.