The attraction—which was filmed on January of 1990, opened as Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D[1] on the first anniversary of Jim Henson's death on May 16, 1991, at Disney's Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios)—incorporates the 3D film in conjunction with in-theater 4D effects, such as Audio-Animatronics, lighting, projections, smoke, and a live full-bodied performer. Muppet*Vision 3D had a subsequent incarnation that opened at Disney California Adventure on February 8, 2001.[2]
The theater at Disney California Adventure has been used to present sneak peeks of Disney'sTron: Legacy, Frankenweenie, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Although the event officially ended on May 15, 2015, the venue housed the Frozen sing-along until April 17, 2016. After the sing-along ended, the location was renamed to the Sunset Showcase Theater with a movie preview that began showing in May 2016.[3][4][5]
The show is a 3D film featuring Jim Henson's Muppets. Due to the use of Audio-Animatronics, a live full-bodied Muppet and other similar effects, the show is sometimes referred to as "Muppet*Vision 4D" (which was used in The Walt Disney World Explorer application, displayed as "Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D 4D" with a slanted red strikethrough on "3D"). It was directed by Jim Henson and written by Bill Prady. The show was one of the final Muppets projects with the involvement of Henson, as well as veteran Muppet performer Richard Hunt and one of the last times they performed their characters.[7] Henson died in 1990 before production of the film was completed, and Hunt died in 1992.
Attraction[]
Queue[]
Before guests are seated in the theater where the film is shown, they go through the queue, which winds through "Muppet Labs", home of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker. The audience passes several office doors, all featuring outlandish job descriptions and spoof movie posters featuring Muppets. Guests then enter a large room filled with Muppet "props" and boxes with comical and humorous labels. Above guests' heads are sets of three television monitors, where the pre-show featuring several Muppets is shown.
The audience is repeatedly reminded to take a pair of 3D glasses from several containers around the room before entering the theater, which is modeled after the theater depicted on The Muppet Show. Muppet*Vision 3D is the only Disney 3D attraction that refers to the glasses as "3D Glasses" (It's Tough to Be a Bug! utilizes "Bug Eyes", Star Tours: The Adventures Continue refers to them as "Flight Glasses", Toy Story Midway Mania! calls them "3D Game Glasses", Avatar: Flight of Passage calls them "Flight Visors", Mickey's PhilharMagic calls them "Opera Glasses", and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure calls them "RatVision Goggles"). However, the glasses are sometimes referred to as "3D Safety Goggles", foreshadowing the "dangerous" experiments guests will be visiting.
At Disney California Adventure, the queue was different in that it featured a cast member at the turnstile handing out the glasses individually and the "hallway" scene from Disney's Hollywood Studios' queue was replaced with a "courtyard" filled with various props. The queue went around a fake "set", blending in with the rest of the Hollywood Land district. Guests also saw a half of a motorbike protruding from the wall above, with a hole in the shape of Gonzo. The pre-show room there included a scrolling LED monitor known as The Official Time Clock which displayed various messages and jokes (including references to Elvis and The Mickey Mouse Club) while counting down to showtime.
In the spring of 2008, the queue was replaced with an eating area for the Award Weiners restaurant in order to provide more seating for it. The original "Disaster Effects" storage area still remains, but many of the spoof movie posters were removed, now in their place are real movie posters promoting current films from Walt Disney Studios. Many of the original props from the queue were moved to the post-show area outside the exit doors.
Constantine, the villain from Muppets Most Wanted, was added to the pre-show at the beginning of March 2014 to advertise the new film.
In the prop warehouse, guests watch a film showing the Muppets preparing for the show. It begins with a construction crew trying to hang Kodak signs (extra Muppet*Vision 3D title cards starting in 2013) and a Muppet*Vision 3D title card. The preparations are supervised by Scooter, who first has to deal with multiple technical difficulties. As Scooter attempts to get the show in order, he is constantly interrupted by the cast. Fozzie Bear is the first to interrupt, as while it initially appears that he is trying to get the penguins ready in the orchestra, it then becomes clear that he is also trying to present his musical act, The Three Ds, who perform a disastrous cover of "By the Light of the Silvery Moon". Bean Bunny tries to help Miss Piggy prep for her musical number, but, despite Scooter's warnings not to interrupt her, is karate chopped across the room by her. Next, Gonzo takes center stage, sends Scooter away to answer the telephone (though Muppets do not have one), and tries to tap dance with a vase of flowers on his head. After Bean fails to help Miss Piggy again, Sam Eagle gives guests a safety spiel. Gonzo then tells Sam that Mickey Mouse is in the building. An excited Sam introduces Mickey, only to see that it is just Rizzo the Rat wearing Mickey Mouse ears. Sam then tells guests to move down the rows in the theater, but gets run over by a stampede of Muppets also entering the theater, with the guests following them in.
Main show[]
The show starts with Statler and Waldorf in their usual box putting on the glasses and heckling the audience. A penguin orchestra rises up, tunes, and plays a fanfare, leading into the opening. Gonzo appears behind a door, pushing a stick labeled "3D" towards the audience. Kermit the Frog appears and welcomes the audience to the show. 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. Many 3D effects are performed at this point. Kermit then informs guests that the Swedish Chef is in charge of the projector. He also introduces the upcoming acts, including a song by Miss Piggy and a musical finale by Sam. As this point, Kermit is interrupted by Fozzie, who performs a series of "cheap 3D tricks" like a noisemaker, a can of springs, and a flower that sprays water. Statler and Waldorf heckle Fozzie, telling him that his act is not funny even in 3D.
Kermit then takes the audience to a secret laboratory and introduces Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker. However, Bunsen and Beaker are unable to control their newest invention; a computer-generated Muppet called Waldo C. Graphic (who actually originated in The Jim Henson Hour's Muppet television segments). Waldo proves to be uncontrollable and wreaks havoc in the lab. Bunsen tells Beaker to use the lab's inflatomatic to deactivate Waldo, but after he does so, instead of being deactivated, Waldo explodes into smaller versions of himself. Bunsen 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 is free, shape shifts into a taxi cab and drives away.
Kermit then reappears and tells the audience that the lab was sucked up. Fozzie returns and attempts to demonstrate his flying pie but it malfunctions and hits him in the face. Kermit then introduces Miss Piggy's musical rendition of "Dream a Little Dream of Me". Bean attempts to assist Miss Piggy by using various props to add 3D effects, include bubbles blown from a bubble maker (To add the realism, real soap bubbles are blown from the ceiling of the theater), but Miss Piggy gets annoyed at him for ruining her act. Bean then gives her a rope for the water skiing finale, then a boat pulls Miss Piggy into the pond and out of the scene. A frustrated Sam sends Bean away. Bean then meets Waldo and leave the film together. Gonzo sees Bean and Waldo leaving and goes to find Kermit. Gonzo gathers Kermit and Fozzie 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 balcony across from Statler and Waldorf. He explains why he ran away and agrees to stay if he can help in the finale. Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo decide to let Bean shoot off the fireworks.
Kermit then introduces the finale with a toy soldier marching band playing patriotic music. During their performance, Waldo bounces on their heads and one of the tuba players gets his head stuck inside. 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 off her skirt. Waldo then plummets into the penguin orchestra, causing smoke to rise. Sweetums reappears and tells Chef to stop the projector. He then 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, the penguins fire their cannon and hit the projector.
Chef then tries to destroy 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, Chef decides to use a cannon. 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 is on the "other side" of the screen: guests at a Disney park. Statler and Waldorf (now hiding in their box), hold up white flags in surrender. Kermit then appears on the back of a fire engine through the hole to apologize for the chaos. He then bids the audience farewell and the curtains close. 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. Statler asks Waldorf what he thought of the show. He asks Statler if they have time to go to the bathroom before the next shows starts. He replies that they cannot, because "We're bolted to the seats." Then the curtains on their balcony close, concluding the show and a cast member thanks the audience for coming, while reminding them to return their 3D glasses into the bins outside of the theater.
Aside from the Muppets on-screen, there are also a number of in-theater Muppets, mostly Audio-Animatronics, that interact with the show. Statler and Waldorf heckle from a balcony near the screen, an orchestra of penguins rises into sight to perform, and the Swedish Chef "operates" the film projector from the booth above and behind the audience.
Wayne Allwine performs the voice of Mickey in a small cameo at the end of the show, but it turns out to be Waldo in disguise, who gets sucked back into the screen, deactivated.
This was the final Muppet project that Jim Henson was personally involved with before his death. This also marked one of Henson's final performances as his Muppet characters.
The Muppet Movie:The Rainbow Connection • Movin' Right Along • Never Before, Never Again • I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along • Can You Picture That? • I'm Going To Go Back There Someday • America • Finale: The Magic Store
