We finally have the long-awaited permanent closing date for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, which is going to close for its major reimagining as a Muppets theme.
Keep reading for the confirmed closing date and our thoughts on how this will impact crowds at Hollywood Studios. At Mickey Visit, we share Disney coverage, including our experience on a Disney Cruise for Christmas and restaurant menu changes at Disneyland.
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Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Closing Date Confirmed
Walt Disney World has confirmed the last day of operations is March 1, 2026, for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.
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The attraction will close permanently on March 2, 2026. The new Muppets retheme opening date has not been announced, but we do know it will be in summer 2026. This means we can expect a few months of downtime for the attraction.
Disney World has not announced any changes to Lightning Lane Multi Pass during this closure period quite yet. Currently, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is one of the four selections for top priority booking for Lightning Lane, which also includes Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Slinky Dog Dash.
I would not be surprised to see The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror bumped up into this top-priority section during its closure. Tower of Terror will likely experience heavy wait times during the downtime for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster since these two attractions dominate popularity on that side of Hollywood Studios. Especially since the closing date is just before the spring break season at Disney World, which we often rate as some of the highest crowd levels on our Disney World crowd calendar.
Muppets Retheme Coming in 2026
The new Muppets theme will feature The Electric Mayhem, the legendary Muppets rock band, on their journey to headline its biggest Hollywood concert yet. The storyline of the attraction will include a search for the band, as they have mysteriously disappeared before the concert. Guests will then embark on a VIP tour of G-Force Records, the famed rock-and-roll recording studio now operated by The Muppets.
Once guests board the attraction, they will see similar iconic scenery and landmarks of Hollywood, but with a Muppet twist. And throughout the ride, you will hear the Electric Mayhem playing some of the most iconic hits. The opening date for this new Muppets themed version has not been released, but we know it’s set to open in summer 2026.
Aerosmith Preshow Already Removed
Work on the attraction has already begun, at least regarding the preshow, which quietly closed earlier this month. The preshow area for Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith has now been closed and blocked off, with guests routed directly to the loading station instead.
The new Muppets themed pre-show will direct guests inside a recording studio where the Electric Mayhem is rocking out, joined by penguin audio engineers, as band manager Scooter attempts to get the group moving. Scooter is clearly set to appear as an Audio-Animatronics figure, and as noted in our initial report, it’s also possible that additional characters, such as the penguins or even members of the Electric Mayhem, could be featured in the pre-show as well.
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The Muppets retheme for this attraction felt like a bit of a consolation prize for those of us who were devastated to lose Muppet*Vision 3D for the new Monsters, Inc. land that is coming to Hollywood Studios. The Muppets coaster isn’t the only update coming next year. Work is also underway to prepare a newly reimagined Animation Courtyard, which will be renamed The Walt Disney Studios.
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