Jim Hill
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Even the throw-away details on this side of the park were going to be fun for Muppet fans. That fake fish market that's currently located right next door to "It's a Wonderful Store"? That was supposed to be Lew Zealand's Boomerang Fish Market. If you listened very carefully as you walked on by, you were supposed to be able to hear Lew practicing behind closed doors. And -- every so often -- the Muppet-tized fish in the window were supposed to spin around in the ice and/or say awful fish-based puns to one another.
You see what I'm talking about here, folks? Muppet Studios would have been *THE* place to go if you were a Muppet fan. With two great Muppet-themed attractions, a Muppet-themed restaurant plus two shops offering tons of Muppet merchandise.
But unfortunately, Jim died. And -- when he died -- all these grandieous plans died with him.
What's that you say? "If the current Disney management team actually gets their act together and finally buys the Muppets, couldn't they just dust off these plans and build the Muppet Movie Ride and the Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor as they'd been originally designed?" Sorry, folks. But that ain't gonna happen.
Why? Because this is a very different Disney Company nowadays, folks. Back then, before Euro Disneyland opened in April 1992 and Disney CEO Michael Eisner learned the hard way that bigger isn't always better, the Mouse House loved big, grandieous ideas. They were actively looking for rides, shows and attractions that were really supposed to raise the bar for the entire theme park industry.
Nowadays, Disney likes small & affordable. At least when it comes to the company's stateside theme parks. Which is why this year, the Mouse installed not one but two "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" knock-offs at its Central Florida resort: "Aladdin's Magic Carpets" at the Magic Kingdom and "Tricera-Tops Spin" at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
So maybe it's best that plans for the Muppet Movie Ride project will never get revived. I'd hate to see Disney's current management team take all those great ideas that Jim Henson & the Imagineers cooked up back in the first half of 1990 get whittled away at 'til they finally fit the company's new off-the-shelf carnival ride mentality.
That said, I'd still kill to see Miss Piggy -- dressed up as Tinker Bell -- careening around a soundstage.
NEXT TIME: Learn about how -- back in July of 1990 -- the Muppets came within inches of putting Mr. Lincoln out of work. Also hear about Disneyland's daring plan to introduce Henson's creations to Southern California theme park goers. ("Mickey's on vacation"?!)
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Related Links
- Part One of this article
- Part Two of this article
- Part Three of this article
- Part Four of this article
- Part Six of this article
-- Jim Hill
Jim Hill can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing him at [email protected].
Jim Hill is this guy who lives 'way out in the woods of New Hampshire. (Hey, it's not like he wants to live there. But the Witness Protection Program has got rules, you know.) He has one beautiful daughter and three obnoxious cats. When he's not looking for real work, Jim writes about the Walt Disney Company and related matters for LaughingPlace.com, AmusementPark.com, "Orlando Weekly" and Digital Media FX.
The opinions expressed by Jim Hill, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the past decisions and future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted August 16, 2001