Disney Unscripted - Inside The Muppets Takeover of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster!

There's a special kind of magic that happens when Imagineering, Disney Live Entertainment, musicians, and cast members all pile into the same room with one wild goal: turning a beloved thrill ride into something entirely new. That's exactly what happened as one of Disney's most iconic attractions got a full-throttle makeover, emerging as a high-energy adventure headlined by none other than Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem.

This wasn't a simple refresh. It was a top-to-bottom reinvention. New music tracks were recorded from scratch and carefully programmed into onboard audio systems so every twist and turn hits in perfect sync with the beat. The attraction's iconic guitar got a fresh coat of paint to match its new rockstar energy. Even the queue and pre-show experience were reimagined, setting the tone for what's waiting around the next corner.

Bringing it all together took an enormous amount of cross-team collaboration. Engineers, artists, sound designers, and performers worked side by side, blending their disciplines into a single unified experience.

Long before the first guest ever buckled in, the ride went through rigorous testing. Teams fine-tuned show elements, made last-minute adjustments, and chased down the small details that make the difference. It's the unglamorous, meticulous work that rarely gets seen, but it's exactly what makes opening day possible.

Finally, the big moment: The Electric Mayhem and a lineup of special guests came together to celebrate the grand opening, setting the stage before fans got their very first ride. The energy was electric, literally, as years of planning, building, and testing culminated in one unforgettable celebration.

Explore more behind the scenes videos from Disney Parks YouTube channel. 

Rare Great Muppet Caper & Muppet Movie Poster Images!

In honor of Drew Struzan's passing, we present some behind the scenes images used in the making of The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper posters.

Above is the reference image Struzan used to create the classic Great Muppet Caper poster. 

Drew posted images of his original art, showing more detail then we've previously seen. 

Here's a few more photos of Frank Oz and Jim Henson posing Kermit and Miss Piggy for The Muppet Movie poster.

We previously highlighted other behind the scenes photos from Drew's Muppet poster art  which you can see here and here. 

Thanks again Drew for all your iconic Muppet movie posters.

Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock Behind The Scenes!

Take a behind the scenes look at the making of Fraggle Rock: Back to The Rock at Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

First, see how the Fraggles are built in the Fabrication Room:

Then see how the Gorgs are brought to life:

See how Doozers are made:

See how the Fraggles are puppeteered. 

 

BTS at Jim Henson's Creature Shop with John Tartaglia:

 

   

Behind the scenes on set "entrance of the Great Glitterini":

 

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock season 2 is streaming now on AppleTV+.

Behind The Scenes Muppet Movie Poster Images!

Recently some behind the scenes photos of the Muppets posing for the The Muppet Movie posters were listed on ebay. 

Each slide went for a good chunk of change, but you don't have to be the winning bidder to enjoy them. 

Most Muppet fans should find these images instantly recognizable as they were the basis for Drew Struzan's iconic poster art. The images show the Muppets on stands set in what looks to be the Henson offices. 

I particularly liked how Fozzie's tie has been wired so it appears to be blowing in the wind!

The images also show close ups of the characters and angles not used in the final image. 

There was even a slide of the Studebaker for reference as well. Notice how both versions of the Studebaker, both a painted and unpainted version are parked next to each other. 

And who could forget floating above all the Muppets in the Studedebaker was Kermit and Miss Piggy spoofing Gone With The Wind. 

The images above were used to create the classic poster for The Muppet Movie that was "More Entertaining Than Humanly Possible!"

But that wasn't the only poster Drew Struzan designed for The Muppet Movie.  There was also this one with Kermit and Miss Piggy in a row boat. 

Below you can see Jim Henson and Frank Oz performing Kermit and Miss Piggy for the refence photo.

Coincidently Struzan has been posting images of his original painting for the posters on social media. 

Below is his original painting for this version of the poster.  

And here's a close up of the final image of Kermit and Miss Piggy.

I hope more behind the scenes refence photos like this pop up. It's always great to see how these classic Muppet posters were created. 

Muppet Pranks and Bloopers!

While it may not seem like the most festive of April 1stsssssss, we've compiled a collection of Muppet pranks and bloopers for everyone to enjoy.

Happy April Fools Day!

Behind The Scenes of The Muppet Movie Coming to Disney+!

Disney announced a slew on non scripted programs coming to their Disney+ streaming service. 

Among them is Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies" (working title)

This series focuses on the props and costumes that are iconic in some of our most beloved Disney films. Among the first episodes are artifacts from Mary Poppins, Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Muppet Movie, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? We can’t wait to see what we’ll discover.

We hope even more Muppet films are included as the series continues. 
Disney+ is schedule to launch later this year, 

Business Insider Goes Behind The Scenes of Sesame Street!

The folks at Business Insider took a behind the scenes trip to Sesame Street.

Sesame Street Gets WIRED!

The cast of Sesame Street teamed up with WIRED for couple entertaining and informative videos. 

First up the puppeteers explain how their characters work:

Then the characters answers the Web's Most Searched Questions:

Labyrinth Honest Trailer and the Original Version of Chilly Down!

In tribute to David Bowie, Honest Trailers released their take on Labyrinth. It's as hilarious as you'd expect, and also surprisingly heartfelt. 

As another tribute to Bowie, someone who worked on Labyrinth posted the original recording of David Bowie singing "Chilly Down" accompanied with behind the scenes photos of the recoding session!

According to the description:

"The song 'Chilly Down' from Labyrinth was originally called 'The Wild Things' but because of a copyright issue with the name, the characters were renamed 'The Fireys' and the song renamed 'Chilly Down'."

Here's another behind the scenes photo of Kevin Clash and Mike Quinn, who puppeteered many of the feet and legs in the sequence.

Fast Company: A Look at Henson's Digital Creature Shop!

AN '80S DREAM COME TRUE: HOW JIM HENSON'S DIGITAL PUPPETEERS ARE BOOSTING THEIR CREATIVE OUTPUT




JIM HENSON HAD A VISION OF DIGITAL PUPPETRY IN THE 1980S THAT IS FINALLY COMING TO FRUITION.

BY JOHN PAUL TITLOW

When you sit your kids down in front of Netflix to watch Word Party, an animated series debuting in 2017, the last thing they're going be thinking about is the intricacies of how it was made. And that's good: That means that the team of puppeteers, artists, and producers behind the scenes are doing their jobs. In fact, even the most perceptive of grown-ups wouldn't guess that many of the characters are actually digital puppets controlled by real live people—or just how dramatically this unique approach to animation has changed in recent years.

To get a clearer picture of how these characters came to be, you would have to venture to the Jim Henson Company's headquarters in Los Angeles. It's in this building, on the site of the historic Charlie Chaplin Studios, that shows like Word Party are shot and edited. And what you'd find here isn't just rows of animators sitting at computer workstations (although there's plenty of that going on), you see people wearing proprietary gloves and body sensors, acting out scenes as their motions are mapped to the movements of animated characters on a large screen.

This is what's known as the Digital Creature Shop, a modern complement to the cloth-and-fur puppetry that made the late Jim Henson a household name.

"What we've created over the past decade is a toolset that's a combination of hardware and software," says Steffen Wild, the visual effects supervisor at Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The conceptual underpinnings of digital puppetry go back to the late 1980s, when Henson himself experimented on the clunky, expensive machines available at the time. But 25 years ago, the technology just wasn't up to the task of executing Henson's vision for digital puppets, so the company put its efforts on hold for while.

Continued at Fast Company.

Behind The Scenes Photos of New Muppet Show!

Adeline_ cam shared this montage of behind the scene photos of the Muppet show pilot on her instagram page.

You can clearly see that Kermit, Gonzo, Swedish Chef, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums, and The Electric Mayhem will all be featured in the pilot!

3D Sesame Figures and Le Maximum!

You may have seen recently that Sesame Street and Makerbot came out with 3D designs for those with access to a 3D printer to make at will. 

The designs can be bought individually or as a set here.

But, did you know Le Maximum, Jean Pierre Napoleon's car from Muppets Most Wanted, was made by a 3D printer as well?

It's true! Propshop, a 3D conceptual design and manufacturing company, modeled the car using 3D software, printed it, then put it all together in the real world. 

Read all about it at 3D print.com!

"Most Wanted" Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot!

Earlier this year photographer Brad Trent did a photoshoot with Ricky Gervais and Constatine for the London Sunday Times Culture Magazine. He shared a behind the scenes  look at the shoot including photos that didn't make it it into the magazine as well a look at a  how the final images looked in the magazine on his blog Damn Ugly Photography.

Check them out below and be sure to head over to his blog to get the full story!