Join me and Retro Rest Stop for a feature-length deep-dive walkthrough of "The Muppets Courtyard" — before it closes FOREVER!
We’ll explore every corner of this iconic area, from the famous Muppet Fountain and Muppet*Vision 3D queue, to lesser-known gems like Mama Melrose’s (the Muppet restaurant that never was), PizzeRizzo, and even Gonzo’s Royal Flush restrooms.
Along the way, we’ll uncover hidden Easter eggs, share the rich history of what once stood here, and reflect on what made this space so special. You'll even get an exclusive look inside the closed Stage 1 Company Store — once home to a treasure trove of Muppet merchandise.
And of course, we wrap it all up with one final viewing of Muppet*Vision 3D, as we look ahead to what the future might hold for the Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
As we officially learned a few months ago, MuppetVision 3D is set to close for good this year and we now know the show will take it's final curtail call on June 7.
Walt Disney World announced the closing dates not only for MuppetVision 3D, but PizzeRizzo and the non-Muppet restaurant Mama Melrose as well.
The final day to see MuppetVision will be June 7 which will also be the last day to enjoy a meal at PizzeRizzo, relieve yourself at Gonzo's Royal Flush, enjoy the exterior of the Stage 1 Company Store, see the Muppet fountain, or the rest of the Grand Avenue area as it stands now.
Non-Muppet themed Italian restaurant, Mama Melrose, will close a month earlier on May 10.
“ the Grand Avenue area will begin a phase closing in May, with the last day to dine at Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano on May 10. Following that, Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo will close, with the last day to experience both locations on June 7. But, the Muppet foolishness doesn’t stop there — Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!“
This all makes way as Hollywood Studios theme park prepares to retheme Muppet Courtyard Grand Avenue to a “Monsters, Inc.” themed land.
Even though Disney announced Muppet*Vision is closing, they also just released new Sam Eagle drinkware inspired by the attraction.
There is a Stanley-style medal tumbler featuring an illustration of Sam above his classic line in the film “A salute to all nations, but mostly America.”
There's also a mug with the same art work.
You can find both at the Celebrity 5&10 store inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
In addition to the Muppets Haunted Mansion eclairs at Disney Hollywood Studios we previously told you about, the other US based Disney Parks are also getting into the promotional "spirit."
Beginning October 8 there will be photo op outside the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion where Miss Piggy’s floating head will appear next to you.
The outside of Muppet*Vision 3D and around Grand Arts Courtyard (formally known as Muppets Courtyard - Disney please change this area back to Muppets Courtyard).are banners and posters promoting Muppets Haunted Mansion:
Inside, while enjoying a Muppets Haunted Mansion éclair and waiting for Muppet*Vision 3D to begin, you can watch a special new pre-show.
I'm actually really surprised they include not just the trailer but an extended scene as well. As you can see the monitors have been updated as well.
Over at Disneyland, there's a Muppets Haunted Mansion photo op between the park and California Adventure where you can get a photo of you with the poster, mansion, and Animal inspired wallpaper.
There is also an area which appears to be for two busts (as Bunsen and Beaker appear in the special):
It's possible Disney will have puppet versions or something else planned for those spaces.
Update:
The Bunsen and Beaker busts and a few other additions have now arrived!
Nearby they also have a 2021 Honda Ridgeline wrapped to promote Muppets Haunted Mansion as well.
Complete with Muppet ghosts ready to pick up any of their hitchhiking friends.
Update: The ghosts are now carrying some crates
The background features Beaker, Gonzo, Pepe, and Uncle Deadly spoofing the classic Haunted Mansion wallpaper.
Disenyland also has this Muppets Haunted Mansion photo op wall. I really like the tag line "It's time to fright the frights."
Thanks to WDWNT for the many of the photos and info.
Muppets Haunted Mansion starts streaming October 8 on Disney+.
Isidore Mankofsky, cinematographer on The Muppet Movie and Muppet*Vision 3D has died. Though his name may not be familiar his work surely is.
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) published a tribute to Isidore with amazing behind the scenes photos. Below is a small excerpt of their tribute.
In 1979, producer Jim Henson called upon the cinematographer to shoot The Muppet Movie, the popular television characters’ first big-screen adventure, directed by James Frawley. Henson’s hit The Muppet Show was shot in broadcast video and had a high-key, live-TV look that everyone knew wouldn’t translate to the big screen, and Mankofsky had to devise more cinema-appropriate visuals. The only caveat Henson had was that the Muppets’ distinctive colors — especially Kermit the Frog’s signature lime hue — had to remain true. “Green on film, especially at night, can be tough, and Kodak stocks at the time weren’t particularly sensitive to green,” noted Mankofsky.
“But it was great working with the Muppets. First of all, no one complained about the light in his eyes or how long he had to stand in — you just stuck them on a pole. And the puppeteers were really nice guys. When I asked Henson to move Kermit to the right a little for a better frame, Henson [who personally operated and voiced the character] wouldn’t answer — Kermit would answer.
“Henson didn’t want any visual effects,” Mankofsky continued. “He wanted everything live [in front of the camera]. For example, when Kermit was driving an old Studebaker, four or five puppeteers were working the puppets from the floor of the car, so the car had to be modified so it could be driven from the trunk. The wide-angle lens of a video camera poked out of the car’s distinctive grill so the driver could see.
“The question I’m asked most about The Muppet Movie is how Kermit rode the bike. We took a crane with an arm extended out, and monofilament ran from that down to the bike. Kermit’s feet were strapped to the pedals, and the pedals would turn as the bike wheels turned. The voice and mouth movements were remote-controlled; we’d just pull it along:
“However, the shot I’m most proud of is the one that shows Kermit sitting in a director’s chair on a big soundstage. Where’s Henson? I did that in such a simple way, and no one has figured it out. I put a couple mirrors in [below the chair], and Henson is behind the mirrors. I lit it so the shadows in the mirrors looked like they continued past the chair legs.”
In 1991, Mankofsky reunited with the Muppets to shoot a special-venue film in 3-D, a new format for him. On MuppetVision 3-D, which played the Disney Hollywood Studios park for almost two decades, Mankofsky was the creative cinematographer while Peter Anderson, ASC served as the technical cinematographer. “Peter wanted to shoot tests every day, but the producer came in and said, ‘Just shoot, and if it doesn’t turn out, then that can be considered the test,” Mankofsky remembered. “We only had to reshoot one day out of the whole schedule, and that was because the [interlocked] cameras went out of sync.”
Using a twin-camera 65mm rig custom-built for the project, the top unit is shooting down into a mirror. The film stock in this camera was run backwards, take up to feed, in order to correct the mirror's flipped image, thus avoiding a quality-degrading optical in post.
Mankofsky remembered the massive amount of light needed for the shoot: “On a big outdoor set where Miss Piggy is fishing, I had 100 coops that each held six 1,000-watt bulbs just to get the fill-light level where we wanted it. For a key light, I had an 18K, and for back light, I had a Xenon. It got so hot up in the permanents that we had to stop shooting; it overpowered the air-conditioner! I needed 1,600 footcandles and had no idea how to get that, but after turning on all those coops, I put my meter up, and it read 1,600 footcandles exactly. Whew!”
Mankofsky's other film credits include The Jazz Singer (1980), Somewhere in Time and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … and One Crazy Summer. He also worked on TV movies for Columbo, Magnum, P.I. and The Wonderful World of Disney, A Very Brady Christmas and George Lucas' Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
Mankofsky received the ASC's Presidents Award in 2009 for his leadership and service to the organization.
