Cast member previews are underway for Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Hollywood Studios and the first piece of practical information out of those previews is about what you can and cannot do inside.
Banks Lee shared a photo on X of the signage posted outside the attraction during cast previews. The rules are specific: photos and videos are allowed. Live streaming is not. And any photos or videos you take cannot be shared publicly until May 20th, when the embargo lifts. If you are riding during the preview window, May 20th is the date to remember.
Allowing! pic.twitter.com/2cWlDgT1CX
— Banks Lee (@BanksLee) May 16, 2026
The embargo itself signals something. Disney does not typically impose media blackouts on attractions unless there is content inside worth controlling the reveal of. Based on everything that has been confirmed about what is waiting inside this reimagined coaster, the restrictions make complete sense. The attraction has been rebuilt from the ground up and the details that have come out paint a picture of something Disney clearly wants guests to experience fresh.
Here is what has been confirmed.
The New Storyline and the Scooter Animatronic
The backstory of the ride has been completely rebuilt. G-Force Records, the record label that launched the original attraction's premise, has now been purchased by J.P. Grosse, the Muppet universe businessman who owns the Muppet Theatre.
His nephew Scooter is running the backstage tour that guests join, and The Electric Mayhem is rehearsing a major concert when visitors arrive in the recording studio. The band is performing “Can You Picture That?” as guests move through the queue.
The technical showpiece of the experience is the world's first full-scale Scooter Audio-Animatronic. Disney used motion-capture technology to record an actual Scooter puppet performance, then used that data to drive the animatronic's body movements, expressions, and mannerisms.
The goal was for Scooter to move exactly the way the character moves in the performances fans know. That is a different and more labor-intensive approach than standard animatronic development and the result should be visible to anyone who knows what Scooter is supposed to look like when he is in motion.
The queue also introduces a group of penguin audio engineers operating the studio. Longtime Muppet fans will recognize the similarity to the Emperor Penguins from MuppetVision 3D, with characters resembling Elmer, Eugene, and Estelle returning in this new setting. For the community that mourned the end of MuppetVision 3D, this is a meaningful callback.
After the studio tour, guests move through the alley behind Studio C before boarding the L.I.M.O. ride vehicles. The coaster launch carries them into a concert experience built around The Electric Mayhem's music.
The Soundtrack Has Multiple Versions
Disney confirmed the official music lineup and the approach is different from the original ride's model of one core track. The attraction features multiple songs so that different rides can deliver a different experience.
The confirmed set list: “Song 2” performed by The Electric Mayhem, “Born To Be Wild” featuring Camilla the Chicken, “Love Rollercoaster” with Jennifer Hudson and Questlove, “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” alongside Def Leppard, and “Walking on Sunshine” with Kelly Clarkson.
Disney also indicated that additional bonus tracks may have already been recorded and could be introduced over time, either seasonally or as surprise additions. That possibility changes how repeat riders think about the attraction. If the soundtrack rotates, each ride has a meaningful chance of feeling different from the last one, which is not something most coasters can claim.
The Food and Merchandise Around the Attraction
FØØD by Swedish Chef is the new themed food location in the area, and the name sets the tone for everything on the menu. The Wocka Wocking Nachos, Churro Drumstick, and Mayhem Soft-Serve Float are the headline items.
The broader menu includes mini corn dogs with chips, chocolate chip cookies, assorted chips, waffle cones in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl flavors, frozen Coke and Barq's Root Beer floats, fountain drinks, and Frozen Blue Raspberry beverages. The Frozen Blue Raspberry is also available with Bacardi Superior Rum or Tito's Handmade Vodka for adult guests.
The merchandise area is now called Rock Around the Shop. The lineup includes a guitar-shaped Loungefly crossbody bag featuring Animal and Kermit with “ROCK ON!” across the design, Electric Mayhem-themed shirts, a novelty license plate magnet reading “LET'S ROLL” with the plate number “MUPP3T5,” and a women's shirt featuring Miss Piggy with sparkling artwork and the attraction logo. Guests can also get an on-ride PhotoPass image designed to look like a classic concert poster.
The Bigger Hollywood Studios Picture for May
Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is opening on May 26th alongside The Walt Disney Studios area, a new section of the park inspired by the original Burbank studio lot. The new area will include The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure and a new Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! inside a soundstage.
Later this summer, The Magic of Disney Animation expands the area with a walk-through attraction featuring character encounters at Off The Page, the Drawn to Wonderland playground, and Olaf-led drawing lessons.
Four days earlier, on May 22nd, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge gets a brand-new mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu.
The combination of the Muppets coaster, the new studio area, and the Smugglers Run mission makes May one of the most significant opening months Hollywood Studios has had in years. For guests who have not visited the park recently or who have been planning around one of these openings specifically, the timing for a visit has rarely been better.
What This Means for Your Hollywood Studios Day
The May 20th embargo lift is the first date that matters for guests trying to form expectations before their visit. Cast member preview content will start appearing publicly that day and the first real insider looks at the queue, the Scooter animatronic, and the coaster experience will surface in the days leading up to the May 26th public opening.
For guests visiting on or around the opening, the Muppets coaster will draw significant early interest and wait times will reflect that. The attraction is the kind of major reimagining that pulls both returning fans and guests who never had a strong connection to the Aerosmith version, because The Muppets as an IP has a reach that extends across generations in a way that makes this a broadly appealing new experience.
Mark May 20th on your calendar if Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is on your Hollywood Studios list. That is when the cast preview embargo lifts and the first full looks inside the attraction will be available. Check current wait time projections and plan your arrival time accordingly for the opening week, and follow our Hollywood Studios coverage for updates as the opening date approaches.
