For nearly 40 years, Disney has been taking Jim Henson’s iconic Muppets and creating incredible films and television shows. They can’t get enough of movies like The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021). And guests visiting Walt Disney World Resort still love heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and watching Kermit and the gang in Muppet*Vision 3D.
So, to say fans were shocked by the recent news of a historic sale would be an understatement.
Related: Disturbing New Information Surfaces as Disney Remains Quiet on ‘Muppets’ Removal From Theme Park
Over the weekend, it was reported that the sale of the historic Jim Henson Company Lot was wrapping up and that the buyer appeared to be the Church of Scientology. Sale of the iconic lot — located on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles — was first reported over the summer by TheWrap.
The studio was first owned by the legendary silent film star Charlie Chaplin and later became A&M Studios. Thirty years after it became a historical cultural monument, the Jim Henson Company purchased it in 1999. The studio had such a long and storied history that the Los Angeles Heritage Cultural Commission in 1969 gave it the esteemed title.
However, with news of the potential Scientology sale going viral, the family of Jim Henson is speaking out — and they are denying that any such sale to the controversial religious group is happening.
“In regards to recent rumors about the sale of the La Brea studio lot, the Henson family is not in any business dealings with the Church of Scientology, and that organization is not in consideration as a potential buyer of the property,” a spokesperson for the Jim Henson family said in a statement. “It is still the family’s intention to move The Jim Henson Company to a new location it can share with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, but at this time the family is not in escrow with any buyer.”
News of the potential sale to The Church of Scientology was first reported by The Insneider, who said they were given the information by an insider, but they did not say who the source was.
This is not the first time The Muppets and Jim Henson have made headlines in recent months.
In August, Disney held its biennial D23 Expo — the ultimate fan event. During that time, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that Monstropolis from the 2001 Pixar film Monsters, Inc. was coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Many fans began to worry that the new land would take over the area where Muppet*Vision 3D is located.
Disney has remained relatively mom on where the new land will go, but fans are begging Disney not to get rid of the classic 3D attraction. Instead, they are hoping the building be named a historical location.
Some fans are speculating that the city of Monstropolis will take over the area that is currently home to the Star Wars Launch Bay and the former Little Mermaid show that received terrible reviews.
Are you glad that The Church of Scientology is not buying the Jim Henson Lot? Do you think Disney should buy it? Let us know in the comments!