Credit: DisneyIt’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to welcome The Muppets to Animal Kingdom tonight.
For more than 30 years, The Muppets have been a Disney World staple. Muppet*Vision 3D opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then MGM Studios) back in 1991 and continues to entertain Guests with jokes, animatronics, and a gloriously outdated ’90s aesthetic to this day.
Since then, The Muppets have made themselves at home at several other Disney World establishments. In 2016, Pizzerizzo replaced Pizza Planet as Hollywood Studios’ go-to for indulgently greasy pizza. And in 2020, Sam the Eagle opened his own eatery – Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue – in EPCOT’s America pavilion.
For a while, the Muppets even had their own show in the heart of Magic Kingdom. Until 2019, The Muppets Present … Great Moments in American History taught Guests a (very abridged) version of America’s past. There was just one Park Kermit and co. never conquered – until now.
To celebrate Earth Month and its 25th Anniversary, two very important VIPs paid a visit to Animal Kingdom. In a promotional video shared by Disney, Kermit and Animal enjoyed a “private adventure” around the Park to showcase all the ways it’s changed over the past 25 years.
It's Animal's kingdom and we're all just living in it. 👑 Join @KermittheFrog and Animal as they celebrate #EarthMonth and the Park's 25th anniversary with an unforgettable adventure in Disney's Animal Kingdom at @WaltDisneyWorld Resort! pic.twitter.com/QmGuVa5dMN
— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) April 14, 2023
That included checking out Pandora – World of Avatar by night, sitting down with Kermit’s “favorite performers” at Animal Kingdom (AKA the Tumble Monkeys from Festival of the Lion King), screaming their way through Expedition Everest, and ending the night with a Mickey Premium Bar.
Basically, a dream day at Animal Kingdom.
Fans are always keen to see more Muppets at Disney World, and there have long been (accurate) grumblings that the franchise is woefully underused by the Walt Disney Company. This may have been the briefest of glimpses, it’s just another reminder that there’s plenty more Disney could do with the characters if they so wished.
In the meantime, Muppet fans can see Animal back on the screen in the upcoming Muppets Mayhem. Documenting the process of Animal and his band recording their first album, this premieres on Disney+ on May 10.