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06/10/2026

🤖 Disney MO-CAPPED a Muppet?!

That’s right, and they did it to build one of their best animatronics ever.

To create Scooter for the new Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring the Muppets at Disney World, Imagineering did something they never do. Normally, Imagineers use technology to make a character feel like a real person standing in front of you. But with Scooter, they went the opposite direction. To make him feel authentic, they made him feel more like a puppet.

Look at his arm. It’s not moved by mechanics hidden inside like a typical animatronic. Instead, his hand is moved by an arm rod. This Muppet is 100% puppet, just animated by a robot instead of a human.

But a very important human puppeteer still played a very important role. To make Scooter feel like Scooter, WDI turned to Scooter’s official Muppet performer, David Rudman.

In a move worthy of Muppet Labs, Imagineers built a tiny motion capture suit for Scooter, and Rudman actually acted out the scene for the preshow. Computers captured all that performance data and applied it to the animatronic, so the robot is actually recreating Rudman’s performance playing Scooter.

Disney says they matched his performance within millimeters.

I can personally attest to how good this animatronic is, because I was lucky enough to see Scooter performed live at the grand opening of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, from just a few feet away.

The effect of seeing him puppeteered in person felt the same as seeing the Scooter animatronic on this ride.

The motion capture didn’t just work, it captured the soul of Rudman’s performance.

So, motion capturing a Muppet? To quote Scooter, I love that idea.

Follow Guide2WDW for more deep dives on the tech behind the magic.

06/08/2026

🎢 I rode this Disney World ride 11 times and STILL didn’t see everything.

The word of the summer at Disney World is rerideability. Three major rides just got updates built to reward repeat visits, so here’s how I’d rank them.

3: Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger Spin. The changes seem small on their own (new targets, new handheld blasters, new scoring), but together they add up to a much better game. Everything feels more responsive and satisfying, and the new secret targets make you want to go back and beat your high score again and again in a way I’ve never felt before on this ride.

2: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring the Muppets. It got the Cosmic Rewind treatment with 5 randomized songs that all feel completely different. (Love Roller Coaster is my personal favorite). But repeat riders are rewarded with new gags to discover. The line packs over 30 minutes of custom Muppets videos, the preshow has a randomized character appearance (Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle, Gonzo, or Swedish Chef), and right before you exit, Statler and Waldorf run through a rotating litany of complaints about the concert. There are also some fun lines if your ride vehicle is delayed for a bit.

But 1 has way more depth than anybody realizes: the new Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run mission. The gameplay is completely overhauled. The engineer picks which planet you go to, and those planets all feel different from one another. There are branching paths within them for the pilots to navigate, and the gunner can now shoot parts of the environment to clear the way.

I went 11 times and there were still secrets left to uncover. And that doesn’t even include the secret Grogu mode (if you want to know how to unlock that, get subscribed).

These three are just part of a bigger story. I broke down all 9 new attraction updates at Disney World this summer in my full review, now up on the Guide2WDW channel.

But let me know: which of these would you ride again and again and again?

06/04/2026

🚪👀 Did Disney hide a secret hint inside today’s Monsters, Inc news?

I actually think they hid two.

Today, Disney dropped some Sulley-sized updates about the Monsters, Inc land coming to Hollywood Studios, along with a fresh look at the construction.

Here’s what they made official.

For the first time, Disney confirmed that Harryhausen’s, the legendary restaurant monsters line up for in the film, will be part of the land. They also revealed that the old Muppet Vision theater will be transformed into The Glob Theater. Both were implied by earlier concept art, but now it’s official.

They also revealed the land’s story. Set after the events of the film, the monsters are inviting humans into the city for the very first time, for H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for Humans Understand Monsters Are Nice.

But the best part is the newspaper graphic Disney included in their blog post: a special edition of the Monstropolis Horn, the in-world newspaper. If you look closely at the top two items, both say they’re on “Page 8, Col 15.”

That’s the clue. 8/15 is August 15th, the second day of D23 and the exact date of the Disney Experiences Showcase, the parks panel where Disney makes its biggest announcements.

But this is more than a cute way to say “stay tuned.” Look at the two headlines. I think they point to specific D23 announcements that are coming.

The first reads “Local Restaurants Comment on New Menu Development,” which I think signals major food announcements at D23, not just for Harryhausen’s, but also for whatever replaces Pizzerizzo (still unannounced).

The second reads “Glob Show begins rehearsals ahead of H.U.M.A.N. Day,” which tells me we’ll finally learn what the show inside The Glob actually is on August 15. For me, that show is the single biggest mystery about this entire land.

What do you think that Glob show will be? Let me know. 👇

06/02/2026

🦿 🫣 Those robot legs falling over? They show why the Disney skeptics are wrong.

One of the things I’m most optimistic about for the future of Disney Parks are the free roaming robots and animatronics.

But every time I make a video about them, I hear from the cynics: “Free-roaming characters are just hype for shareholders. Guests will never actually see them.”

And honestly, I get it.

Lucky the Dinosaur, the Muppet Mobile Labs, Groot, the Living Character Initiative were all relatively rare to see in the parks before they free-roamed their way to a farm upstate.

But here’s what the skeptics are missing: the trajectory.

Look at the development timeline.
Lucky, the first free-roaming animatronic back in 2003, took 5 years to build.
Flash forward 20 years to Groot, which took 3 years.

Then something shifted in the last 3 years.

The BDX Droids took 12 months. Olaf, 4 months. Herbie, just 90 days. And every single one of those has already been deployed in the parks (and cruise ships) for guests to see across the world.

So how is that pace even possible?

Moritz Bächer, the lab director for Disney Research’s robotics team, told me it comes down to two things: advances in physics simulation and reinforcement learning. Disney’s simulations are now good enough that Imagineers can build robots from off-the-shelf parts instead of expensive custom equipment.

Which brings me back to those legs completely eating it. That clip released by Imagineering was Project Kiwi, the state of the art in 2019, and the work that eventually led to Groot.

But in 2026, Disney is using AI to teach these robots to breakdance, do ballet, and even moonwalk. And if they fall, they fall with style.

Here’s the key most people miss: this tech isn’t just getting better. It’s getting cheaper and faster at the same time. That’s a trajectory that says we can expect to see more of this in the parks, not less. And it’s exactly why the skeptics are wrong.
Follow along for more of what Disney’s building for the future. 🦿✨

05/29/2026

🎸 This fan complaint about Disney’s new Muppet coaster might be the whole point.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring the Muppets just opened at Hollywood Studios. And the reimagined ride is packed with new things to love: gags throughout the queue, the preshow now with animatronics, a killer lineup of songs, and arguably the most easter eggs per square foot of any attraction ever built.

But I’ve seen some fans are complaining that it’s not different enough. The coaster track is the same. The launch is the same. The on-ride visuals are updated, but familiar.

And I think that’s all on purpose.

I had the chance to interview Imagineer David Brescia, the Story Lead on the attraction. He revealed something that completely reframed the ride for me. He pointed out that the Muppets have a long history of stepping into existing stories and roles, from The Muppet Christmas Carol to Muppet Treasure Island. This is now the Muppets doing their own version of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster story.

Suddenly it clicks. Disney is treating Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster like a classic story in the theme park canon, just with the Muppets now taking on the roles of the band, the manager, the sound engineer, and more.

Like Muppet Christmas Carol, the beats are all the same, presented in a way only the Muppets can pull off. It’s somehow both parody and sincere recreation at the same time.

So of course the ride itself looks and feels similar. But now you’re not just flying past oversized Hollywood icons. You’re spotting new signs and clever gags layered into every turn.

The similarities make the absurdness work.

I’ve been riding this coaster track for almost 30 years, and this is the first time it ever made me laugh while on the ride.

And that’s the point. 🐸

05/28/2026

🚨MASSIVE Carousel of Progress changes are coming!

Disney World is updating every single scene in Carousel of Progress. And ironically, this might be the best way to carry on the original vision of Walt’s passion project.

Think about it. When Walt debuted Carousel at the 1964 World’s Fair, it referenced innovations the families in the audience had personally lived through: iceboxes to refrigerators, electric lighting, television.

But 60 years later, way more people feel nostalgia for the ride itself than for the eras it depicts.

Well, Disney just dropped huge news that aims to fix exactly that.

Carousel of Progress is closing very soon for a massive overhaul. In addition to the new Walt Disney animatronic introducing the show, every single scene is being reset to a new decade.
Instead of moving through the 1900s, ‘20s, ‘40s, and “present day,” the story now starts in 1969 during the moon landing.

The second scene fast-forwards to a totally rad 1980s Halloween, with mom Sarah taking center stage for the first time.

The third scene jumps ahead to New Year’s Eve Y2K.

And the final scene leaps way into the future, a John Hench-inspired vision that shouldn’t get outdated anytime soon, because it’s actually set off planet.

And not everything is changing. The family, the rover, the song, and even Uncle Orville will all still be there.

Change this big is hard. But Disney has updated Carousel several times before, and I think this is by far the most necessary update for this ride to have a great big beautiful tomorrow.

Here’s why: Imagineering is going back to the spirit of the story Walt originally told. The magic of the 1964 version was that optimistic feeling of seeing the progress your family actually lived through. By depicting decades you, your parents, or your grandparents remember firsthand, Disney is rebuilding that exact emotional connection.

Carousel of Progress closes July 6 and is expected to reopen sometime in 2027.

That’s progress for you.

Are you excited about these changes, or will you miss the old scenes? Let me know!

05/26/2026

🎸 There are SO MANY EASTER EGGS at the new Muppets Rock ’N’ Roller Coaster, I wish I could do a countdown of them all.

But since I only have a minute and a half, here are 8 of my favorites

On-ride POV footage via (Thanks, Demi!)

Disney just transformed Rock N Roller Coaster into the very first Muppet ride, and Imagineering packed the queue, preshow, ride, and gift shop with callbacks to Muppet*Vision 3D, Pizzerizzo, and even the original Aerosmith version of the ride.

Number 8: A Pizzerizzo box sits inside Studio C during the preshow. Look for more references throughout the line and ride.

Number 7: The “Obligatory Easter Egg” sign just before the corkscrew features the silhouette of Waldo, the spirit of 3D from Muppet*Vision.

Number 6: Statler and Waldorf are back at the end of the ride, and Disney confirmed these are the same animatronics from Muppet*Vision. They are as grumpy as ever, and still bolted to the seats!

Number 5: A lost bunny flyer in the single rider line reveals that Sweetums is still looking for Bean.

Number 4: Across from your L.I.M.O. at the load station, you will spot the Muppet Mobile Lab vehicle. This was the ride for the free-roaming Bunsen and Beaker animatronics seen in the parks during the 2010s.

Number 3: Kermit tells the band “you’ve got a minute and a half,” which is both a callback to his line to Sam Eagle during Muppet*Vision… and the actual ride runtime of Rock N Roller Coaster.

Number 2: Two cameos from the original Aerosmith ride. Illeana Douglas, who played Aerosmith’s manager, returns with Kermit in the livestream video. And Ken Marino, who played a sound engineer in Studio C before he got famous, has a lifetime achievement award just before the alley. Both also briefly appear in the post-show concert footage.

Number 1: Before you enter the gift shop, turn around and look up. The Muppet Jim Henson portrait that used to hang in the Muppet*Vision queue now lives here. A perfect tribute.

What’s your favorite easter egg in the new Rock N Roller Coaster? 🐸

05/22/2026

👀 First Look: Bluey and Bingo at Disney World!

Bluey and Bingo are coming to Animal Kingdom starting May 26, and they’re bringing a lot of the fun of the show with them… with an animal twist.

My family attended a special preview of Bluey’s Wild World, where you can play animal games with the Heeler sisters. We saw two games:
Magic Asparagus - Just like in the episode of the same name, if someone points at you with the asparagus and says the name of an animal, you have to start acting like the animals. Kids were having a blast stomping like elephants, soaring like eagles, and (of course) hopping like kangaroos with Bluey and Bingo.

Keepy Uppy - Keep the insect balloons floating in the air. Everyone bounced around a bumblebee, ladybug, and butterfly balloons and bubbles rained down. Pure Bluey magic.

My family loves Bluey, and my kids both had the best time ever getting to play and be silly with two of their favorite characters. Seeing my 2 year old daughter play with Bluey (and then go on and on about how it was her favorite thing ever) was a proud dad moment.

My prediction based on the crowd reaction: this be the biggest new attraction this summer at WDW (and this summer is stacked).

Follow Guide2WDW for more updates on everything new this summer at Disney World.

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