If there's one attraction Disney fans LOVE to armchair engineer, it's the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. This attraction, which opened in 1999, hasn't exactly aged well, with many suggesting that the Aerosmith theme makes the ride feel dated, as the band hasn't produced any new hits in quite some time, and their older music isn't as timeless as other bands from their era.

When the roller coaster closed earlier this year for refurbishment, rumors swirled once again that the theme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster would change. Walt Disney World even released a statement addressing these rumors, saying that the ride would “resume its super-stretch limo rides,” alluding to the attraction's current theming.

Of course, even though fans were throwing ideas around about what could possibly replace Aerosmith, the ride reopened with the same Aerosmith theming it has had for over 20 years. However, some very interesting news broke several days ago that has fans thinking that, even though the ride's original theming is intact as of now, plans could be in the works to actually get the ball rolling on a real re-theme in the near future. 

Why a Muppets Mayhem re-theme would work for Disney's Hollywood Studios 

Earlier this month, Jeff Yorkes, co-creator of The Muppets Mayhem series on Disney+ posted a reply on Twitter to an article discussing rumors of a Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, saying “Not gonna lie–this was absolutely part of our original pitch and is another piece of this dream. Fingers crossed that it happens.” Yorkes quickly deleted the Tweet, but the impact had already been made. Fans all across social media rallied around this idea of a potential Muppets re-theme for this attraction and highlighted some very good reasons why Disney would be wise to invest in this idea. 

First of all, the Muppets property is Disney-owned, meaning that they wouldn't have to pay for licensing the way they do now with Aerosmith. Not only would swapping the IP save them money, but it could also be used to promote both the Mayhem series on Disney+, as well as future Muppets projects, of which there are sure to be many in the coming years. The Muppets is one of Disney's most timeless IPs, entertaining families for over 60 years, and it seems unlikely to slow down any time soon, which means that this re-theme would be just as relevant today as it would be 20 years from now.

In addition to the obvious benefits Disney would have when it comes to swapping out the Aerosmith band for their own IP, there's also the fact that band frontman Steven Tyler has been in hot water recently, with allegations of sexual misconduct coming out of the woodwork over the past few years. If Disney was just casually considering re-theming Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster before, it is likely that these claims have made them more seriously consider the possibility, as they likely don't want one of their most popular rides associated with someone revealed to be a sexual predator. Getting the ball rolling now on a Muppets re-theme could help them avoid any such association and get the ride a new theme before any more issues arise.