PHOTOS: Wall Knocked Down During Grand Avenue Construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Crews have knocked down a wall and are reconstructing it during construction in Grand Avenue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Grand Avenue Construction

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Construction walls went up around a section of Grand Avenue outside the Muppets courtyard earlier this month.

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Beyond the construction walls, we can see a new gray concrete wall taking shape.

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This wall is where a wall actually used to be, so the old one must have been knocked down for some reason.

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For comparison, this wall on the other side of the courtyard entrance is the same shape and size as the wall that was knocked down. It’s possible the old wall was damaged.

As a result of the construction, the snack stand featuring churros and ice cream products has moved closer to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge entrance.

The nearby bathrooms, PizzeRizzo, and Muppet*Vision 3D are all still open, guests just need to walk around the construction walls to reach them.

Muppet*Vision 3D & Grand Avenue

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Muppet*Vision 3D opened in 1991 as one of the first representations of the Muppets in Disney Parks, and the only permanent Muppets attraction since then. As production began on Muppet*Vision 3D, there was a tentative agreement for Disney to purchase the Jim Henson Company. However, Henson’s death in 1990 ended that agreement and delayed the attraction.

Directed by Henson, it was one of his and puppeteer Richard Hunt’s final Muppets projects. It was the last time Henson performed as Kermit the Frog, as well as Waldorf and The Swedish Chef, and the last time Hunt performed as Scooter, Statler, Beaker, and Sweetums. Hunt passed away in 1992, after the attraction premiered.

Disney never did acquire the Jim Henson Company in full, but purchased theme park rights to the Muppets, and eventually purchased the property entirely in 2004.

Muppet*Vision 3D has run mostly unchanged for 32 years, even as other Muppet attractions are closed and canceled, and as Disney’s Hollywood Studios changed around it. Until 2016, the show was part of Streets of America. After the destruction of Streets of America to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the area was briefly known as Muppets Courtyard. It then became Grand Avenue in 2017.

Muppet*Vision 3D is the only attraction in Grand Avenue, but the land includes the dining locations PizzeRizzo (once the “Toy Story”-themed Pizza Planet), Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and BaseLine Tap House. For the past few years, the Muppets-themed gift shop, Stage 1 Company Store, has been closed except for special merchandise releases. It’s A Wonderful Shop, the previously year-round Christmas store, is also closed.

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