Walt Disney World has shared a first look at the Electric Mayhem performing in the post show, along with two new songs for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets! Here’s the latest, including the expanded storyline for the reimagined ride, some ‘for fun’ predictions about the full setlist, and more.
In case you missed it, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets comes speeding into Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Summer 2026, fueled by the tasty tunes of the Electric Mayhem and the high-speed hijinks of The Muppets. Walt Disney World has not yet revealed a specific opening date, but one is coming later this week!
The expanded storyline is similar to the backstory that Walt Disney World first revealed last summer, but with a few new twists. According to Disney, the Electric Mayhem are headlining their biggest Hollywood concert ever! Anyone who’s anyone is in attendance to witness Animal, Dr. Teeth, and the rest of this groove-tastic group rock the house down. There’s just one little problem: the band is nowhere to be found!
Across town at G-Force Records, we’re treated to a VIP tour of the legendary rock and roll recording studio. Things might look a little different around this Hollywood institution, as the label has recently come under new management: The Muppets!
According to Walt Disney World, the colorful crew has landed some new digs… with just a little help from Scooter’s uncle, real estate tycoon and owner of the Muppet Theatre, J.P. Grosse (he really puts the G in G-Force). Just wait until you see how they’ve made these hallowed halls their own, creating the perfect place to make sweet, sweet Muppet music together!
With your VIP passes, you’ll be welcomed inside the recording studio, where you’ll find The Electric Mayhem cranking out the familiar tunes of “Can You Picture That?” as they rehearse for their big concert.
Along with the finest audio engineers (all penguins, of course) we’ll see Scooter doing his best to convince Electric Mayhem to stop jamming and get to their increasingly restless fans. But will it be enough to get the band across town and onstage in time?
And that’s where things kick into high gear, as the roller coaster begins…
Song #2: “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
Walt Disney World has now revealed the second song for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. Electric Mayhem will perform “Born To Be Wild” featuring Camilla the Chicken. Originally, “Born to Be Wild” is a 1968 song written by Mars Bonfire and first released as a single by Steppenwolf.
I would hope that anyone reading DTB would instantly recognize “Born to Be Wild” by name. (Unlike the first entry, which I knew immediately upon listening…but didn’t recall the song’s name.) It’s one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all times, famous for its heavy metal spirit.
Rolling Stone ranked “Born to Be Wild” at number 129 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. On AFI’s list of “100 Years…100 Songs” ranking the top songs in films, it was #29. It was 40th in the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll by VH1. In 2018, “Born to Be Wild” song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles.
Although the lyrics of “Born to Be Wild” don’t specifically mention motorcycles, the song has become associated with them in pop culture, after being featured in the 1969 classic, Easy Rider. (If you’re unfamiliar with both “Born to Be Wild” and Easy Rider, please keep it to yourself; I already feel old enough.)
Electric Mayhem’s version will feature Camilla the Chicken, which should be amusing. Camilla the Chicken is Gonzo’s long-time girlfriend and has appeared in Muppet productions since the 1970s. You might say it’s a bit rebellious or counterculture for a…whatever Gonzo is…to date a chicken.
As both a counterculture and driving song, “Born to Be Wild” is a perfect fit for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. The kind of song that’s an obvious choice for a road trip playlist when you need to be energized. Once again, Disney nailed it with the song selection here–this is a “no notes” choice that I cannot wait to hear. They’re now 2 for 2!
Song #1: Song 2 by Blur
Earlier this week, Walt Disney World announced the first song in RnRC would be an Electric Mayhem cover of Blur’s “Song 2.” This is the second song on the eponymous fifth studio album by the English rock band Blur. (If you’re unfamiliar with it, have a listen.)
“Song 2” was released by Blur in April 1997, and was intended to be a parody of the grunge genre or of radio hits and the music industry with a punk rock chorus. It features “woo-hoo” and “yeah, yeah” lyrics, and it’s ~2 minute duration makes it a good fit for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Honestly, I can’t say that “Song 2” is something that I listen to with regularity, but I definitely have fond memories of hearing it again and again (and again) on the radio back in the late 90s. It reminds me of a different world and simpler times,
It should be a fantastic fit for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. Seriously, can you not hear Animal jamming out and shooting “yeah, yeah”?! It’s another great choice. Here’s hoping this is a repeat of Cosmic Rewind, which captures lightning in a bottle (for the most part) with its song choices.
Prior to the opening of Cosmic Rewind, Walt Disney Imagineering revealed that during development of that family-thrill coaster, they came up with a list of more than 100 potential songs for the Starjumpers’ onboard sound system. The results were fantastic–a bunch of perfect fits, minus “Conga.” (Can’t win ’em all.)
One of the great strengths of Cosmic Rewind is its crowd-pleasing music, and we fully expect Disney to replicate that recipe with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Obviously the Muppetization of the roller coaster is something I’m really excited about, but I feel like better song selection has the potential to elevate this attraction for everyone (except Aerosmith diehards), even those who are not Muppets diehards.
As far as predictions for future songs on the setlist, I haven’t the slightest idea. However, Disney did release this tease:
Muppets Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Setlist Predictions
On social media, fans have been trying to guess what everything on here means. Here are some of the leading contenders:
- The Roots
- Blinding Lights by the Weeknd (and/or Rizzo the Rat)
- Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
- Lenny Kravitz
- Def Leppard
- Kelly Clarkson
Personally, I’d caution against overanalysis. We saw a similar tease for the TRON Lightcycle Run opening date, as well as something else, and it ended up being almost indecipherable. My guess is that Disney has over-thought this, picking graphics with ambiguity, that have a more obvious interpretation…and then their actual meaning.
Given that, I’m just along for the ride. The only song that I’d really like to see make the cut is Blinding Lights by Rizzo the Rat, although I’m not sure how that would translate to the ride without the hilarious music video.
I’d also note that the Muppets have previously recorded a number of covers, which could seemingly be reused here to reduce costs. At the same time, I’m guessing the bigger concerns are fit for the ride profile and ongoing licensing fees. Meaning that the music already existing probably isn’t make or break either way.
As previously mentioned, I’d also love to hear Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” in Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (that tops my personal wishlist), with the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Queen (long-rumored as a potential Aerosmith replacement) also being obvious picks.
My all-time favorite musician is Bob Dylan, but I’m not sure how his music, even as a cover, would translate to RnRC. Ditto Fleetwood Mac, which is enjoying a resurgence in popularity right now as old music has been climbing the charts.
I also wouldn’t mind something to appease and attract younger generations. A cover of Sabrina Carpenter would seem to make sense given her association with the Muppets, and music like hers or Taylor Swift would help the ride with a younger demo (although I’m not sure how much they’d appreciate covers).
Electric Mayhem Post-Show
Shortly after revealing “Born to Be Wild” as today’s track aboard Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, Disney Parks posted this on social media:
Picture this after riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets A behind the scenes look at The Electric Mayhem performing “Can You Picture That?” at their sold out show
The tweet was accompanied by four photos of Electric Mayhem, which are below. But before I share them, I want to warn you–so you don’t get prematurely excited like I did–that these are almost certainly NOT Audio Animatronics. Here’s a look:
Although Walt Disney World hasn’t clarified exactly where or how the Electric Mayhem will appear in the post-show, it’s most likely a video. For one thing, there isn’t sufficient space for an entire Audio Animatronics band here in the unload area. There is in the former on-ride image review, which could conceivably be converted to a concert space for Audio Animatronics.
However, this is equally unlikely for a whole host of practical reasons. Most significantly, operations would not want the backup of guests that would result from people stopping to watch the AAs perform “Can You Picture That?” Almost equally as important, that post-show did not close early (as was the case with the pre-show), and the tighter timeline would make it nearly impossible to retrofit and install Audio Animatronics during the closure window.
As exciting as the possibility of more Audio Animatronics might be, what we’re probably seeing in the above photos are behind the scenes images from filming for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets post-show, which will be presented in video form above the on-ride photo review area, just as Aerosmith concert footage was previously shown. For those who are unfamiliar with “Can You Picture That?,” it’s an Electric Mayhem classic, having been performed countless times over the years, starting with 1979’s The Muppet Movie.
Here’s the version from The Muppets Mayhem Disney+ show:
Another reason we suspect these are not Audio Animatronics of the Electric Mayhem is because that simply is not the ‘template’ for this ride reimagining. The speedy turnaround time on the attraction is because substance of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will not materially change for the most part, aside from the pre-show (which, again, closed earlier for exactly this reason).
The roller coaster track and layout are going to remain unchanged inside the current gravity building. Aside from cosmetically, the ride vehicles are not changing. It’s also likely that the load area, launch, and unload will likely look somewhat similar when all is said and done. Work was done during two lengthy refurbishments in 2023 and 2024 to extend the life of the coaster and ride system.
Imagineering has created story contrivances that offer considerable overlap with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, allowing for a lot of RnRC to remain unchanged. It’s possible that the current props in the ride-through don’t change all that much, or are perhaps have a bit of “Muppetization” added on top of what’s already there.
The biggest changes will occur in the queue and pre-show. My guess is that a lot of the props inside the attraction have been hauled over from MuppetVision 3D, and will fill a similar role they did in that attraction’s pre-show. Fan service to MV3D seems like the easy and obvious approach.
Swapping out of posters and other stuff in the queue to be particularly time-consuming. In all likelihood, what’s dictating the reopening date is likely the pre-show, which is what Imagineering started on first. Everything else could be finished or close to it by this point.
Otherwise, you should expect a fairly 1:1 ride reimagining, with Imagineering swapping out Aerosmith stuff for Muppets stuff. The original Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will serve as the blueprint for the changes, and if you don’t like the new music or the Muppets for whatever reason, you can put on headphones during the ride (not recommended since it’s a roller coaster) and listen to Aerosmith to have the same general experience as before.
Ultimately, we’re cautiously optimistic about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets–as evidenced by that #1 ranking on our hype list. There are hardcore Muppets fans in Walt Disney Imagineering who fought for this project in the first place, and will likewise work tirelessly to ensure the reimagining is well-done, reusing elements from MuppetVision that would otherwise be discarded, and having as much unique Muppets humor as possible.
I can’t wait to see how Imagineers pull off this ride reimagining, even if it’ll never fully replace MuppetVision. Then again, maybe it won’t have to…if they do such a good job that this leads to a future Muppets Courtyard in this area, we could end up with a windfall and the start of a bona fide Muppet renaissance!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your predicted Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets debut date? Predictions for the playlist? Thoughts on “Be to Be Wild” or “Song 2” or “Can You Picture That?” being featured in the attraction? Are you excited for Muppets makeover? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!