Alongside the new Grand Avenue redevelopment of the old Streets of America, Disney has today announced that the Muppets Courtyard will be renamed Grand Park.
Muppets Courtyard had only a short existence at Disney's Hollywood Studios, with it being named in March 2016, coinciding with the closure of Streets of America.
The current Muppets Courtyard will become Grand Park, an urban square off Grand Avenue surrounded by shops and restaurants like PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.
The Muppets theater was recently renamed “Grand Arts Theatre” along with a brand-new marquee.
It appears that the changes are slowly removing a dependency on the Muppets as an anchor for the area. PizzeRizzo surprised many when it opened with a lack of specific Muppet theming. The removal of Muppet theming on the exterior of the Grand Arts Theatre, along with its easy to change signage, is leading some to speculate that there are plans for something new to eventually come to the area, or perhaps Disney wants the area to be flexible as possible. Of course, the Muppets can continue to appear in Grand Park, as the Muppets are about characters and not a specific location. Disney has said that the MuppetVision 3D show will continue to play at the theater.
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