Walt Disney Imagineering Shares Behind the Scenes Look at Muppets Coaster, Lakeshore Lodge and Big Thunder Mountain

First Look at Muppets Coaster, Lakeshore Lodge, and Big Thunder Updates

In the premiere episode of Pardon Our Pixie Dust on YouTube, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) pulled back the curtain on the magic currently unfolding at Walt Disney World. Fans were treated to an exclusive look at construction milestones and early development for the highly anticipated Muppets Coaster, the serene Lakeshore Lodge, and the major refurbishments happening at Big Thunder Mountain.

Related – Disney Reveals First Look and Opening Season for Lakeshore Lodge

WDI Portfolio Executive Creative Producer Michael Hundgen kicks off the new video series with a playful “Pardon our pixie dust,” setting the stage for an insider’s tour of the parks. The update begins with Senior Construction Manager Colin Happ at the Lakeshore Lodge site, where he reveals the massive scale of the project—noting that approximately 800 tons of steel have already been erected to bring the new resort to life.

Stepping inside the structure, Happ guided viewers through the Lakeshore Lodge corridors to provide a first look at a guest room in progress. With the fundamental “rough-in” work now finished, the focus has shifted to the aesthetic stage, as crews begin applying paint and final finishes to the interiors.

The spotlight then shifted to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where Associate Set Director Ben Conway offered an exciting first look at the props coming to the Muppets Coaster. A standout highlight of the retheming is a tribute to Muppet history: a statue of Gonzo inspired by his appearance in the original 1979 classic, The Muppet Movie.

The retheming of the Muppets Coaster is leaning heavily into the group’s signature brand of chaos. Conway showcased a medley of props now filling the space, including rubber chickens, vintage cameras, and piles of colorful feather boas. Fans will also spot a special nod to a holiday favorite: the iconic hat Gonzo wore while portraying Charles Dickens in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). Reflecting on the project’s unique demands, Conway joked that he never expected feather boas to be a primary focus of his career, “but here we are.”

Over at Magic Kingdom, Associate Artisan Sculptor Jabe Jones shared a rare look at the ongoing transformation of Big Thunder Mountain. Though the “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” has been closed for over a year, the mountain is coming back to life with freshly poured concrete designed to look centuries old.

Once the base is set, artisans meticulously hand-carve cracks, embed pebbles, and use specialized rock templates to mimic natural geological formations. To ground the scene in the ride’s mining lore, the team adds the final “story” details: vintage wagon wheel tracks and donkey footprints pressed directly into the earth.

What do you think of these updates?

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