Rockin' Rollercoaster needs a re-theme that is consistent with Hollywood Studios
By Brian Miller
In January, Rockin' Rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios shut down and will undergo work to get the ride up to date and more reliable.
Rockin' Rollercoaster is one of Disney's "thrill rides" and one of only two coasters at Hollywood Studios. It is currently down for repairs and maintenance but there has been some speculation that it could undergo a re-theming.
So far, nothing has been mentioned by Disney that when it reopens it will be anything but what we have already experienced. Disney likes to tease guests so if something was going to change we should have already known about it.
When it was announced that the coaster would undergo changes, some ventured to think Taylor Swift could become the face of the attraction instead of Aerosmith. That would make a lot of sense and some still are hoping that will be the case, especially given the Disney+ addition of her Era's Tour coming soon.
I don't mind the Swift hype but I will say that Rockin' is out of sync with the rest of the park.
Hollywood Studios is a movie and television theme park. Star Wars, Toy Story, Frozen, Indiana Jones, and more. Even the Hollywood Tower of Terror is based on The Twilight Zone. Then there is Rockin' Rollercoaster, the only truly themed attraction at the park that is about...music.
The ride is great when it works. A fast, bullet-like start with a raucous soundtrack that takes guests from the studio through the streets of Hollywood to get to a concert featuring Aerosmith. Yes, it is outdated and Aerosmith isn't as relevant as they once were but if the ride is going to be down, maybe a complete re-theme would make sense.
Disney has a lot of property that is not represented at their parks. Over at Magic Kingdom, Tiana will soon be prominent. Why not make Rockin' Rollercoaster something different too? Consider that next to the coaster is the entry to the Lightning McQueen attraction. Maybe re-theme the coaster as a raceway that features "Cars" or maybe "Herbie The Lovebug"?
There is a lot of options for Disney and frankly, the whole "music" theme is boring at this point. If Disney opts to keep the ride themed the same, they are not doing themselves any favors. The ride iteself can be exactly as it is now with an interior makeover to go with the line queue makeover.