A well known ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was cleared today because of reports coming from the ride. Recently, the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith was emptied because of smoke inside the building. Disney confirmed to a nearby news station that there was no fire and no injuries detailed. Per a Disney spokesperson, the ride is in the process of re-opening. Karen Owens, a travel planner visiting Disney, given some additional details on her Twitter account, discussing the evacuation.
The Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith first opened in 1999 as a feature of the tenth anniversary for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ride is themed around guests joining the band Aerosmith rushing in a “stretch limo” to get to a show. Each train on the coaster features a different soundtrack, with several songs containing new lyrics written specifically for the ride. Notably, the ride is the fastest roller coaster at Walt Disney World Resort. A second version of the ride opened in Disneyland Paris, yet it was shut down in 2019 with plans to re-topic the recreation center around Iron Man and other Marvel characters. Many Disney fans speculated that a similar destiny could come upon the Hollywood Studios version of the ride, in spite of the fact that Disney notably can’t use most Marvel characters at Walt Disney World due to a prior licensing agreement with Universal Studios.
The timing of the shutdown was unfortunate, as the roller coaster’s outside just got a facelift recently. The enormous guitar outside of the roller coaster recently got a refurbishment. “Recently, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith covers were dropped revealing the dazzling refurbishment of everyone’s cherished guitar at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at [Walt Disney World] Resort,” read the post on the refurbishment. “Following quite a while of preparation, body work and some fresh paint, the iconic guitar has been restored to look over and above anyone’s expectations and keep our fans rocking on. Thanks to our rock stars from the Florida Design and Show Quality group!”