After many years of rumors, Disney has announced a Monsters Inc. doors roller coaster as part of the mini-land of Monstropolis coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
In this post, we are going to discuss everything that was announced about the all-new land themed to Pixar’s Monsters Inc. in Hollywood Studios and just what exactly will be included in this expansion.
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro made the announcement at the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” during the D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. D’Amaro said, “with a little help from Disney Legend Billy Crystal, took to the stage to reveal plans to build a living, breathing, and not-at-all-scary “Monsters, Inc.” inspired area where you’ll be able to stroll the streets alongside some of your favorite monsters.”
Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself. You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (a.k.a. Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door!
Yes, a door. If you’ve been dreaming of riding through the door vault since the movie was released in 2001, you’re not alone — Josh has been thinking about this, too. “The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” he told the crowd. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park.
Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”
The coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Just be sure to fill out your paperwork! Roz is always watching…
Work on the project is slated to begin next year, so get ready to ROAR with laughter!
Right now, details a limited on this Monsters Inc. land and we don’t yet know the full size and scale, nor everything that will be included.
At this point, it seems like there will only be 1 attraction when the land open, the Doors Roller Coaster. If you have been following Disney news for a while, you have no doubt heard of this one. The first I heard it rumored was back in 2005 or 2006, and and it has been talked about as a possible new attraction coming to Walt Disney World at just about every D23 Expo since.
We liked the idea the first time we heard it, and from the concept art Disney showed as well as the models there were on display, we think it looks like a ton of fun. From what we hear it will be more of a family-coaster, so it will probably be more fun than thrilling, which is totally fine with me.
The ride will be located inside the factory building that is featured prominently in the concept art, but at first glance it doesn’t really look all the big, so I’m wondering what the run-time will be on this.
At this time, the Doors coaster is the only attraction mentioned by Disney, and depending on where they build it there may or may not be space for a second attraction. I personally would love to see a really high-quality dark ride added in this land eventually, something similar to the Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek in Tokyo Disneyland.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is missing some slow, dark rides that the whole family can do, and this is one of the very best ones Disney Imagineering has ever built, so getting something similar would be incredible.
We are also sure that there will be some kind of shopping located here, the potential merchandising revenue is too high to turn down. You can also count on Disney putting in a Monsters Inc. character meet here, and we also anticipate some kind of dining option. If not a quick service location, some Monsters Inc.-themed snacks are a 100% guarantee.
The biggest question of all however is: “Where will the Monsters Inc. land be built in Hollywood Studios?”
The two most obvious choices are at Grand Avenue and taking over the space currently occupied by MuppetVision 3D, or in the Animation Courtyard.
I have to say, the location is huge for me, and depending on which one they choose I will either be super-excited or just relatively ok with it.
To me, the obvious, slam-dunk choice is to put it in Animation Courtyard. This is a hugely valuable piece of real estate in Hollywood Studios that is barely being used. Ever since Galaxy’s Edge opened up in 2019, the Star Wars Launch Bay is pretty much useless and you hardly ever find guests in that end of the park.
There are some challenges with putting it here as you would likely have to move some of the offices and backstage areas to make room for this expansion, but it is doable.
I would on the other hand avoid putting it on Grand Ave. I am a huge fan of MuppetVision 3D and have been since I was a little kid. Even though it doesn’t get huge lines all day long, it’s a classic Disney attraction and one of the best shows they have ever done.
It’s also one of the very last projects that Muppet creator Jim Henson ever worked on before his untimely death in 1990 and it remains timeless to this day. It would be a shame to get rid of it imo.
If the Monsters Inc. land were to go here, it would also mean replacing Mama Melrose’s, Studio 1 Shop, Days of Christmas, and PizzeRizzo. In that case we are talking about 2 restaurants disappearing from the park’s lineup, and in that case they would have to include at least 1 if not 2 restaurants to replace them.
It’s also pretty strange that Disney would choose this area over Animation Courtyard since the whole area is relatively new and in good condition. Animation Courtyard on the other hand is dead most of the time and is honestly just a big waste of space.
The only thing that may block putting the Monsters Inc. land there is if Disney has more expansions already planned for Hollywood Studios and they have other ideas for Animation Courtyard. We’ve heard there are potentially 2 more expansions in the works for this park, so in that case I could understand why Disney doesn’t put Monsters Inc. there and chooses replacing the Muppets instead.
At this time we don’t have an opening date for this project, but we do know that work will begin on the Monstropolis expansion in Hollywood Studios sometime in 2025.
In that case, with the rate of speed that Disney builds its expansions, I wouldn’t expect anything to open until 2028. 3 years is a pretty solid estimate of how long it would take for a project like this, especially if there is only one attraction coming.
Looking at the other newly-announced lands, we expect Pueblo Esperanza in the Animal Kingdom to open in 2027 and the Monsters Inc. land in 2028. After that the Cars Land will probably be 2029 and then Villains Land in 2030. Disney likes to space out new attractions so guests keep coming back and this would be a timeline that makes sense to get the most visits out of guests.
Overall, we are very excited about Monstropolis coming to Hollywood Studios, and the Door Coaster is one attraction we have been waiting years for, so to finally have it coming seems like a dream come true. I think the land itself has a ton of potential and the Monsters Inc. franchise is one of the most underrated imo.
If somehow MuppetVision 3D can also be saved, this is a complete slam dunk!
That wraps up our look at the new Monsters Inc. land and the doors roller coaster. We’ll be finding out more info in the coming months so stay tuned for more!
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Your Thoughts
I want to know what you think about the proposed Monsters Inc. land…
- Are you happy to see a land themed to Monsters Inc. coming to Hollywood Studios?
- What are some other attraction ideas for the land?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.
marion
Monday 19th of August 2024
It is a good fit for Hollywood Studios. A new land and attraction is always welcome. Monsters, Inc will be enjoyable. Nice addition.
George Mells
Sunday 18th of August 2024
I would not consider the Monsters Inc. Door ride to be the first suspended ride at Disney since the Peter Pan one has used suspended ride vehicles since day one. But I don't think that can be called a roller coaster so I will concede the honor. I imagine it might be much like the Harry Potter ride at Universal in the use of the suspended cars though the claim that the "hook" will connect and pick the rider up bothers me. But should be fun.