Walt Disney World is building a Monstropolis mini-land and Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster at Hollywood Studios. Here are project updates, new aerial construction photos documenting progress, and answers to frequently asked questions about the expansion.
Monstropolis is partially replacing Muppets Courtyard, with existing venues in that now defunct land being reimagined and the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster being built backstage as a proper expansion. Consequently, MuppetVision 3D, PizzeRizzo, and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano all permanently closed in June 2025.
Construction walls immediately went up along the edge of Grand Avenue on the Muppets Courtyard side, with the main thorough leading to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge still open. You can still get a glimpse of the former MuppetVision 3D and PizzeRizzo over the walls. Not much is visibly different from within the park. The biggest change is that the Stage 1 Company Store has been demolished.
Otherwise, not many changes are visible aside from marquee removals. Not that we’d expect to see much. All of the other buildings in Muppets Courtyard are being repurposed. The exterior of what was Mama Melrose is changing considerably to become Harryhausen’s, but “demolished” is the right word to describe what’ll happen there. Even if it were, you can’t see Mama Melrose from inside the park.
Accordingly, we need a different vantage to see the Monstropolis demolition and construction. To illustrate the progress, let’s take a look at eye in the sky photos from friend-of-the-site bioreconstruct, the go-to source for aerial theme park photography…
March 2026 Monstropolis Construction Photos
As you can see, there are multiple layers to the foundation of the gravity building, which is much more elaborate than other recent projects, presumably due to the softness of the soil in this area of Walt Disney World. The foundation is multiple layers of concrete plus sand, conduits, rebar, and footers. The initial slab of concrete was poured in December.
In January, a layer of engineered fill was spread over that slab to completely cover the first layer of concrete. Now that the foundation is complete in places, we can expect vertical construction to commence in the coming weeks. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the gravity building start rising this month or in April.
Now let’s turn to the concept art, as in-park construction walls feature new concept art with subtle differences from what Walt Disney World originally released. First, here’s a look at the old concept art:
Old vs. New Monstropolis Concept Art
The above concept art was released when Walt Disney World first confirmed the location of Monstropolis, replacing Muppets Courtyard.
The new concept art was revealed when construction walls went up in Walt Disney World. Interestingly, this art only appears in the park–Disney has not updated its press release or distributed new high resolution concept art to media.
We always take note when Disney declines to release concept art online as there’s often a reason for that, but in this case, perhaps not. Hundreds of people will take photos of this every single day, thoroughly documenting it.
Anyway, here’s the new Monstropolis concept art:
For the most part, the art is the same. As we’d expect, given that construction is commencing soon. It’s more like one of those ‘spot the differences’ games. Here’s a partial list of what we’ve noted:
- Wider and more open entrance area from Grand Avenue
- Repurposing of Miss Piggy fountain as opposed to eyeball fountain
- Monstro Theater now “The Glob”
- More colorful building facades between PizzeRozzo and Harryhausen’s
- Removed Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor billboard over colorful building facades
- Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster moved back to allow for bigger courtyard and outdoor extended queue
Most of these are relatively minor, either artistic iterations or tweaks likely made once operational realities set in. From my perspective, the most consequential of those is moving the Doors Coaster back to create a courtyard in front of it. This is a smart move, and one that should make the factory more imposing as it looms in the distance.
Whether this was done for the sake of sightlines from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or due to the need for more crowd flow space is anyone’s guess at this point. It might be a mix of the two. While I’d love to believe that the neon green and blue tarps are for a covered play area, I suspect that’s overflow queue.
Prior to this, Disney shared updates during last year’s South by Southwest. Michael Hundgen of Walt Disney Imagineering and Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios shared news about the signature attraction of Monstropolis, where guests embark on a thrilling roller coaster ride through the Monsters, Inc. door vault.
“Imagineers have been itching to turn that moment into an attraction ever since we saw it for the first time,” Hundgen teased. The upcoming door ride will feature the first-ever suspended coaster at a Disney Park, and the first-ever vertical lift.
Here’s a new animatic look at the Monsters, Inc. doors suspended coaster coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The new animation shows the lifting ride mechanism at the load and unload area of the attraction:
NEW: Disney shared a new animatic look at the Monsters, Inc. Doors suspended coaster coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The new animation shows the ride mechanism and the load/unload area of the attraction. pic.twitter.com/JVNr5B7onD
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2025
Guests will board the vehicle before being hoisted into the air (just like in the movie!) to zoom into the door vault. It’s going to be, “an experience that’s as memorable and fun as the film,” Hundgen continued.
This is an undeniably great scene that lends itself perfectly to a roller coaster–there’s a reason why the idea has been bouncing around Imagineering for the last two decades. But as with everything, its quality will come down to execution, and how well the ride puts guests into the story.
And I don’t mean that in the sense of typical Disney marketing fluff. The big reason that TRON Lightcycle Run punches above its weight is because of the unique lightcycle seating style. Sure, the traditional cars at the back are still fun and it’s an enjoyable coaster regardless, but the hook that makes it something special is the lightcycles. Without those, it’s a fun-but-short roller coaster in the dark and under the cool canopy.
I have similar fears about the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster, so it’s really heartening to see this unique load and launch that is a pitch perfect fit for the ride. If this is going to be another short roller coaster, it’ll need this type of unique hook to make it something special. Of course, going inside the doors vault and zooming past an endless inventory of doors–and familiar characters–should also be really cool. Here’s hoping we get a Expedition Everest-style near miss with an awesome Sulley Audio Animatronics!
The Monstropolis saga has been a real roller coaster thus far–below is a rundown of everything we know so far. The highs and lows, closing dates & details, what the Monsters, Inc. land will entail, when it could debut, and much more…
What’s Officially Announced for Monstropolis?
Monstropolis is a brand-new land themed around Monsters, Inc. that picks up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, with humans now invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc.
The concept of Monstropolis is that the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. You’ll be able to visit the Laugh Factory, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like Sulley and Mike Wazowski, via a door. The Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action.
The concept art strongly suggests we’re getting one-for-one replacements of existing restaurants and a new show in the MuppetVision theater. It does not seem like the existing buildings are being fundamentally transformed.
The table service Mama Melrose is expected to become Harryhausen’s, which will likely be a table service restaurant. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Harryhausen’s is the restaurant in Monsters, Inc. to which Mike Wazowski takes his girlfriend Celia for her birthday. Sulley and Boo show up, as does the CDA, ruining dinner. It was a whole thing.
Anyway, Harryhausen’s is a popular Japanese restaurant serving sushi, as well as a bunch of in-universe dishes: Goo-tofu, Vegetable Tempuki, Swill & Sour Soup, Flab cake, Spider roll, and Terrible Teriyucky. Harryhausen’s sounds perfect for a theme park restaurant–it should be a lot of fun.
It’s also likely that PizzeRizzo is going to reimagined into a counter service restaurant with an identical footprint in a manner similar to the conversion of Pizza Planet into PizzeRizzo. The concept art shows an almost identical building to what’s there now, and we can’t imagine Disney is going to break the bank on that retheme.
MuppetVision will become a new show. Some fans have speculated that Monsters Laugh Floor will move from Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, but that is not what Walt Disney World announced. Monsters Laugh Floor is starting to show its age, so we expect something all new–and then Laugh Floor to be sunset at some point soon as part of a separate reimagining of Tomorrowland.
Finally, there’s the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster at the end of the corridor. This is the bona fide expansion in the land, it’ll be built entirely backstage. Aside from the demolition of Stage 1 Company Store, there’s nothing in the newest Monstropolis concept art to suggest any major layout changes to Muppet Courtyard. And everything on the other side of the construction walls in Grand Avenue is safe. So fans of BaseLine Tap House can breathe easy.
What’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s Future?
Walt Disney World has also announced that the Muppet foolishness doesn’t stop with the closure of MuppetVision 3D. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard!
On a positive note, the Muppets are taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and replacing Aerosmith, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival! The reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets opens in Summer 2026.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is permanently closed as of March 2026, but the pre-show closed even earlier (late 2025) to begin its transformation. We’re expecting a turnaround time of roughly 3-4 months. A specific opening date has not yet been announced, but between the second half of June and late July 2026 is likely.
What About MuppetVision’s Future?
Walt Disney World stated this: “as we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.”
It’s unclear what, exactly, that means. Disney announced that Imagineering undertook a ‘preservation project’ before MV3D closed, complete with a Cast Member audience. Brian Henson has teased on a couple of occasions that the show is coming to Apple Vision Pro. We’re hoping for MuppetVision 3D on Disney+ (with the pre-show) given the low adoption rate of Apple’s VR headset.
Beyond that, our long term ‘goal’ is to see MuppetVision 3D relocated to Sunset Showcase, which is currently home to Villains Unfairly Ever After. Once that show runs its course and Villains Land at Magic Kingdom opens, it would make sense for Disney to build upon the foundation laid by Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets and make Muppets Courtyard 2.0 over there.
When Will Monstropolis Open at DHS?
Walt Disney World has not indicated when the Monsters, Inc. land will open, but they have announced that Tropical Americas will open first of the upcoming additions, in 2027. As discussed in the 5-Year Construction Plan for Walt Disney World, they’re going to return to a cadence of opening one major addition per year.
This would put Monstropolis in 2028. We previously discussed the possibility of Monstropolis leapfrogging Tropical Americas, which seems like it’s going to struggle to hit its 2027 target. And if it does, it’ll probably be late 2027, or possibly debut in phases. Given that, it’s possible that Monstropolis will be fast-tracked, and potentially open in late 2027 with Tropical Americas debuting in the first half of 2028.
This is still within the realm of possibility. Monstropolis is the most straightforward project of the major new lands coming to Walt Disney World in the next 5 years, and the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster (largely a roller coaster in the dark) will be much simpler to construct than the elaborate Encanto dark ride and the Tropical Americas land around it.
However, we’re skeptical. It’s not as if building the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will be easy. The gravity building still is not vertical as of Spring 2026, nor has a single piece of track been spotted on-site. Meanwhile, the show building for the Encanto dark ride went vertical late last year and has made tremendous progress.
The pacing of the respective projects would seem to confirm that Tropical Americas is, in fact, opening earlier than Monstropolis. That reinforces our prediction that Tropical Americas will start opening in late 2027 and Monstropolis will debut by Summer 2028. It’s unlikely that the two projects will be separated by a full year.
The only wildcard is how early Muppets Courtyard closed, which could result in a phased opening. Given the closure timing and the comparative simplicity of those reimaginings, the front half of Monstropolis could theoretically debut by 2027. However, our belief is that was simply a matter of operational cost-savings. MuppetVision and the restaurants were not “needed,” especially with the park opening two other reimagined stage shows around the same time.
Walt Disney World has likely learned its lesson about doing phased openings after this area’s next door neighbor, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, fell flat upon its partial opening in mid-2019. My best guess is that Monstropolis is coming all at once in Spring or Summer 2028.
Our Commentary
Most of our commentary about the Monstropolis mini-land has revolved around what it’ll replace. This should come as little surprise, since we’re huge fans of MuppetVision 3D, and view it alongside the OG Country Bear Jamboree as one of Walt Disney World’s candidates for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
MuppetVision still stands the test of time and I think Walt Disney World is making a mistake by replacing it. MuppetVision is not just a simple 3D film, it’s truly an attraction and the funniest at Walt Disney World. The artistic significance of MuppetVision 3D is almost immeasurable.
It owns a special place in both Walt Disney World history and American culture. It’s one of the last projects that Muppet creator Jim Henson was involved in prior to his passing. It is widely regarded as an exemplar of Muppet humor and storytelling; a true masterpiece and work of art.
By 3D film standards, MuppetVision is also still pretty popular and offers nice counterprogramming to the top-heavy ride roster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This type of attraction has a low ceiling, and the same will be true of whatever the Monsters, Inc. show ends up being. I still think Disney would’ve been just as well off to create a framing device (e.g. “the Monsters have invited the Muppets into their world to generate laughs!”) to explain-away the thematic inconsistencies of MuppetVision.
The new show will draw bigger crowds, no doubt, but that’s more due to a roller coaster anchoring this land and that increasing foot traffic. In the same scenario, I’d imagine the decades-old MuppetVision would perform comparably, without the costs of developing a brand new show. But I digress. The point here is to offer commentary about Monstropolis, which I haven’t done much of.
Setting aside what it’s replacing, I love the idea of Monstropolis.
I loved this idea for a land over a decade ago when it was first rumored to replace the Hollywood Pictures Backlot at Disney California Adventure, and I still love it today. Stepping into the Monster world sounds awesome, and there are endless opportunities for easter eggs, visual gags, puns, and details that fans and casual guests alike will find amusing. It should be a lot like Toontown in that regard, which is an excellent and underappreciated little land.
I also like the idea of the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster. I liked this idea back in 2006 when I first remember reading rumors that it was a “done deal” for the spot next door to Toy Story Mania in Pixar Place (long before Toy Story Land was a thing). I still like it today. The door vault scene is iconic, and lends itself perfectly to a suspended family-friendly “story” coaster. I’m glad it’s finally being built.
With all of that said, I’m not so sure I’m glad it’s being built at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
If you ask me, what this park needs is more all-ages dark rides, not another roller coaster–even a family friendly one. Part of this is likely driven by the existing Monsters, Inc. rides at DCA and Tokyo Disneyland, both of which punch above their weight. I’d love to see Imagineering try its hand again at Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, which is already very good–but could be even better with a trackless ride system and newer tech.
I’m also slightly concerned about the length of the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster. Based on the model Imagineering showed off, it also looks like this coaster is going to be really short–perhaps 70 to 90 seconds. Perhaps I’ll feel differently if that ends up being incorrect and it’s actually more on par with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is a meatier coaster and one of the best all-encompassing attractions at Walt Disney World.
Maybe I’m being too greedy, but what I would’ve preferred is Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek and this Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster and a flat ride or two, plus the restaurants, back in Animation Courtyard. And I’m not just saying that because that would’ve saved MuppetVision (for now). It’s because I believe that Monstropolis is a concept to go all-in on, and it’s deserving of a DCA Cars Land-caliber area. (I would’ve even “traded” the Cars Land coming to Magic Kingdom for this more robust Monstropolis if it required the reallocation of resources.)
Ultimately, the Monsters Inc. Doors Coaster is a brilliant idea for a family-friendly suspended roller coaster and Monstropolis has a ton of potential as a miniland. Harryhausen’s isn’t getting enough attention from fans, but I think that’s going to be the sleeper hit of this whole reimagining and expansion.
It seems like Monstropolis is one of those good ideas that never really dies in Imagineering. Which we obviously now know is true, given that it managed to hang around for ~15 years and is now going to be built. So based on longevity of the concept alone, it must be pretty good!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you looking forward to the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster? What about the rest of the mini-land? Excited to eat at Harryhausen’s, try the new counter service restaurant, or experience the new show? What do you think of Monstropolis replacing MuppetVision? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!