The next half-decade is shaping up to be one of the most exciting times for Disney theme park fans, and it may rival the famed Disney Decade of the 1990s. By 2030, Disney is expected to open numerous expansions across its theme park portfolio worldwide and make many additions to its resorts and Disney Cruise Line fleet as well.
At the Magic Kingdom, the park is undergoing the largest expansion in its nearly 55-year history as it will welcome a new area in Frontierland, Piston Peak (themed to Cars), and a new land themed to the Disney Villains. The last major expansion at Magic Kingdom occurred in 2012, when New Fantasyland welcomed its first guests.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests will soon be able to explore the Tropical Americas (opening 2027), which will feature the first-ever attraction themed to Encanto, a new Indiana Jones experience (replacing DINOSAUR), an original carousel, and many other shops and eateries.
Over on the West Coast, the Disneyland Resort will receive a massive wave of expansions and enhancements, with the majority of them coming at Disney California Adventure. Avengers Campus will welcome two new attractions, including the highly anticipated Avengers Infinity Defense, and in Pixar Pier, the first-ever attraction themed to Coco will soon open its doors.
This is not limited to developments in the Disneyland Forward initiative, additions to the Disney Cruise Line fleet, and new resorts (including Disney Lakeshore Lodge, which will open at Walt Disney World next year).
However, even though Disney’s Hollywood Studios was coming off a wave of updates in the late 2010s, which included the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Walt Disney Imagineering had further plans for the park. At the 2024 D23 Expo, now-CEO Josh D’Amaro made one of the most surprising announcements of the panel.
Hollywood Studios was set to welcome yet another new land, this time themed to the Pixar classic, Monsters, Inc. This land would host several attractions and dining experiences, but at the time of the panel, the only component that was “confirmed” was the long-awaited door vault roller coaster. If you have been a Disney Parks fan for some time, you likely jumped out of your seat when hearing this, given that this long-rumored attraction has been tossed around the DIS Discussion Forums for nearly two decades.
Monsters, Inc. has had a presence in the Disney Parks across the globe, but this will be the first time it is given a full-scale land. The first attraction themed to this movie opened at California Adventure and replaced the infamous Superstar Limo. This park was in dire need of successful attractions that would not only draw guests to the park but also add some “Disney charm,” and this slow-moving, book-report-style ride (Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!) fit the bill. The next year, over at the Magic Kingdom, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor replaced The Timekeeper and is still running today.
This show features digital puppetry, allowing guests to interact directly with the monsters on stage through real-time audio and video. While the attraction may be nearing its 20-year anniversary, it was quite the technological achievement at the time.
The third attraction featuring this franchise opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2009. Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! This is a far more advanced dark ride that not only features detailed sets and animatronics but also has an interactive element. Guests can shine a flashlight on specific parts of the scene to trigger a hidden effect within the show.
However, in a few years, guests will be able to explore this world on a much larger scale. While park guests have experienced many state-of-the-art attractions and lands over the past decade (and with many more on the way), Monstropolis has the potential to be the cream of the crop.
Intricate Backstory
Once the land was officially announced to replace Muppet*Vision 3D and a section of Grand Avenue (the former Muppets Courtyard), Disney remained very quiet about the land’s details. The only “confirmed” aspects were the door vault roller coaster being built on the cast member parking lot and a new theater experience replacing Muppet*Vision. Outside of that, guests could begin to make out other components of the land through the concept art, but not much was official.
However, earlier in June, Disney revealed some surprising information about the land, which many guests expected would not be revealed until August’s D23 Expo.
On June 4, Disney revealed a backstory for this upcoming land that was far more intricate than expected. Per Disney, guests will be able to explore Monstropolis (which is now powered by laughter, not screams) on a special monster-run holiday. The monsters are welcoming humans to explore their world for the first time in history on “H.U.M.A.N. Day” (short for “humans understand that monsters are nice”).
Per Disney, this monumental day will be part cultural exchange and part celebration, introducing humans to the monster world.
In this breakthrough decision, the citizens of Monstropolis are now far more welcoming to humans than ever before. Additionally, according to Disney, the city of Monstropolis created a new government team, the Department of Human Relations, to help ease the process of welcoming humans to their world for the first time, further adding to the real-time story guests will be fully immersed in.
At the time of the announcement, this land looked like a detailed “retooling” of the old Muppets Courtyard, with an added e-ticket roller coaster at the back, in the space formerly occupied by a parking lot. Much of the set dressing of the pre-existing building appeared to be very minor on the surface and not overly detailed.
However, this news suggests that Disney is adding far more life and detail to this land.
While Galaxy’s Edge followed a similar trend leading up to the opening, with the “Live Your Own Adventure” tagline, the other major Pixar property represented at this park did not receive the same love.
The backstory to Toy Story Land is far simpler and surface-level, as guests are simply exploring Andy’s backyard. Disney appears to be taking this property to an entirely new level that many guests did not expect.
A Land Full of Life
While an elaborate backstory is a pleasant and unexpected surprise to this land, the other component of Disney’s press release is far more important for this land’s success. According to Disney, the city of Monstropolis will be “the next vacation destination.” The City Frightful will have detailed storefronts with industries that “hum alongside everyday life,” and every corner reflects “the quirky, character-filled world fans fell in love with.”
Seeing that Disney is not only emphasizing the importance of detail but also adding life to the land makes me far more excited than I was when this land was first announced. While areas like Galaxy’s Edge are highly detailed and feature countless nods to deep Star Wars lore, one complaint is that the land can often feel lifeless, outside of the occasional sporadic meet-and-greets of Rey and Kylo Ren.
While Batuu West (out in Disneyland Park) has added far more unique character experiences to add more life to the land, it still remains a major weakness. However, it appears Disney has heard this criticism and will take Monstropolis to the next level. Even though the land’s blueprint will not be overly large, each corner will be packed with detail and charm, making spending time there far more enjoyable.
When noting the level of care and detail going into each corner of the land, I immediately thought of the Zootopia Land over at Shanghai Disneyland. Opened in 2023, this was the first full-fledged area themed to the 2016 film.
In this land, guests feel as if they were transported to Zootopia. Scattered through every corner of the land are hidden details and nods to the film. However, what makes a land like this stand out in relation to Galaxy’s Edge is the constant kinetic movement throughout the land, which is portrayed primarily through scattered animatronics.
Even though many of the animatronics in the storefronts are not the most technologically advanced, they reinforce the sense that you have stepped into the movie. As guests explore the land, they can see Koslov, the polar bear, and a full-size animatronic giraffe through a window along the storefront. While simple in nature, this allows guests to feel that the land is truly alive and inhabited, which, in turn, encourages further exploration.
The other aspect of the Zootopia land that could be a precursor to things to come in Orlando is the live puppet shows in the overhead apartment complex. Throughout the day, guests can interact directly with some of their favorite characters from the film in a live puppet show that runs throughout several areas of the land.
Through this immersion, guests will forget they are in a “theme park” and believe they have truly been transported to another world. If the press release is a sign of things to come, guests may not only see elaborate show sets and animatronics in the renovated storefronts of the former Muppets Courtyard, but also potentially interactive puppets.
The differences among Shanghai’s Zootopia Land in relation to Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios are significant. Monstropolis may not only live up to expectations but also exceed them if Disney uses this prior experience to bring the monster world to life.
While we still do not know much about the new theater experience replacing Muppet*Vision 3D, we do have recent confirmation that the famed restaurant of Monstropolis, Harryhausen’s, will be part of the upcoming land. Extensive details are still scarce (as they would likely be shared at August’s D23 Expo), but this dining experience has the potential to be one of the most distinctive on-property.
According to the noted press release, there is an Easter egg at the top corner stating that the “local restaurants comment on new menu development (on page eight, column 15 – which is a nod to the date of the D23 Expo that will feature the Disney Experiences Showcase). Given that we humans will be experiencing the monster world for the first time, Disney has the opportunity to create one of the most visually unique menus on property, combining traditional foods with a monster twist.
Another way Disney can make this experience unique is by adding animatronics throughout the restaurant. While animatronics in dining experiences are uncommon, they have recently become a trend in Imagineering. In Oga’s Cantina, guests can see “DJ Rex” or RX-24 from the original Star Tours, and at the new Beak and Barrel, guests can see an original character, Rummy, serve as the host of the tavern.
In fact, when Muppet’s Courtyard was in development ahead of the park’s 1989 opening, this restaurant (which eventually became Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano) was supposed to be a pizza parlor, The Great Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. In the proposed concept art, animatronic rats were supposed to deliver your food along overhead catwalks and provide “live” entertainment while you dined. While this plan was eventually shifted to Mama Melrose due to various legal issues (as noted in a previous piece I wrote), the catwalks had already been built by the time of the last-minute theming change.
As the famous saying goes, “A good idea never dies at Imagineering.” Disney should look to the original plans for this dining experience to find some inspiration to make this new experience truly stand out.
Biggest Shoes to Fill
Rounding out this land will be the mystery theater show coming to the former site of Muppet*Vision 3D. Like Harryhausen’s, Disney also included a nod to the upcoming D23 Expo’s date (The Ultimate Fan Event) in relation to the “Glob Theater began rehearsals ahead of H.U.M.A.N. Day,” referenced in the recent press release, but all other details remain unknown.
When this land was announced, much of the backlash from the fandom stemmed from the loss of Muppet*Vision 3D. This attraction was far more than just a 3D film with the Muppets. This was the last project the legendary Jim Henson ever worked on and one of his last recorded appearances performing Kermit the Frog.
While the Muppets now have a new home over at Sunset Boulevard, serving as the hosts of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, fans still await the return of this legendary attraction. However, this notion is becoming increasingly unlikely given that many of the props and animatronics from this show can now be found in their new attraction.
Nonetheless, Disney is responsible for delivering a top-tier experience in this theater to show respect for the unforgettable attraction that occupied this space for decades. In relation to the experiences that have shut their doors at Walt Disney World over the past year, when looking at their historical aspects, Muppet*Vision stands alone.
Recently, Disney Live Entertainment has been on a very impressive run, producing many high-quality productions not only on land but also at sea. Both new shows at Hollywood Studios (The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After) and the live performances on the cruise line (The Tale of Moana on the Disney Treasure) have been well received by visitors.
As of now, it is unclear whether live performances will be featured in this production, but given the success of the recent productions, this show has the potential to fill the large shoes it was given. Through a mixture of state-of-the-art animatronics, live performers, and the mesmerizing in-theater effects found in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, this show has a lot of untapped potential waiting for Disney to exploit.
Conclusion
Fans should pay close attention to the upcoming D23 Expo (The Ultimate Fan Event) for any updates regarding this upcoming land. Following this recent update, the potential of this land has been significantly increased and could quietly be the biggest hit among the massive projects underway across Walt Disney World.
With the inclusion of street life, animatronics, and detailed settings, Monstropolis can truly become the “vacation destination” Disney has teased. The upcoming Tropical Americas and the looming Villains Land may be the most anticipated areas, but Monstropolis has just as much potential to become a beloved area for decades to come, despite its much smaller footprint.
