Back in August, I wrote my plea for Disney to maintain the Muppets’ presence at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in light of the surprising D23 news of an all-new Monster’s, Inc. land taking over an [unannounced] area of the park. If Disney decides to take over an existing area of the park, Grand Avenue and Animation Courtyard seem like the most viable options (there’s also the small possibility of that dream-come-true Monster’s door coaster replacing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, but that’s a story for another time).
All that to say, the recently-announced delay of The Little Mermaid show‘s revival in Animation Courtyard leaves me wondering just what is in store for that area, potentially hindering one of the possibilities for the future Monstropolis, and in turn, making me even more nervous for the fate of our Muppet babies.
In case you need a reminder: the park’s original Ariel show, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, opened at the park in 1992 until the doors were shuttered in 2020. Finally, in December 2023, Disney announced the show would reopen as the updated musical production Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure in fall 2024, which has now been delayed until summer 2025.
We’re all hoping something more is coming to Animation Courtyard in the near future, right? Star Wars Launch Bay has been “launching” for far too long, taking up an enormous footprint of the park. I did find it odd that there was no mention of the aforementioned revival of the Little Mermaid show at D23, so forgive me in maybe assuming it was being quietly shelved. Typically, Josh D’Amaro drops anything up and coming in a rapid-fire to get everyone excited for all the “fresh and new” at Disney’s parks.
This, combined with the announcement of an all-new land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and no mention of its location opened up the possibility of the entirety of Animation Courtyard being the new home for Monstropolis.
What do you think? Could both Little Mermaid and Monster’s, Inc. exist within the current Animation Courtyard and the surrounding old animation buildings? Do you think Monstropolis is headed for Grand Avenue, or another area of the park? I’d love to hear your thoughts (and please, ease my mind)!
