DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Thanks phoenicians]

I like muppet vision, but there is an eventual shelf life to it. I think it has skated by so well because it is mostly live action and there’s some other lower lying fruit (Little Mermaid… seriously Beauty and the Beast). But is Muppet Vision an attraction that can run unaltered for 50 years? It’s already long removed from DCA.

The initial suggestion sounded horrible. But if Star Tours is surviving and a replacement show is dreamt up and we get an added attraction and most of the dining is repurposed, that’s perfectly fine with me. I see the logic in it and it could be done somewhat quickly. Particularly if the Muppets are the compromise that keeps a version of Hall of Presidents afloat. Heck it even gives us a more clear 2026 project (Hall of Presidents).

I don’t like the dead ending proposal for Animation Courtyard. The park flow needs to be released over there.

I agree with all of this. Imo it's hard to really judge the decision without knowing their end game here (hopefully they even know the end game here). If Muppets stays somewhere in the parks, Star Tours stays, and they have a good plan for Animation Courtyard and the area behind, then personally I'd be fine with it. If it means Muppets is completely done at WDW and they leave AC untouched for a while then it's a failure. A lot will ride on how the other dominoes fall in the future once the first one (monsters land) gets announced.

 

[discos]

Interesting. The Muppets location could have been a much older concept than we think

 

[James Alucobond]

I don’t like the dead ending proposal for Animation Courtyard. The park flow needs to be released over there.

Would it necessarily dead-end things indefinitely? A guest-facing connection between Animation and Highland Avenue seems a bit more realistic than hoping they eventually demolish anything more north of Showbiz Boulevard.

 

[Sectorkeeper71]

The Ice Cold Hydraulics Coca-Cola Stand opened on Grand Avenue in February. Unless it is rethemed, it seems like an odd addition before groundbreaking on a reimagining of the area.

It’s not unprecedented though. The riverboat recently had a bunch of refurbishments done to it and the backlot tour trams got a ton of work done just for them to announce it was closing shortly after

 

[Horizons '83]

Interesting. The Muppets location could have been a much older concept than we thinkView attachment 809114

Wow, interesting. Not sure if that determines location, but good to know that was an old idea that they perhaps second guessed when they dusted off the idea.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Interesting. The Muppets location could have been a much older concept than we thinkView attachment 809114

This is true. And it's interesting that the CA rendering does not have a signature.

 

[Purduevian]

Should this be moved to the Studio's redevelopment forum?

 

[Streetway]

No, don’t think so.

 

[orky8]

I bet with all this negative outrage over his parks panel now overtaking the expansion news, he can feel his ceo spot slippping through his fingers.

If anything it shows he has listened to his mentors well and positioned him better to take over - since when has Iger cared about the parks or the fans?

 

[brb1006]

Love this photo of Jim Hill observing the Monsters Inc Land and coaster layout on the last day of D23 2024. Glad that he finally feels vindicated for keeping the rumored Monster Inc Land going for as long as possible.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It is funny to describe WDI as a secretive cabal who make decisions about what stays and what dies.

Yeah I am not sure if people understand how companies run, specifically big corporate publicly traded entities...

 

[Casper Gutman]

But is Muppet Vision an attraction that can run unaltered for 50 years?

Yes. Absolutely. Just like Pirates or Tiki or Spaceship Earth.

This is the same deeply silly “new beats old” logic that has utterly ruined EPCOT and done significant damage to Magic Kingdom.

 

[doctornick]

I don’t like the dead ending proposal for Animation Courtyard. The park flow needs to be released over there.

Yeah, if the option of Monsters Inc going into AC is literally to just use the courtyard (and have the coaster replace Launch Bay) then that's a terrible option too. In fact, worse than Muppets. When I talk something going into "Animation Courtyard", I mean tearing down the entire old Animation building (Launch Bay + offices) and building on current backstage space and connecting it to RNR for guests. Anything going into that area but not doing that stuff - or even worse, cutting off the connection to be able to use backstage - is a big fail.

 

[Sectorkeeper71]

Yes. Absolutely. Just like Pirates or Tiki or Spaceship Earth.

This is the same deeply silly “new beats old” logic that has utterly ruined EPCOT and done significant damage to Magic Kingdom.

Sure but all legacy rides have gotten refreshed and touched up over time (for better and worse). How much of that can be done with the muppet film? It’s incredibly dated because it was shot almost 40 years ago. Do I still enjoy it? Sure. But it shows its age

 

[Streetway]

Sure but all legacy rides have gotten refreshed and touched up over time (for better and worse). How much of that can be done with the muppet film? It’s incredibly dated because it was shot almost 40 years ago. Do I still enjoy it? Sure. But it shows its age

I fundamentally disagree. Age does not mean something is bad.

 

[FigmentFan82]

Zootopia and ???

Simpsons

 

[JohnD]

A few things here.

• I was told by two different sources on Friday that the Monster's Inc Coaster was going to Muppets Courtyard. One said it may also be extending to Star Tours as well.
• Some have speculated that they may not know exactly where this is going, I think they do and I think it's Muppets. I hope I'm wrong. It's also possible that something else is earmarked for Animation Courtyard
• I put this in the TRON category. Not for intensity or anything, but because it's not really what the park needs but I'd consider it a welcome addition. The same was true of MK, it didn't need TRON, but it's not a bad addition. That being said, I sincerely hope there are plans for the Muppets if they're being evicted.
• I have heard from multiple people that this is going to be a low capacity attraction. If it's that Vekoma coaster, it most certainly will be low capacity. I feared that this was something like Pteranadon Flyers but I don't think it's that bad.

According to Blog Mickey, the water tower is above Pizzerizos, putting the coaster again, in one of the concepts, over Mama Melrose and extending into the parking lot and NOT toward ST.

"In this first piece of concept art below, we can see clear identifying marks for the Muppet Courtyard theory. A water tower over Sulley’s shoulder unmistakably matches the current water tower above the PizzeRizzo restaurant, placing the Monsters Inc. building somewhere in the vicinity of the current Mama Melrose restaurant. The shuttered Studio 1 building would be located roughly where the lush park area is currently seen, placing MuppetVision 3D where the corner market is on the right side of the concept below."

 

[James Alucobond]

Yes. Absolutely. Just like Pirates or Tiki or Spaceship Earth.

This is the same deeply silly “new beats old” logic that has utterly ruined EPCOT and done significant damage to Magic Kingdom.

I do think Waldo needs a facelift, but otherwise agreed.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Yeah that’s the 2026 project. The current rumored timeline for them is
2025 - EU
2026 - Rockit replacement
2027 - EU expansion 1 (Luigi’s Mansion)
2028 - Zelda in IOA
2029 - EU expansion 2 (Potter or Monsters)
2030 - Pokemon in USF’s current Springfield location

As someone who doesn’t care about Nintendo at all…this doesn't excite me at all. That’s the danger of only building IP lands.

Sure but all legacy rides have gotten refreshed and touched up over time (for better and worse). How much of that can be done with the muppet film? It’s incredibly dated because it was shot almost 40 years ago. Do I still enjoy it? Sure. But it shows its age

Literally, if they just reanimate Waldo and restore the footage every decade or so, it can last as long as any other WDW attraction

 

[Advisable Joseph]

There's an elephant in the room.

If you keep Grand Avenue as-is and put Monsters Inc. in the Animation Courtyard, you push the Zootopia land to another park.