DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[MisterPenguin]

The new Monsters show is simply part of the new land...

That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. ​

If one want to be doubtful there will be a show... fine. Be doubtful. But it's not some phase 2 vapor imagineering.

Monsters and Muppet Updates for Hollywood Studios

Enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Hollywood Studios, while The Muppets move to Sunset Boulevard.

disneyparksblog.com

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

The new Monsters show is simply part of the new land...

That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. ​

If one want to be doubtful there will be a show... fine. Be doubtful. But it's not some phase 2 vapor imagineering.

Monsters and Muppet Updates for Hollywood Studios

Enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Hollywood Studios, while The Muppets move to Sunset Boulevard.

disneyparksblog.com

If anything the stage show is much more likely than anything else due to how cheap it is. There’s a non zero chance the rollercoaster is the phase 2 (if it’s not just a single phase, which I think it is). Disney doesn’t make the best decisions anymore so I could see them delaying the coaster and opening the rest of the land to make money while they finish

 

[lazyboy97o]

Why is this new show the big secret of all of the recent announcements? That seems to be a big indicator that it is nowhere near even conceptually developed and is further behind other projects.

 

[rct247]

Above: The marquee says "Late Night Screams". I can't make out the banner to the right, but it ends with the word "You".

Above: The concept artist took the easy way out and copied and pasted the facade for It's a Wonderful Shop. The words at the bottom are backwards reading "Parkside Antiques", the snow is on the window ledges, and snowflakes still appear in the window with lens flare/paint marks blocking the other Christmas items.

Above: Looks like the lobby to Mama Melrose's will be expanded for Harryhausen's.

Above: As previously pointed out, you can see Roz on the firehouse building with the words "We're Always Watching". Christmas decor removed from It's a Wonderful Shop, but you can still read "Parkside Antiques". Not sure what the white thing is to the right side. It looks like a giant tooth for a dentist.

Above: Concept artist took another shortcut and copied the Monsters Inc show building from Tokyo. If you also zoom in on the right side you can find a mistake. There appears to be a word hidden under the roof of the door coaster show building.

Above: Concept artist also likely pulled from Google Earth as a starting point.

Above: Outdated view from Google Earth from the construction of Galaxy's Edge, but it will be interesting to see if the exit of the Muppets theater will pour out into a small courtyard for traffic flow avoiding the main walkway to the door coaster. I could also see this area being used a stroller parking and outdoor extended queue space where they can also tap into the Muppet Vision 3D extended queue on the backside of the theater building when the door coaster first opens. They used this queue for Rise of the Resistance when it first opened. Also, the removal of Stage 1 Company Store will really open up that courtyard, but the park's service road will need to be rerouted.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Is it just me or has this thread turned into a huge bummer? I was excited to talk about these changes with other Disney fans. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and yes many are sad about these changes, but there is a lot of doom and gloom here. I think some people have been hogging the “talking stick” and should share with others…

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Why is this new show the big secret of all of the recent announcements? That seems to be a big indicator that it is nowhere near even conceptually developed and is further behind other projects.

Because of what it’s replacing. They’re not confident that they have something as good as MuppetVision and they don’t want it to be under scrutiny yet.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Is it just me or has this thread turned into a huge bummer? I was excited to talk about these changes with other Disney fans. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and yes many are sad about these changes, but there is a lot of doom and gloom here. I think some people have been hogging the “talking stick” and should share with others…

These forums typically skew negative anyway, but this is definitely a product of recent events. People feel betrayed at Disney for a number of reasons (price increases, new EPCOT, and Tiana chief among them) and the news of more closures doesn’t help that. I think when we get to the actual construction phase we’ll see more positivity about these projects, but for now people are mourning the closures and worried that the replacements won’t measure up.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I wonder if the show will be like a Mike Wasowski late night comedy style show

 

[Casper Gutman]

Because of what it’s replacing. They’re not confident that they have something as good as MuppetVision and they don’t want it to be under scrutiny yet.

This is the way a fan thinks, not the way Disney thinks.

 

[erasure fan1]

If one want to be doubtful there will be a show... fine. Be doubtful. But it's not some phase 2 vapor imagineering.

Wow, they said it in press release, it has to be true. I'm not sure how you can question anyone being skeptical about this. Boy, those droids were awesome when I was in galaxys edge. Oh wait. Disney has an exceptional record of under delivering on their projects. I'm not saying it won't come out, but there's plenty of history to say it's a definite possibility.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

This is the way a fan thinks, not the way Disney thinks.

This is the way PR thinks. This is why they didn’t announce where Monsters was going months ago, waiting until the Friday before Thanksgiving. This is why they haven’t posted the announcement on their social media. This is why they made the statements about “preserving MuppetVision.” They don’t want more backlash than necessary. This way they can hide behind headlines that “Muppets are closing for the Door Coaster BUT they’re getting a new roller coaster,” instead of actually owning up to what they’re doing. It’s a PR play to avoid as much bad press as possible.

 

[Casper Gutman]

This is the way PR thinks. This is why they didn’t announce where Monsters was going months ago, waiting until the Friday before Thanksgiving. This is why they haven’t posted the announcement on their social media. This is why they made the statements about “preserving MuppetVision.” They don’t want more backlash than necessary. This way they can hide behind headlines that “Muppets are closing for the Door Coaster BUT they’re getting a new roller coaster,” instead of actually owning up to what they’re doing. It’s a PR play to avoid as much bad press as possible.

This is all true. I was taking issue with the idea that they are worried about the quality of the possible replacement. They aren't. They're only worried about bad optics.

 

[BirdbyBird]

Interesting stuff in here. I imagine there's an enormous amount of wotk to get a new ride/theme ready to go.

 

[Professortango1]

There are few bummers greater then losing Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D

It has been on borrowed time for quite awhile. I adored the show and would love to see the Muppets used in the park, but this show felt dated. Disney needs to replace it with something decent, but its not like this is the greatest thing Henson ever created, its merely the last.

 

[celluloid]

I simple cannot agree with any of your points. Disney didn’t need to replace it, they made a choice and are rightly being roasted over it. And this idea that the show is unforgivably dated? I don’t understand that. On my most recent trip in July I spent a great deal of time in Muppets Courtyard based on its (at the time) rumoured closure. I saw the show a half dozen times and I was delighted to see kids and adults genuinely connect with it. I saw many smiling faces in the exit area and even some kids reciting jokes.

I wasn’t even born yet when this debuted in 1991, and as much as I will sorely miss this wonderful experience. I feel an even deeper shame that many of the kids of today won’t be able to experience a show that brought joy to so many because they were born too late. It’s a great shame that Muppet Vision has not been allowed to join the ranks with attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight or Jungle Cruise and be a permanent treasure to be handed down the family from generation to generation.

This.
People say it is dated but there is very little in the show that dates it. It occasionally had egregious upkeep neglect like most of the resort right now, but the quality of its content has been so fine and recently revered enough to be referenced at WDW dining establishments...at another WDW theme park.

 

[mickEblu]

Definitely digging the new Corless rant about this one.

Me too. Only because it’s nice to see him lose it after his awful takes on TBA and the ROA going away at MK.

 

[Professortango1]

I simple cannot agree with any of your points. Disney didn’t need to replace it, they made a choice and are rightly being roasted over it. And this idea that the show is unforgivably dated? I don’t understand that. On my most recent trip in July I spent a great deal of time in Muppets Courtyard based on its (at the time) rumoured closure. I saw the show a half dozen times and I was delighted to see kids and adults genuinely connect with it. I saw many smiling faces in the exit area and even some kids reciting jokes.

I wasn’t even born yet when this debuted in 1991, and as much as I will sorely miss this wonderful experience. I feel an even deeper shame that many of the kids of today won’t be able to experience a show that brought joy to so many because they were born too late. It’s a great shame that Muppet Vision has not been allowed to join the ranks with attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight or Jungle Cruise and be a permanent treasure to be handed down the family from generation to generation.

Movie theatre attractions don't age the same way that physical attractions do. Or even live performances do. I'm a sucker for 3-D films. I was floored when I saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience and was so excited when they brought it to the West Coast. Same with Muppet Vision and same with Tough to Be a Bug. TTBAB was always the peak 4-D Film with the integration of so many physical gags and effects, but even with that, I found myself enduring the movie aspect to experience the physical aspects again.

Muppet Vision was great when it premiered 33 years ago. That's an impressive feat for a movie theatre attraction. But whenever I go now, it just makes me sad. The Muppets deserve an attraction that feels full of life, not stuck in time and out-of-date. That's what made the Muppets work, their freshness. They felt like they were real characters interacting with the stars of today. The improvisational banter was key. With the movie, it just lost that spark for me and many friends.

Its a problem I have with DHS as a whole. Many of the attractions there I enjoyed a lot the first few times I did them, but they feel dusty now. I look at shows like Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, The Little Mermaid and I remember seeing them when I was in Jr High, and here I am turning 40. And it sadly makes me not want to visit the park because the park feels so "been there, done that." There's only so many times I can watch the same play. There's a far fewer amount of times I can watch the same movie.

And, if I can be honest, Waldo is annoying. I know its intentional, but he's still annoying.

 

[celluloid]

Movie theatre attractions don't age the same way that physical attractions do. Or even live performances do. I'm a sucker for 3-D films. I was floored when I saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience and was so excited when they brought it to the West Coast. Same with Muppet Vision and same with Tough to Be a Bug. TTBAB was always the peak 4-D Film with the integration of so many physical gags and effects, but even with that, I found myself enduring the movie aspect to experience the physical aspects again.

Muppet Vision was great when it premiered 33 years ago. That's an impressive feat for a movie theatre attraction. But whenever I go now, it just makes me sad. The Muppets deserve an attraction that feels full of life, not stuck in time and out-of-date. That's what made the Muppets work, their freshness. They felt like they were real characters interacting with the stars of today. The improvisational banter was key. With the movie, it just lost that spark for me and many friends.

Its a problem I have with DHS as a whole. Many of the attractions there I enjoyed a lot the first few times I did them, but they feel dusty now. I look at shows like Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, The Little Mermaid and I remember seeing them when I was in Jr High, and here I am turning 40. And it sadly makes me not want to visit the park because the park feels so "been there, done that." There's only so many times I can watch the same play. There's a far fewer amount of times I can watch the same movie.

And, if I can be honest, Waldo is annoying. I know its intentional, but he's still annoying.

I think you are underselling it a bit.
Muppet Vision has Animatronics, a variety of Special effects surrounding you and a live performance aspect.
Objectively, Star Tours, Smuggler's Run and Toy Story Mania are closer to movie only than Muppet Vision is. Obviously mickey theater is yuck.
Then of course in other parks you have a ton even larger offenders for the criteria mentioned. Mission Space, ratatouille, Film festival, Awesome Planet, Soarin, impressions, China and if open Oh Canada.
The possible Monsters show is likely to have less than Muppets' mixed media. So that will bring you the same result of your boredom faster.

 

[monothingie]

Definitely digging the new Corless rant about this one.

Me too. Only because it’s nice to see him lose it after his awful takes on TBA and the ROA going away at MK.

I guess either Disney took away Tom's free cupcakes again, and/or it's the end of the month and clicks are low, so now he'll act all upset about it.

 

[LSLS]

Because of what it’s replacing. They’re not confident that they have something as good as MuppetVision and they don’t want it to be under scrutiny yet.

But even without announcing it's taking away Muppets, why would they not say that the new land will have a theater show when they announced the land? It feels like to me that there were no plans for a show in this area, but the pushback about eliminating an attraction for all ages for a coaster hit a nerve with someone and they realized they need it. Could be totally wrong, but that's the feel I get.