DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Jrb1979]

Agreed. My wife and I finally took a west coast trip this summer. We did Aulani, Disneyland and California Adventure. Disneyland was pure, unadulterated magic. And we had the best time exploring Downtown Disney and DCA.

We are now including the Disneyland area in our annual travel plans now. I am just as excited for the expansion plans out West.

To use your term, I am not a legacy fan, so nostalgia of a company from the 50s through the 80s doesn’t impact my expectations of the parks. It ceased being Walt’s concepts a long time ago It would seem. I guess these forums have become a place for commiserating for some. For me, I am still wowed but what they do and can’t wait to see beyond 2030.

I grew up on the parks in the 80s and 90s. For my family a lot of the older attractions we personally find much better than a lot of the newer stuff. Some of that is the IP as we have no attachment to a lot of it. The main one is they have gone from being a immersive dark ride focused company to one that adds thrills to a lot other new attractions. The problem is at least for us is those thrills just can't compete with Universal or most regional parks.

We go to Disney for attractions like Haunted Mansion, Living with the Land, and Tiki room type attractions. Heavily themed AA attractions. We don't go to Disney for thrills as many other parks do it a lot better.

 

[GoofGoof]

Agreed. My wife and I finally took a west coast trip this summer. We did Aulani, Disneyland and California Adventure. Disneyland was pure, unadulterated magic. And we had the best time exploring Downtown Disney and DCA.

We are now including the Disneyland area in our annual travel plans now. I am just as excited for the expansion plans out West.

To use your term, I am not a legacy fan, so nostalgia of a company from the 50s through the 80s doesn’t impact my expectations of the parks. It ceased being Walt’s concepts a long time ago It would seem. I guess these forums have become a place for commiserating for some. For me, I am still wowed but what they do and can’t wait to see beyond 2030.

It’s a longer flight for us but that’s offset by the favorable weather. Have not been to DLR since 2019. I will likely be back before WDW. I will probably avoid Orlando in 2025 until the Epic crowds die off. I’m a patient park fan so I’ll see it eventually.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Let’s see what happens. I personally have no faith they can to anything in a timely manner, I remember it felt like it took forever for Pandora and of course we all know how long it took for the EPCOT mistake to be completed ( I know, pandemic, bla, bla, bla)

I am happy to be wrong on this one. It’s going to take at least three years from (starting some time in 2025?) to find out.

From groundbreaking, all of Pandora was 3 1/2 years.

Don't know why you're assuming as much as 5-7 years for these new projects.

 

[Disstevefan1]

From groundbreaking, all of Pandora was 3 1/2 years.

Don't know why you're assuming as much as 5-7 years for these new projects.

Not sure anyone can assume anything as it applies to Disney, they are not sure what they are doing and do change/cost cut along the way so who knows.

Oh boy it seemed longer for Pandora. Ah yes, it was 3 1/2 years to build, Pandora was in development since 2011.

If they can get anything open in 3 1/2 years from the D23 announcements back in August, I will be impressed.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I think most of the time the delays are not an accident. They delay things to spread out costs.

Totally agree.

If they don’t break ground on these projects in the next year then I’d say the timeline is almost certain to slip. I don’t see any of them taking less than 3 years to build.

Totally agree. I will make this assumption, NONE of the projects will take less than three years.

Happy to be wrong.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not sure anyone can assume anything as it applies to Disney, they are not sure what they are doing and do change/cost cut along the way so who knows.

Oh boy it seemed longer for Pandora. Ah yes, it was 3 1/2 years to build, Pandora was in development since 2011.

If they can get anything open in 3 1/2 years from the D23 announcements back in August, I will be impressed.

It's amazing that you took a data point, namely, all of Pandora took 3 1/2 years, and then came to the conclusion that anything else Disney builds will take significantly longer.

That's not how logic works.

 

[JackCH]

Hasn’t most everything they’ve done recently been relatively fast save Epcot? I know they cut Toy Story a bit but it wasn’t crazy.

It feels like Epcot has broken people lol.

 

[Starship824]

Hasn’t most everything they’ve done recently been relatively fast save Epcot? I know they cut Toy Story a bit but it wasn’t crazy.

It feels like Epcot has broken people lol.

Yes, people just harp on Epcot and Tron.

 

[GoofGoof]

Totally agree.

Totally agree. I will make this assumption, NONE of the projects will take less than three years.

Happy to be wrong.

1. Tropical Americas - complete 2027 - breaks ground in January so depending on when in 2027 it opens could take less than 3 years
2. Monsters Land - projected to open 2028 - construction expected to start in 2025 so likely 3ish years to build
3. CarsLand - projected to open 2029 but nothing official on that from Disney - construction expected to start in 2025
4. Villians Land - projected to open 2030 but nothing official from Disney - construction also starts is 2025

I don’t think Disney is guaranteeing anything will take less than 3 years. The only project with an announced opening timeframe is Tropical Americas at AK opening 2027. They have already started moving things in for construction and ground breaks in January when the carnival area closes. So that project is slated to take less than 3 years even if it opens December 2027. Since it’s only a retheme of an existing ride and one new ride with limited demo needed I think it’s doable.

I think Monsters may actually be even less work than Tropical Americas since it’s a rethemed show instead of a rethemed ride along with a new ride and rethemed restaurant so if they really break ground in 2025 as expected there is no reason to assume Monsters won‘t be done by 2028. So depending on when ground breaks in 2025 and when it opens in 2028 I’d say 3ish years with an outside shot at being under 3 years

Cars and Villians have extensive demo work, river to fill in, all new infrastructure to build. Those lands will almost certainly take more than 3 years but since they are slated to break ground in 2025 and open in 2029/2030 there’s room there for a longer construction schedule.

 

[celluloid]

Hasn’t most everything they’ve done recently been relatively fast save Epcot? I know they cut Toy Story a bit but it wasn’t crazy.

It feels like Epcot has broken people lol

Define fast.

 

[GoofGoof]

Define fast.

This is a fair point. Compared to a snail or a dog missing 2 legs I’m a fast runner

 

[JackCH]

Define fast.

That’s probably fair lol. I know they can build whole parks in like the same amount of time.

 

[danlb_2000]

Not sure anyone can assume anything as it applies to Disney, they are not sure what they are doing and do change/cost cut along the way so who knows.

Oh boy it seemed longer for Pandora. Ah yes, it was 3 1/2 years to build, Pandora was in development since 2011.

If they can get anything open in 3 1/2 years from the D23 announcements back in August, I will be impressed.

Probably felt longer since the partnership to build the land was announced about 2 1/2 years before they broke ground.

 

[BrianLo]

I think we’ll know pretty strongly timeframes within the next 9 months. If Cars is started, I’ll feel more confident its planned goal is for 2028. Monsters can be done on a tighter timeframe, but I still expect it to begin construction next year.

I still strongly feel the timeframe is Cars and Monsters in 2028 and Villains in 2029. My more operative question is what does 2026 look like? Is it the Muppet Aerosmith conversion and a DAK night show?

 

[Moth]

I think we’ll know pretty strongly timeframes within the next 9 months. If Cars is started, I’ll feel more confident its planned goal is for 2028. Monsters can be done on a tighter timeframe, but I still expect it to begin construction next year.

I still strongly feel the timeframe is Cars and Monsters in 2028 and Villains in 2029. My more operative question is what does 2026 look like? Is it the Muppet Aerosmith conversion and a DAK night show?

One more for 2026.

 

[JackCH]

I think we’ll know pretty strongly timeframes within the next 9 months. If Cars is started, I’ll feel more confident its planned goal is for 2028. Monsters can be done on a tighter timeframe, but I still expect it to begin construction next year.

I still strongly feel the timeframe is Cars and Monsters in 2028 and Villains in 2029. My more operative question is what does 2026 look like? Is it the Muppet Aerosmith conversion and a DAK night show?

Hollywood Studios overhaul with Incredibles/Big Hero Six and Dr Strange/Wakanda 2030, Lion King Flume at AK and Moana or Cave of Wonders in AL 2031, true Epcot refresh with Figment updates 2032, Fifth Gate based off of DisneySea 2033-2035, I die happy 2036.

 

[Jrb1979]

Hollywood Studios overhaul with Incredibles/Big Hero Six and Dr Strange/Wakanda 2030, Lion King Flume at AK and Moana or Cave of Wonders in AL 2031, true Epcot refresh with Figment updates 2032, Fifth Gate based off of DisneySea 2033-2035, I die happy 2036.

Fifth gate is not likely to ever happen.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think we’ll know pretty strongly timeframes within the next 9 months. If Cars is started, I’ll feel more confident its planned goal is for 2028. Monsters can be done on a tighter timeframe, but I still expect it to begin construction next year.

I still strongly feel the timeframe is Cars and Monsters in 2028 and Villains in 2029. My more operative question is what does 2026 look like? Is it the Muppet Aerosmith conversion and a DAK night show?

Cars and Villians have a lot of significant demo and infrastructure build out before they even start on the finished products but if they wanted to there‘s no reason they couldn’t complete those in 2028 and 2029.

2026 seems likely to be a lean year. Muppets at RNRC seems logical. Mandolorian added to Smugglers Run, maybe the EPCOT lounge in SSE if that doesn’t open in 2025 and possibly some other minor additions that can be started next year but finished in 2026.

 

[JackCH]

Fifth gate is not likely to ever happen.

Oh I know, I'm just jesting.

 

[GoofGoof]

One more for 2026.

Something announced that we missed or a project not announced yet?