DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[DreamfinderGuy]

I'm not sure why people are upset about a warehouse themed facade in a thematically appropriate land? DHS was still themed to and featured several visible soundstages 10 years ago. A lot of those show buildings are still visible, only now completely unthemed.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It surely must have something unique to it since they spent multiples the cost of a new ride on the re-theme, right?

It’s got light up balls. Does that count?

 

[The Leader of the Club]

It’s particularly odd how the company just seems completely uninterested in leveraging Inside Out.

I don’t think they really knew what they had with Inside Out until the sequel hit a billion last summer. I think we’ll see some movement with that property once some of the current projects are knocked out.

 

[Emamba]

Lands that understand and leverage the essence of an IP.

The premise of Monsters is “crazy creatures in familiar, even boring settings.” The appeal of the franchise lies in the character designs and the rich emotional interplay of the characters, not in the setting. This is why the property would be well suited for a dark ride or AA show and is not well suited for a large land or roller coaster. Both of the latter play strongly AGAINST the franchises strengths.

I think the truth is that a lot of people saw Monsters when they were young and hadn’t begun to really think critically about films and liked all the moving doors in the climax without considering the emotional elements that made the scene work and now they’re chasing that nostalgia.

I absolutely think that it’s suited for a large land. If you watch the movie you’ll see that Monstroplis is full of jokes. Even the factory has it. I’m betting Disney will play that up a lot. I think it will give Imagineering a lot to work with and will give guests the ability to explore. To me, Monstropolis could be very similar to Disneyland’s Toontown.

 

[BlindChow]

The premise of Monsters is “crazy creatures in familiar, even boring settings.”

On the surface, from a very long distance, yes, Monstropolis and the Monsters Inc building are supposed to look like an average, "boring" modern city.

But when you get closer and see things on street-level, you see all the crazy things that are different in a city populated with monsters of wildly different sizes and shapes (there's a whole sequence at the beginning of the film emphasizing this very idea). What makes the city interesting is how it's different than what we are familiar with.

This is also, much to your apparent bafflement, what some people are excited about when it comes to the entire land. Presumably, this won't simply be "normal cityscape and buildings that could be anywhere in the country" (unlike, say, Grand Ave., ahem). This land will (again, presumably) be filled with many little details and visual gags befitting a city of monsters.

It may not be something you personally are interested in, but it works great as a setting for a mini-land with a couple of attractions and restaurant(s).

 

[ChrisFL]

Shanghai's Zootopia land from the videos I've seen also has a lot of interesting elements throughout the land, but I always expect WDW won't get that level of detail because of inevitable budget cuts.

 

[mattpeto]

On the surface, from a very long distance, yes, Monstropolis and the Monsters Inc building are supposed to look like an average, "boring" modern city.

But when you get closer and see things on street-level, you see all the crazy things that are different in a city populated with monsters of wildly different sizes and shapes (there's a whole sequence at the beginning of the film emphasizing this very idea). What makes the city interesting is how it's different than what we are familiar with.

This is also, much to your apparent bafflement, what some people are excited about when it comes to the entire land. Presumably, this won't simply be "normal cityscape and buildings that could be anywhere in the country" (unlike, say, Grand Ave., ahem). This land will (again, presumably) be filled with many little details and visual gags befitting a city of monsters.

It may not be something you personally are interested in, but it works great as a setting for a mini-land with a couple of attractions and restaurant(s).

We can also look to Mike and Sulley to the Rescue, which is filled with immersive details in the queue and the attraction for inspiration about how the IP will be utilized. Harryhausen's should infinitely be more interesting that Mama Melrose.

And like you hinted to, this land is just replacing a boring a courtyard (Grand Avenue) and like I pointed out, a boring parking lot.

This is an actual expansion, which is something all the parks needed, especially DHS.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

This is an actual expansion, which is something all the parks needed, especially DHS.

It is NOW an expansion; it was previously a replacement. Previously, the plans showed everything remaining the same with the addition of the coaster at the end of the street. Now they've stretched it out a bit, which is good. I'm optimistic about the coaster, which I've wanted for a long, long time.

Now they just need to move Muppets to Sunset Showcase. I'm not sure what Disney is more against: leaning into fan-service by installing an old attraction or actually creating new Muppet content. In this case, I'd prefer they do the former. Unless they get Frank Oz to coordinate whatever the new project would be.

 

[easyrowrdw]

On the surface, from a very long distance, yes, Monstropolis and the Monsters Inc building are supposed to look like an average, "boring" modern city.

But when you get closer and see things on street-level, you see all the crazy things that are different in a city populated with monsters of wildly different sizes and shapes (there's a whole sequence at the beginning of the film emphasizing this very idea). What makes the city interesting is how it's different than what we are familiar with.

This is also, much to your apparent bafflement, what some people are excited about when it comes to the entire land. Presumably, this won't simply be "normal cityscape and buildings that could be anywhere in the country" (unlike, say, Grand Ave., ahem). This land will (again, presumably) be filled with many little details and visual gags befitting a city of monsters.

It may not be something you personally are interested in, but it works great as a setting for a mini-land with a couple of attractions and restaurant(s).

I agree. But I would've said something similar about Star Wars and Disney failed to deliver on what they promised there. For that reason I'm skeptical. But there is a lot of potential there so maybe they actually do it this time.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It is NOW an expansion; it was previously a replacement. Previously, the plans showed everything remaining the same with the addition of the coaster at the end of the street. Now they've stretched it out a bit, which is good. I'm optimistic about the coaster, which I've wanted for a long, long time.

It was never going to be sited within the perimeter road.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It is NOW an expansion; it was previously a replacement. Previously, the plans showed everything remaining the same with the addition of the coaster at the end of the street. Now they've stretched it out a bit, which is good. I'm optimistic about the coaster, which I've wanted for a long, long time.

Now they just need to move Muppets to Sunset Showcase. I'm not sure what Disney is more against: leaning into fan-service by installing an old attraction or actually creating new Muppet content. In this case, I'd prefer they do the former. Unless they get Frank Oz to coordinate whatever the new project would be.

The door coaster part was always an expansion - I think the update plans show it as pushing out further into the parking lot so a larger expansion but was always going to expand the boarders of the park

 

[Bocabear]

We can also look to Mike and Sulley to the Rescue, which is filled with immersive details in the queue and the attraction for inspiration about how the IP will be utilized. Harryhausen's should infinitely be more interesting that Mama Melrose.

And like you hinted to, this land is just replacing a boring a courtyard (Grand Avenue) and like I pointed out, a boring parking lot.

This is an actual expansion, which is something all the parks needed, especially DHS.

Well if the parking lot is boring, I guess everyone should park their cars at the Boring Ticket and Transportatioon and take a boring bus to the park... Why not remove the boring restrooms in the park too..that would free up sme more space for attractions... and that boring "Hollywood Boulevard" street....
I am not sure a necessary thing like a parking lot should be deemed "boring"... and there was more to the Muppets Courtyard...lots of details...I am sure they could have done even more with it... You write about Mike and Sully To The Rescue with the breathless excitement of a corporate Disney press agent...lol wait...are you?

 

[danlb_2000]

It is NOW an expansion; it was previously a replacement. Previously, the plans showed everything remaining the same with the addition of the coaster at the end of the street. Now they've stretched it out a bit, which is good. I'm optimistic about the coaster, which I've wanted for a long, long time.

Now they just need to move Muppets to Sunset Showcase. I'm not sure what Disney is more against: leaning into fan-service by installing an old attraction or actually creating new Muppet content. In this case, I'd prefer they do the former. Unless they get Frank Oz to coordinate whatever the new project would be.

It's never been a replacement. They have said from the first announcement that Muppets would be replaced with a new show, so the coaster is an addition.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

and there was more to the Muppets Courtyard...lots of details...I am sure they could have done even more with it...

I loved Muppets Courtyard, but they clearly weren’t going to do anything more with it. They have been actively stripping it of the fun details for decades. The Kermit balloon, the Gone with the Wind mural, the additional statues in the fountain, the Muppet Babies room in Studio One, etc.

If it has to transform into Monstropolis to breathe life into this space again, then so be it. I’m just hoping that they add the fun details to this area and don’t just cheap out. Same with the Rockin courtyard. That should feel like the Muppets have moved in and made the entire area their own.

 

[mattpeto]

Well if the parking lot is boring, I guess everyone should park their cars at the Boring Ticket and Transportatioon and take a boring bus to the park... Why not remove the boring restrooms in the park too..that would free up sme more space for attractions... and that boring "Hollywood Boulevard" street....
I am not sure a necessary thing like a parking lot should be deemed "boring"... and there was more to the Muppets Courtyard...lots of details...I am sure they could have done even more with it... You write about Mike and Sully To The Rescue with the breathless excitement of a corporate Disney press agent...lol wait...are you?

Might not be completely following.

The boring parking lot I'm talking about is not within DHS boundaries. Having a new attraction over that boring parking lot is a win.

The analogy posted previously was that Monsters Inc is not an exciting IP, because it's just like our world just interesting characters. Well you can make that analogy to Grand Avenue as well. It's just a courtyard with some gags, but it's the Muppets that make it interesting.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It's never been a replacement. They have said from the first announcement that Muppets would be replaced with a new show, so the coaster is an addition.

I thought at one point it was rumored that muppets building would be the entrance and waiting area for the door coaster? Like what they did with energy.

I might be completely making that up though!

 

[mattpeto]

I thought at one point it was rumored that muppets building would be the entrance and waiting area for the door coaster? Like what they did with energy.

I might be completely making that up though!

Never heard that.

There was confusion over the art work from D23 if it was Muppets Courtyard and then they showed another piece of art that could have looked like Animation Courtyard. When they announced it was going into MC, they announced a new theater show and the door coaster attraction.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

There was confusion over the art work from D23 if it was Muppets Courtyard and then they showed another piece of art that could have looked like Animation Courtyard.

That wasn’t confusion - it was clearly artworks for 2 different locations.

 

[mattpeto]

That wasn’t confusion - it was clearly artworks for 2 different locations.

Neither of it was axing Muppets for the queue space.

I'm also not conviced that art work was AC either, it was just neblous.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Neither of it was axing Muppets for the queue space.

As I said… I thought I remembered that being mentioned as a possibility. Maybe I’m wrong, I’m not going back to see hah.

I'm also not conviced that art work was AC either, it was just neblous.

That’s going against what all the insiders said.