DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Casper Gutman]

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).

Yes, the land will have funny signs.

From everything we know this “new” land will largely feature the existing structures and facades with some amusing additional signage and props - much as it did when it was muppets. Because ultimately, the Monsters world IS Grand Avenue with funny signs. The cheapness of the overlay is one of the things that drew Disney to the idea.

The environments I keep coming back to is the locker room. It’s featured on both the Tokyo and DCA dark rides. It’s a bog standard locker room with bog standard lockers and bog standard toilet stalls and some funny signs. It WORKS in those dark rides because the format focuses attention on the CHARACTERS.

Invoking Zootopia and Toontown is way off the mark. Both of those IPs and their already-opened lands feature structures with a fantastical annd unfamiliar aesthetic. Those environments feature characters engaged in mundane, familiar activities, but the surroundings themselves are extraordinary. That’s why they make good lands. I’d be much happier if we were getting one of those.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

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.

Sorry but the decor of Mama Melrose is going to be far more interesting than Harryhausen’s.

 

[Casper Gutman]

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.

Mike and Sully is not comparable - that’s the whole point! It’s a dark rides and can emphasize character design and narrative. A coaster emphasize thrills and setting. Monsters (and Muppets) are ill-suited for an attraction emphasizing thrills and setting.

The courtyard was boring because Disney went out of its way to make it boring.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Sorry but the decor of Mama Melrose is going to be far more interesting than Harryhausen’s.

Harryhausen’s will be interesting if it’s full of amusing Monster AAs.

Wanna bet?

 

[mattpeto]

Mike and Sully is not comparable - that’s the whole point! It’s a dark rides and can emphasize character design and narrative. A coaster emphasize thrills and setting. Monsters (and Muppets) are ill-suited for an attraction emphasizing thrills and setting.

The courtyard was boring because Disney went out of its way to make it boring.

You don't think the new stage show, land, door coaster (queue, pre-show and even the attraction itself) can emphasize character design and narrative? They can only execute those standards with a dark ride now?

 

[Emamba]

Yes, the land will have funny signs.

From everything we know this “new” land will largely feature the existing structures and facades with some amusing additional signage and props - much as it did when it was muppets. Because ultimately, the Monsters world IS Grand Avenue with funny signs. The cheapness of the overlay is one of the things that drew Disney to the idea.

The environments I keep coming back to is the locker room. It’s featured on both the Tokyo and DCA dark rides. It’s a bog standard locker room with bog standard lockers and bog standard toilet stalls and some funny signs. It WORKS in those dark rides because the format focuses attention on the CHARACTERS.

Invoking Zootopia and Toontown is way off the mark. Both of those IPs and their already-opened lands feature structures with a fantastical annd unfamiliar aesthetic. Those environments feature characters engaged in mundane, familiar activities, but the surroundings themselves are extraordinary. That’s why they make good lands. I’d be much happier if we were getting one of those.

I mean it’s possible the end result could always surprise you. We don’t know what it will look like 100%. Some of the facades ARE changing like Harryhausen. I would rather an IP with similar aesthetics be put into that area than one that wouldn’t match.

 

[Rosso11]

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.

Do we know yet if this is actually the case? The outline in the parking lot looks to be the box for the coaster. I believe, but only from looking at what is public so far, that what is shown in the concept art will be built in front of that and will look more like the concept art. I might be wrong but I think everything we see in the concept art is simply the queue and pre-show. Im not convinced yet that they actually stretched the street. I “think” the monsters factory in the art is a facade and not where the coaster is actually housed.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Do we know yet if this is actually the case? The outline in the parking lot looks to be the box for the coaster. I believe, but only from looking at what is public so far, that what is shown in the concept art will be built in front of that and will look more like the concept art. I might be wrong but I think everything we see in the concept art is simply the queue and pre-show. Im not convinced yet that they actually stretched the street. I “think” the monsters factory in the art is a facade and not where the coaster is actually housed.

It was definitely pushed back a bit, you can see where the old street was going to end compared to now with the play area

 

[J4546]

hopefully this land has a play area

 

[Rosso11]

View attachment 873851
View attachment 873852
It was definitely pushed back a bit, you can see where the old street was going to end compared to now with the play area

Ah I see now. Thanks for the comparison. So looks like it did go back a little bit.

 

[Casper Gutman]

hopefully this land has a play area

Disney parks’ reputation for family entertainment was, of course, built on putting little playgrounds outside the rollercoasters families couldn’t ride together. Walt himself often spoke about wanting to give families separate things that only certain age groups could do within the same broad vicinity.

 

[Agent H]

It does seem like a logical company with a silly IP mandate would be scrambling to build Moana, Stitch, and Inside Out attractions while also prioritizing Coco and Incredibles. It’s particularly odd how the company just seems completely uninterested in leveraging Inside Out.

It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that after not building much for years during the pandemic and the Hollywood studios redo not including everything it should have that they gave in the complaints about nothing happening at the parks and now they are trying to do almost too much at once when the ideal big announcements for the 2024 expo should have been 1. Disney Starlight. 2. Tropical Americas with additional up ride. 3. Drone show for animal kingdom. 4. Jungle Book overlay of kali river rapids. 5. Zootopia show. And then the 2026 to 2028 announcements should been focused on stitch Moana inside out and villains.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

The ideal big announcements for the 2024 expo should have been 1. Disney Starlight. 2. Tropical Americas with additional up ride. 3. Drone show for animal kingdom. 4. Jungle Book overlay of kali river rapids. 5. Zootopia show. And then the 2026 to 2028 announcements should been focused on stitch Moana inside out and villains.

The internet would have eaten them alive if they had only announced a single new land (that had already been teased), an overlay, a 3-D show, and two nighttime spectaculars. I think you’d need something in at least one of the other parks.

They knew they needed to deliver big, and they did. As much as I hate losing Muppets, I can’t deny that these are big wins for the resort. Cars, Villains, and Monsters are major IPs and they’ll get a lot of casual fans to book trips to see the new offerings.

Time will tell if they’ve bitten off more than they can chew, but for now I see no indication that they have.

 

[Bocabear]

It feels a lot like playing catch-up...they let the parks languish for way too long with no additions... I remember when DHS got down to 5 actual rides in the park... For the volume of guests they need more... and they will continue to need more. I hope they never open a 5th gate because we all know it will be another underbuilt park that will take decades for them to get around to fleshing it out. Within the 4 parks, there are tons of opportunities for them to add and make them all amazing...no reason any of them should ever feel like a half-day park.
It is probably going to be 5-6 years to get through all of what has been announced so far unless they scale it all back. so I guess we will all see in about 2031

 

[Unbanshee]

Demolition of Stage 1 has begun

Demolition Underway of MuppetVision 3D Gift Shop 'Stage 1 Company Store' at Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney World has begun the demolition of the Stage 1 Company Store in the former Muppets Courtyard section of Hollywood Studios

blogmickey.com

 

[DisneyHead123]

It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that after not building much for years during the pandemic and the Hollywood studios redo not including everything it should have that they gave in the complaints about nothing happening at the parks and now they are trying to do almost too much at once when the ideal big announcements for the 2024 expo should have been 1. Disney Starlight. 2. Tropical Americas with additional up ride. 3. Drone show for animal kingdom. 4. Jungle Book overlay of kali river rapids. 5. Zootopia show. And then the 2026 to 2028 announcements should been focused on stitch Moana inside out and villains.

It feels a lot like playing catch-up...they let the parks languish for way too long with no additions... I remember when DHS got down to 5 actual rides in the park... For the volume of guests they need more... and they will continue to need more. I hope they never open a 5th gate because we all know it will be another underbuilt park that will take decades for them to get around to fleshing it out. Within the 4 parks, there are tons of opportunities for them to add and make them all amazing...no reason any of them should ever feel like a half-day park.
It is probably going to be 5-6 years to get through all of what has been announced so far unless they scale it all back. so I guess we will all see in about 2031

I think there was an unusual combination of factors that led to today. The streaming race, Covid, Chapek being in and out, the rapid rise of the “experience consumer”, expansion at Universal. Whatever the reason though, I think it’s a really fun thing! This may be a time of explosive growth for the parks.

 

[Purduevian]

It feels a lot like playing catch-up...they let the parks languish for way too long with no additions... I remember when DHS got down to 5 actual rides in the park... For the volume of guests they need more... and they will continue to need more. I hope they never open a 5th gate because we all know it will be another underbuilt park that will take decades for them to get around to fleshing it out. Within the 4 parks, there are tons of opportunities for them to add and make them all amazing...no reason any of them should ever feel like a half-day park.
It is probably going to be 5-6 years to get through all of what has been announced so far unless they scale it all back. so I guess we will all see in about 2031

They went down to 4 for a long time (TSMM, ST, RnRC, and ToT)
Backlot closed in 2014
Great movie ride closed in 2017

TSL didn't open until 2018.

There was even a few days right before TSL opened when TSMM was closed to switch the queue, so it was down to 3 rides.

 

[JD80]

Sorry but the decor of Mama Melrose is going to be far more interesting than Harryhausen’s.

Brick, Ivey and string lights?

 

[gerarar]

Demolition of Stage 1 has begun

Demolition Underway of MuppetVision 3D Gift Shop 'Stage 1 Company Store' at Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney World has begun the demolition of the Stage 1 Company Store in the former Muppets Courtyard section of Hollywood Studios

blogmickey.com

Pictures of the demolition:

What the area looked like before:

 

[BrianLo]

Looks like the steel structure beside Mama Melrose also is removed? And possibly the tree, but the angles of the photo are hard to say.