DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[GoofGoof]

One more for 2026.

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

 

[flyerjab]

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?

I have the same question. I feel like 2026 is sort of an empty year - for things that have been announced at least.

I was assuming that the new Lakeshore Lodge would debut that year. But yes, the Muppets takeover of RnRC, maybe that is another debut scheduled for that year. Maybe a new night time show? I honestly can’t think of anything else.

 

[GoofGoof]

I have the same question. I feel like 2026 is sort of an empty year - for things that have been announced at least.

I was assuming that the new Lakeshore Lodge would debut that year. But yes, the Muppets takeover of RnRC, maybe that is another debut scheduled for that year. Maybe a new night time show? I honestly can’t think of anything else.

They could put in a bunch of small things like shows that don’t take as long as lands or rides. In 2024 they announced a number of smaller projects opening in 2025:

• Villains show replacing Lightning McQueen
• Zootopia replacing Bugs in tree of life
• Pirates and SSE lounges - although have not heard a lot about SSE post announcement so maybe that one slips
• MK nighttime parade
• LM show at DHS

 

[Jrb1979]

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.

It still blows my mind that this is their answer to Epic Universe.

 

[GoofGoof]

It still blows my mind that this is their answer to Epic Universe.

It’s not really an answer. Anything Disney opens in 2025 or 2026 would pale in comparison to a whole new park down the road anyway. The bulk of what Disney is doing opens once the newness of that park wears off. Orlando tourism will be boosted by the opening of Epic Universe for 2025 into 2026 which will benefit Disney as well despite Disney not adding anything significant. Most tourists don’t just visit Disney or Universal exclusively. Someone booking a trip in 2025 to see Epic Universe is likely to visit WDW as well. Epic will also canabalize guests from the other 2 Universal parks and places like Sea World as much as it does WDW.

 

[MisterPenguin]

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

What if it was a one-legged dog with a heart of a champion?

 

[MisterPenguin]

It still blows my mind that this is their answer to Epic Universe.

You mean besides Pandora, Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind Monstropolis, Cars and Cars jr. rides, Villains Land, Tropical America (and not to mention rethemes and refreshes which some Big Fans hate, but are embraced by the general public)?

 

[The Leader of the Club]

One more for 2026.

My guess is Inside Out in the Magic Eye

 

[celluloid]

This will have a similar build time as Tron. Which will put us about four years from this one.

Disney won't want too much in one year They will space out openings to be in different calendar years as they have from 2009 to 2019 .

I would be shocked were it is loke the 90s and you jabe E tickets and more opening within six months of each other.
Monsters will be one of the expedited k es due to Dianey Plus and mlcie three in limelight.

 

[Casper Gutman]

You mean besides Pandora, Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind Monstropolis, Cars and Cars jr. rides, Villains Land, Tropical America (and not to mention rethemes and refreshes which some Big Fans hate, but are embraced by the general public)?

Yes, besides the things that aren't answers to EU, that's right.

"Answers to EU" are things opening in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Otherwise we can just go ahead and declare The Living Seas an answer to EU. So Disney's answers to EU are Tiana and...

And since we're makin' things up, I'm going to go ahead and claim the "general public" hates everything I hate and loves everything I love, too. It makes debating so much easier.

Disney's answers to EU Phase 2 (which is... probably a restaurant?) are more substantive. But outside of the changes to Animal Kingdom they all make me want to go to WDW LESS, and since every poster can now just assume the general public agrees with them, that looks bad for Disney...

 

[BrianLo]

Disney doesn’t need an answer to Epic Universe. Its attendance is already going to go up next year.

Nothing Disney or Universal builds is preventing me from visiting Epic. As for the other six parks, the problems are more heavily Universals parks… and admittedly my dear Animal Kingdom.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Disney doesn’t need an answer to Epic Universe. Its attendance is already going to go up next year.

Nothing Disney or Universal builds is preventing me from visiting Epic. As for the other six parks, the problems are more heavily Universals parks… and admittedly my dear Animal Kingdom.

Universal Studios is my favorite park in Orlando, but I'll chalk that up to personal preference because I admit the park has some (often overemphasized) issues. However, I will say that both EPCOT and MGM have more "problems" then IoA.

 

[BrianLo]

Universal Studios is my favorite park in Orlando, but I'll chalk that up to personal preference because I admit the park has some (often overemphasized) issues. However, I will say that both EPCOT and MGM have more "problems" then IoA.

Fair enough! The studios is my least favourite and that might actually be a nostalgia issue on my end. I’m surprised you rate it that highly.

IOA has no shows and no night entertainment. Which is also personal preference, but do matter to me. IOA most certainly isn’t a bad park though, nor obviously DAK. The former has some great attractions but weakening theming and 2.5 lands slated for demolition. DAK just doesn’t have enough.

This and last years attendance patterns sort of support they are the three laggards. Which was more what I was getting at; than how much I like them.

 

[celluloid]

You mean besides Pandora, Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind Monstropolis, Cars and Cars jr. rides, Villains Land, Tropical America (and not to mention rethemes and refreshes which some Big Fans hate, but are embraced by the general public)?

Most of the other things you put were really answers to Wizarding World Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, Hagrid's and Velocicoaster,

The ones not opened yet, Monstropolis is of course this thread, so not sure why you mentioned it as a part of your list.

Which leaves Tropical America, Villians and Cars, which will open years to a half a decade or more after Epic Universe's opening date. And includes a major E ticket of the bunch being a retheme.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Universal Studios is my favorite park in Orlando, but I'll chalk that up to personal preference because I admit the park has some (often overemphasized) issues. However, I will say that both EPCOT and MGM have more "problems" then IoA.

Fair enough! The studios is my least favourite and that might actually be a nostalgia issue on my end. I’m surprised you rate it that highly.

IOA has no shows and no night entertainment. Which is also personal preference, but do matter to me. IOA most certainly isn’t a bad park though, nor obviously DAK. The former has some great attractions but weakening theming and 2.5 lands slated for demolition. DAK just doesn’t have enough.

The sad reality is that they all have a growing list of problems that I don't see either Disney or Universal ever fixing.

Orlando has a lot of parks, some clearly better than others, but none are really top tier anymore and all have suffered from a combination of poor decision making and periods of stagnation. What makes any of them worth visiting is mostly what hasn't been torn down yet.

 

[flyerjab]

Disney doesn’t need an answer to Epic Universe. Its attendance is already going to go up next year.

Nothing Disney or Universal builds is preventing me from visiting Epic. As for the other six parks, the problems are more heavily Universals parks… and admittedly my dear Animal Kingdom.

Last time I checked, Disney owns the theme park market share/attendance numbers in Florida. It isn’t much of a competition. If Disney and Universal were in a heated competition for “king” of the theme park business in Orlando, with attendance having been relatively equivalent, then yes, they would definitely “need” a response. This is not the case. The way they are responding is more so them saying Universal in no way determines our creative output in the parks. As a company, we are sufficiently established enough that we chart our own decisions. Our park improvements have nothing to do with our neighbors down the street.

Also, in essence, the amount of new lands in total basically equates to a new park for WDW. So even though they probably will never build a new park, what park fans are getting are 4 new, modern park lands, a new parade, a new resort and rumor would strongly suggest a new night time show somewhere (hopefully DAK). This pretty much equals a new park. I also appreciate how each park is getting something new, rotating from one to the next year after year. It spreads it out, giving folks reasons to visit new parts of the larger resort every year.

Also, since Epcot’s 50th is 2032, it would not surprise me if a redo of Spaceship Earth or Imagination would happen for that event. The pandemic royally screwed up what they had planned for that park, and either the pandemic, or Chapek (or both) messed up WDWs 50th. I would hope that they don’t make that mistake for Epcot’s 50th. I am certain, though, that the majority of forum members are already certain that Disney will still mess that up anyway lol.

 

[Gusey]

It's interesting how much Disney is betting on the tourist boost from Epic. To potentially close 8 attractions next year and only open 1 new (Zootopia) and 1 refresh (Test Track) seems like a big gamble to me.
It's certainly a different approach to when Islands of Adventure opened as in addition to AK in 1998, WDW opened 10 attractions (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Storytime with Belle, Test Track, Millennium Village (World Showplace), Doug Live, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Bear in the Big Blue House Live, Sounds Dangerous!, Asia, Tarzan Rocks) and 1 refresh (Journey Into Your Imagination,)

 

[ToTBellHop]

It's interesting how much Disney is betting on the tourist boost from Epic. To potentially close 8 attractions next year and only open 1 new (Zootopia) and 1 refresh (Test Track) seems like a big gamble to me.
It's certainly a different approach to when Islands of Adventure opened as in addition to AK in 1998, WDW opened 10 attractions (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Storytime with Belle, Test Track, Millennium Village (World Showplace), Doug Live, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Bear in the Big Blue House Live, Sounds Dangerous!, Asia, Tarzan Rocks) and 1 refresh (Journey Into Your Imagination,)

I actually think it’s pretty smart. Most visitors have limited vacation time. If we imagine the average vacation is 7 days, next year, people will be giving 1 of those days to Epic probably at Disney’s expense. So, while the actual number of visitors will likely increase next year, the average number of days in a Disney park per guest will likely fall. So, it’s a smart time to take some rides down and have new ones ready to launch annually starting in 2027 once Monsters Unchained is no longer flashy and new.

 

[JD80]

Universal Studios is my favorite park in Orlando, but I'll chalk that up to personal preference because I admit the park has some (often overemphasized) issues. However, I will say that both EPCOT and MGM have more "problems" then IoA.

Not sure if you know, but they changed the parks name a while ago.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

I actually think it’s pretty smart. Most visitors have limited vacation time. If we imagine the average vacation is 7 days, next year, people will be giving 1 of those days to Epic probably at Disney’s expense.

Not to mention that Epic ticket packages currently require days at the other two parks. So it would probably be 3 days at Uni and Disney gets whatever is left over.