DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[GoofGoof]

I think we need to at least wait until Destination D23 before we start glooming on the theater show. If we don’t get some news by then, I’ll start to get a little nervous.

Keep in mind that a new 3D show is supposed to open in DAK this year and the show its replacing hasn’t even announced a closing date yet.

Assuming the Muppets replacement is a similar scale 3D show, I wouldn’t be shocked to see it open in 2026. Disney currently doesn’t have anything slated to open next year, so even a small addition would be welcomed.

Last I checked the Zootopia show in Tree of Life was slated to open in 2025 (I believe they said Winter 2025 which would at this point have to mean Nov/Dec not Jan/Feb and that lines up with the new movie too). All we have is a name and a poster. Zero concept art of the actual show, zero details on what the plot will be or what to expect except it’s an 4D movie expected to open in less than a year.

If you transpose that timeline to the Monsters show even if it somehow is planned to open some time in 2026 earlier than the rest of the land we should not expect much in terms of details even when it’s less than a year until opening. The only difference is Zootopia has been confirmed to be a 4D movie while Monsters is being called a theater show. Neither has any real details.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

I’d be surprised if they did a phased opening after what happened with Galaxy’s Edge. The missing headliner left people confused and underwhelmed

 

[MisterPenguin]

It's happened more than the Main Street Theatre and COVID. Galaxy's Edge had a lot cut from it, new Fantasyland as well.

SWL did indeed have a restaurant and some streetmosphere cut from it. If you're thinking of the mammoth ride, that was operationally dead in the water considering what would have been its abysmal capacity (let's create a giant ride vehicle that moves really slow!!).

The Main Street Theater was cut because of structural issues where it was supposed to go. It wasn't cut for budgetary reasons... as far as any insider has told us.

 

[mattpeto]

It's happened more than the Main Street Theatre and COVID. Galaxy's Edge had a lot cut from it, new Fantasyland as well.

I still think it’s an exaggerations that they cut projects completely is my point. New FL did happen. GE did get built. Some things will definitely get cut within the project.

 

[Agent H]

It's happened more than the Main Street Theatre and COVID. Galaxy's Edge had a lot cut from it, new Fantasyland as well.

What did new fantasyland have cut from it? Seems to me like there was a lot of swaps but no cuts as far as I know

 

[Rosso11]

What did new fantasyland have cut from it? Seems to me like there was a lot of swaps but no cuts as far as I know

They swapped meet and greets for The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train yet some people claim that’s a cut. Makes zero sense yet some people use it for their illogical arguments that Disney always cuts. This was a situation where they actually plussed their original announcement. And yes Disney does make cuts but this is not an example of one but actually an example of the opposite when they increased the budget.

 

[Jedi14]

What did new fantasyland have cut from it? Seems to me like there was a lot of swaps but no cuts as far as I know

I think Mine Train replaced Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty interactive shows, and a Pixie Hallow area.

 

[JD80]

Any of these things could be a possibility, I will believe it when I see it. I'm sure these new lands will get built but I'm very sceptical that everything they planned is being built.

Call it doom schlock @Chi84 all you want but their track record speaks for itself. For Monsters Inc I have a feeling all that's coming is the door coaster and a meet and greet. Very similar to Galaxies Edge, they blow the budget on the main attraction and end up cutting a lot of the filler stuff.

I'm going to call you out. Please list all the things they said they were going to build and didn't and then list all the things they said they were going to build and did since Iger came on board. If you want you can limit to North America or WDW.

I'll wait.

 

[Agent H]

I think Mine Train replaced Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty interactive shows, and a Pixie Hallow area.

See all swaps it’s up to you to decide whether or not mine train is better than snow whites scary adventures and is anyone really that sad about pixie hallow I mean YMMV but I think more storybook circus is a lot more charming than pixie hallow would have been

 

[Drew the Disney Dude]

Not to take this thread off-topic even further, but with the only confirmed new offering in 2026 being the new Smugglers Run mission, I feel this is the perfect opportunity for Disney to hold a big park-wide event again. Why not bring back Star Wars Weekends to tie into The Mandalorian and Grogu movie/mission and add some entertainment before Monsters, Inc. Land opens and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster reopens?

 

[eddie104]

I still think you’re ignoring the obvious thing..

Could it be simply closing because it’s going to be a construction site work and it’s not safe? That seems more obvious to me honestly.

You can point to stores long gone from Main Street. I’m not really following why it’s relevant. Did they replace the area with something?

Both WDW and DLR have gone through several iterations and not everything that opened with the parks are still around.

Do we seriously need to bring up all the places that were closed by Disney over 50 YEARS ?

I swear they can’t close anything without some type of ruckus even if it’s well past due.

This company loves phased openings to spread out costs. It’s possible they now intend to open the front of the land before the back and viewed the opening of Mermaid and Villains as a good time to take everything offline with the new show and QSR opening in 2026 when they have little to market. There’s no reason they can’t finish and open the front of a new land first.

I’ll miss Muppets but 3D shows should never last 30 years, anyway. I’m glad they are finally giving these theaters attention. Now we need something worthwhile in Imagination or, at a minimum, different shorts.

That’s a huge point people are missing here. While it’s great that the attraction has lasted that long we are now in a new generation that doesn’t connect to the show like that.

 

[JD80]

Both WDW and DLR have gone through several iterations and not everything that opened with the parks are still around.

Do we seriously need to bring up all the places that were closed by Disney over 50 YEARS ?

I swear they can’t close anything without some type of ruckus even it’s well past due.

That’s a huge point people are missing here. While it’s great that the attraction has lasted that long we are now in a new generation that doesn’t connect to the show like that.

Church.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I still think you’re ignoring the obvious thing..

Could it be simply closing because it’s going to be a construction site work and it’s not safe? That seems more obvious to me honestly.

You can point to stores long gone from Main Street. I’m not really following why it’s relevant. Did they replace the area with something?

I’m not ignoring it, I’m calling it a pretense. I am very familiar with the design process and construction. And I routinely call people out for trying to criticize Disney with vague and nonsensical claims about those subjects. Turning the area into a construction site so early is a choice. It is not driven by the actual needs of the project and scope of work. They’re not biting the bullet to get the work done, it’s not something they have to do, it’s a choice.

That thread doesn’t just highlight stores that have changed. The world’s most visited theme park has abandoned retail and dining spaces, spaces that did and could generate revenue. There’s an essentially unused quick service restaurant in the middle of the Magic Kingdom and that capacity hasn’t been made up somewhere else. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a bit better in this regard because so much has been wiped out and relaxed, but still has some cases. The Monstropolis project area includes abandoned retail space. Voyage of the Little Mermaid is only just about to reopen. The Animation Building is a massive underutilized facility. They could get small capacity bumps by using its theater for movie previews (which are paid for by the studio) but they instead remove another offering. Closing revenue generating restaurants isn’t strong evidence of the need for closure to accommodate construction. The business model has become so contorted that Disney regularly does things that at first glance look like it means passing up money. The idea that quick service in the literal center of the most visited theme park on earth couldn’t make enough money to even offer lunch is just nonsense. They pick up pennies as dollars fly overhead.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The Main Street Theater was cut because of structural issues where it was supposed to go. It wasn't cut for budgetary reasons... as far as any insider has told us.

Not wanting to pay the cost of dealing with the infrastructure mess underneath that site is a budget issue. Not wanting to pay to stabilize the soil after digging all of that out is a budget issue.

 

[JD80]

I'm just not sure why any of this matters. No company has infinite money. Any operation has to pick and choose things to fix/change/update etc.

 

[Jayspency]

Not to take this thread off-topic even further, but with the only confirmed new offering in 2026 being the new Smugglers Run mission, I feel this is the perfect opportunity for Disney to hold a big park-wide event again. Why not bring back Star Wars Weekends to tie into The Mandalorian and Grogu movie/mission and add some entertainment before Monsters, Inc. Land opens and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster reopens?

I completely forgot about the new smugglers run mission

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm just not sure why any of this matters. No company has infinite money. Any operation has to pick and choose things to fix/change/update etc.

We’re not talking about a little company making tough decisions. Disney spends more than anyone and they don’t get the best bang for their buck.

 

[GoofGoof]

We’re not talking about a little company making tough decisions. Disney spends more than anyone and they don’t get the best bang for their buck.

Yeah this has been one of the things I have never been able to understand. Disney is an 800 pound gorilla. Everybody wants to do business with them. A company like Walmart has historically squeezed their suppliers within an inch of their life to get the best prices because they can. Disney should have that same power yet it seems like everything they build costs more than it should not less.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not wanting to pay the cost of dealing with the infrastructure mess underneath that site is a budget issue. Not wanting to pay to stabilize the soil after digging all of that out is a budget issue.

Well, yeah. When one sees that what you budgeted won't be enough, you either pull the plug or go way over budget.

And doesn't going way over budget something Disney gets criticized for over and over again on these forums?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Well, yeah. When one sees that what you budgeted won't be enough, you either pull the plug or go way over budget.

And doesn't going way over budget something Disney gets criticized for over and over again on these forums?

Why they spend so much is important. Layers of bureaucracy of that spin around in circles of indecision isn’t a good use of money in most situations.