Walt Disney World is gearing as much as lastly start building on the Monstropolis space at Hollywood Studios, which can characteristic the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster that had been rumored for many years. The most recent developments concern demolition, a big space of the Solid Member car parking zone being blocked off, and CFTOD updating its map to indicate the scale of the large constructing that’ll home the fun trip.
In case you missed it, MuppetVision 3D, PizzeRizzo, and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano all completely closed in the direction of the start of June. Solid Members have been the ultimate company to say goodbye to Muppets Courtyard, with the farewell occasion being held a number of days later.
Development partitions are actually up alongside the sting of Grand Avenue, and it’s anticipated that demolition will start in earnest very quickly. Stage 1 Firm Retailer was initially going to be razed earlier than MuppetVision closed, however that plan was revised to start that work as soon as the partitions went up across the entirety of Muppets Courtyard. Previous to that constructing coming down, Disney has been eradicating components from Muppets Courtyard.
Demolition of Stage 1 might start any day, as Walt Disney Imagineering filed a allow for demo some time in the past. The work is assigned to PCL Development Providers and the outline is “demo, infrastructure prep and utility modification.” There’s actually no urgency to demolish that constructing–essentially the most time-consuming work is establishing the aforementioned gravity constructing and facade for the Door Coaster.
If you happen to’re questioning what else will likely be demolished, that’s most likely about it. All the different buildings in Muppets Courtyard are being repurposed. The outside of what was Mama Melrose is altering significantly to turn into Harryhausen’s, however we’re unsure “demolished” is the best phrase to explain what’ll occur there.
Let’s begin with eye within the sky photographs from friend-of-the-site bioreconstruct, the go-to supply for aerial theme park images (a extremely beneficial observe who graciously supplied the helicopter pictures right here)…
From at this time’s new aerial pictures, we are able to verify that the Miss Piggy Girl Liberty fountain has gone lacking. Nicely, “lacking” most likely isn’t the best phrase, however I just like the lacking Miss Piggy wordplay. The fountain was eliminated previous to demolition being began.
As revealed in a latest idea artwork replace (see under), this fountain is staying, however will likely be reworked into one thing extra applicable for Monstropolis. (One thing tells me that Miss Piggy wouldn’t have permitted of being handled as a monster.) The fountain continued to run after Muppets Courtyard closed, because the spray of mist peeking above the development partitions had been seen up till this weekend.
As for the place the Miss Piggy Girl Liberty will go, the ‘wishful considering’ reply is that it’ll transfer proper alongside to Sundown Boulevard and be relocated to Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring the Muppets. That’s all the time attainable, as the brand new attraction could possibly be populated with props from the previous one. I actually wouldn’t count on it to be featured in a brand new fountain, although. Walt Disney World is allergic to new water options until they’re completely vital (the corporate is run by what you’d name “planter folks” as of late).
One other chance is that it was tagged by the Walt Disney Archives, Muppets Studios or the Jim Henson Firm as one thing value saving. That is what I’d guess on, because the Miss Piggy Girl Liberty fountain is likely one of the most iconic options from this nook of the park. I’d count on it to show up once more sometime, both at a D23 occasion or down the street in one of many parks. That, or John Stamos already purchased it!
Miss Piggy isn’t the one factor that’s gone lacking from Muppets Courtyard. There are additionally a bunch of bushes which were faraway from their planters and across the Stage 1 Firm Retailer. There’s additionally some building gear within the space, however nothing main.
Walt Disney World goes to want rather a lot of bushes when all is alleged and accomplished with its building tasks, and as Common not too long ago realized with Epic Universe, mature ones aren’t low cost. We’d totally count on that these have been transplanted elsewhere for future use.
Apart from this, not a complete lot has been modified. That’s to be anticipated. It’s doubtless that belongings are nonetheless being tagged and cataloged, with the Archives and different events nonetheless figuring out what will be retained and by whom, what’s going to be bought off, and what’s going to be discarded.
Past that, the subsequent massive factor on the horizon is the aforementioned demolition of Stage 1 Firm Retailer. Apart from that, we’re not anticipating to be a ton of labor on this courtyard. It’s not going to be continuous demolition and building for the subsequent few years. The most important part of the undertaking is, far and away, the development of the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster–and that’s solely on the Solid Member car parking zone.
Talking of which, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District up to date its GIS map constructing information to disclose the scale and actual location of the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster. It’s the one on the backside of the picture above, plopped into the car parking zone.
For comparability, that’s Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance instantly above and to the left. The Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster constructing is a bit greater than that–or another present constructing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s among the many largest present buildings at Walt Disney World, nearly on par with the large blue field for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT.
It’s additionally prone to be a tall and environment friendly present constructing, because it’s a suspended coaster with a lifting trip mechanism on the load and unload space of the attraction. Because of this, a minimum of in principle, there could possibly be loads of queue and pre-show that’s actually underneath the curler coaster monitor. This isn’t the case with Cosmic Rewind, which is a mixture retrofit within the previous Universe of Power constructing and a indifferent gravity constructing.
Between the large measurement of the constructing and this potential effectivity, we’re now optimistic this will likely be a meatier attraction than first suspected. Hopefully this coaster will clock in at over 2 minutes longer–one of many (many) massive benefits Cosmic Rewind has over TRON Lightcycle Run is a way more satisfying length. It’d be good if that’s additionally true of the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster.
It seems that work is ready to begin on the present constructing sooner slightly than later, as one other set of building partitions is up within the Solid Member car parking zone situated backstage. It is a large space behind the park from Star Excursions to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
As soon as constructed, the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster received’t take up this whole car parking zone–however the building zone is way bigger to permit for staging, web site prep, and the work itself. Simply to place issues into perspective, the constructing with the large Kermit the Frog head on it’s what’ll be torn down, creating an enormous courtyard in entrance of the eating places and Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster.
The doorway to the brand new curler coaster appears to be like prefer it’ll be very near Cypress Drive, which is the backstage street circling the park. On the up to date idea artwork mentioned under, the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster really moved again to broaden this courtyard a bit.
There are a number of believable theories as to why the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster moved again.
The primary is pretty easy and easy–that Imagineering wished to present the attraction extra respiration room, and so they have been “given” extra of the car parking zone to mess around with. An extended strategy is all the time higher, particularly if this finally ends up needing an outside overflow queue.
The second is that the additional area retains their choices open for future growth. To not Monstropolis, however for connecting the brand new land to a different new land constructed behind Star Excursions. An even bigger courtyard retains Imagineering’s choices open, and may permit for the elimination of this dead-end in a pair a long time.
The third is a straightforward matter of sightlines. That is going to be a tall present constructing, so pushing it again will hold issues clear from inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Disney could be very specific about sightlines from Batuu, which is why a lot character was faraway from Muppets Courtyard again in early 2019.
Lastly, it could possibly be to supply sufficient clearance for an overpass above that backstage street. Or, if not the street itself, utilities or one thing that must be preserved there. My greatest guess is that it’s some mixture of the above, except for the overpass–I feel the street will likely be rerouted.
We beforehand coated the idea artwork adjustments, however for reference, the in-park building partitions that went up in June 2025 characteristic new idea artwork with delicate variations from what Walt Disney World launched late final 12 months. First, right here’s a take a look at the previous idea artwork:
This was launched when Walt Disney World first confirmed the situation of Monstropolis, changing Muppets Courtyard.
The brand new idea artwork was launched in June 2025 when building partitions went up in Walt Disney World. Curiously, this artwork solely seems within the park–Disney has not up to date its press launch or distributed new excessive decision idea artwork to media.
Anyway, right here’s the brand new June 2025 Monstropolis idea artwork:
The artwork is about 95% the identical–however the adjustments to the remaining 5% are curious, and look like purposeful. Right here’s a partial checklist of what we’ve observed:
- Wider and extra open entrance space from Grand Avenue
- Repurposing of Miss Piggy fountain versus eyeball fountain
- Monstro Theater now “The Glob”
- Extra colourful constructing facades between PizzeRozzo and Harryhausen’s
- Eliminated Monsters, Inc. Chuckle Flooring billboard over colourful constructing facades
- Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster moved again to permit for greater courtyard and out of doors prolonged queue
Most of those are comparatively minor, both creative iterations or tweaks doubtless made as soon as operational realities set in.
Regardless of the underlying motivation for shifting the Door Coaster again to create a courtyard in entrance of it, we view this as a optimistic change. It ought to make the manufacturing facility extra imposing because it looms within the distance, with an strategy much like Tower of Terror down Sundown Boulevard, versus a extra cramped area.
Lastly, one other view of the previous Muppet Courtyard. As beforehand talked about, it’s our expectation that many of the buildings right here will likely be preserved. The MuppetVision theater (prime), PizzeRizzo (proper), and Mama Melrose (decrease) are all very clearly within the Monstropolis idea artwork. It stands to motive that these will likely be reimagined, however the venues will all nonetheless serve the identical functions, simply Monsters, Inc. eating places and a present. As talked about above, the one construction being demolished is the Stage 1 Firm Retailer.
Demolishing that and additional opening the courtyard main as much as the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster might be a web optimistic. Whereas this isn’t a ‘pure’ growth, that curler coaster will likely be an enormous capacity-adding new construct that needs to be an asset to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Though the park might actually use a number of lower-profile family-friendly rides (not reveals), this could nonetheless be an asset.
The Door Coaster constructing is greater than anticipated, which could additionally clarify why this spot was chosen over Animation Courtyard. There’s loads of area again there, however not the power so as to add as a lot buffer. There was already loads of fan backlash in regards to the gigantic Cosmic Rewind gravity constructing being constructed within the EPCOT car parking zone. Think about that as a substitute plopped into the center of the park, which might’ve been the case at Disney’s Hollywood Studios if Monstropolis have been positioned in Animation Courtyard. That would’ve tousled sightlines from Sundown Boulevard all the way in which to Toy Story Land.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the large Monsters, Inc Door Coaster constructing? Hopeful that this plus its environment friendly load mechanism means this coaster is longer than 90 seconds? Theories on why the constructing was moved again? Are you trying ahead to Monstropolis? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
