Turns out, the monsters have been coming for a long time.
©Disney
One of the biggest announcements at the recent D23 Ultimate Fan Event was the news that a massive Monsters, Inc.-themed land is coming to Hollywood Studios. However, along with the excitement over the land, there’s also been consternation about where the land will go. Turns out, some of the concept art gives us a hint as to just where it might go… and just how long Disney has been planning this expansion.
Rumors of a Monsters, Inc. area — or at least a roller coaster themed to the film’s iconic door factory sequence — have been a constant presence among both Disneyland and Disney World fans for nearly two decades. However, as far as fans knew, these rumblings never went further than unconfirmed rumors until D23, when it was officially announced.
According to Disney’s later roundup of the event, the land will pick up “after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself. You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (a.k.a. Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door! Yes, a door. If you’ve been dreaming of riding through the door vault since the movie was released in 2001, you’re not alone — Josh has been thinking about this, too. “The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” he told the crowd. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”
Monsters, Inc. coaster
Along with that announcement, Disney released two VERY different pieces of concept art. The first seems to indicate that the as-yet-untitled Monsters, Inc. land will be built in the park’s Grand Avenue… which has petrified fans of Muppet*Vision 3D, who fear that the art indicates that the final project Muppets creator Jim Henson worked on before his death is on the chopping block.
Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art ©Disney
The second piece of concept art seems to not only suggest a larger scale land, it also appears to be located in the park’s Animation Courtyard area (with the main attraction entrance taking over the former animation tour/current Star Wars Launch Bay Area). In addition to alleviating the fears of Muppets fans, this area arguably makes more sense from a crowd flow and available space perspective.
©Disney
While Disney has yet to confirm the current planned location of the land, the aforementioned concept art gives a clue. The Grand Avenue art features something rarely seen in publicly released Disney concept art: an artist’s signature AND (more importantly for our purposes) a date. Specifically, the art is dated 2020, as seen in the below closeup:
Note the date
Greg Pro is an Executive Concept Designer/Illustrator. His signature can be seen on other pieces of concept art shown at D23 with “24” after his name indicating it is a newer piece.
So, this tells us that the Monsters, Inc. land has been in the heavy planning stages for at least four years – – quite frankly, given Disney’s penchant for showing “blue sky” concept art over the last several years, we’re surprised that they didn’t “announce” this land sooner – – and that the Grand Avenue location was being considered back then. That could be good news for those who want to save Muppet*Vision 3D, as it may indicate that Disney has moved past considering that area… or it could be bad news, indicating that Disney has long zeroed in on that area.
You can even ride on a door like Mike and Sully in the iconic scene from the film with Disney’s first-ever suspended coaster.
©Disney
Until Disney announces the location and begins construction next year, we’ll keep analyzing this concept art for further clues about the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land. Stay tuned to DFB for further coverage of upcoming Disney World projects.
7 HUGE Announcements That Were MISSING From Disney’s News Drop
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Where do you hope Monsters, Inc. land is built at Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments below.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
There’s too much of an expectation these days from the public that companies, in this case Disney, should constantly tell them everything being considered and developed. Let them do their thing and when Disney is ready to share, then they share. Is it really surprising that something the magnitude of a Monsters land has been being worked on for so long? There’s certainly a lot to evaluate and confirm it can be done such as the ride technology. A smart company isn’t going to share something with the public until it has been vetted.
IMO it makes more sense to replace animation courtyard and Star Wars Launch Bay, although we would miss both. The Disney Visa photo op is a NICE perk, there’s rarely other parties waiting, and there’s so many special effects. There are really neat things to see throughout that area. But that area of the park is sparsely populated on even busy days. I’d be all for *revamping* the Muppets show, but it would be a big loss to see them go altogether. And when you look around, the Muppets area is really not that large. We’d also sorely miss Mama Melrose’s, which is apparently an unpopular opinion online, but IRL in the park? Mama’s is always busy and always turning away walk-ups. We had to eat at the bar the last time we were there (with a reservation), and I’ve never seen people doing that.