In the latest episode of We Call It Imagineering, titled "Let's Ride," Portfolio Executive Creative Producer Michael Hundgen shared new details about the upcoming Monsters, Inc. door coaster coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The highly anticipated attraction, set to be part of the new Monsters, Inc. land in 2027, aims to capture the energy and excitement of the memorable door vault sequence from the original Pixar film.
A Suspended Coaster with a Dynamic Ride Experience
During the episode, Hundgen describes the new suspended coaster ride, designed to mimic the fast-paced and chaotic movement seen in the film's iconic door vault chase scene. "You look at it and you go, I need to be suspended. I need my legs flaring all over the place as I'm just missing doors and thematic elements. It's going to be really fun," Hundgen explained.
He also noted that riders will be able to see other coaster trains throughout the building, enhancing the sense of energy and motion. "To see that kind of energy very much mimics the sensation that we saw in the actual Monsters, Inc. door vault," Hundgen said.
A Unique Launch System Inspired by the Film
Hundgen described the attraction's unique starting sequence, which aims to recreate the memorable moment from Monsters, Inc. where the claw grabs a door, lifts it into position, and sends it into the chaotic vault system. "That iconic scene in the film where the claw kind of grabs the door and lifts the door up to shoot it out into the vault — we're recreating that," Hundgen revealed.
The ride will begin with this dramatic lift before launching guests into the door vault through a boosted acceleration system. "That sensation alone… that's a wow moment," he added.
Hundgen also teased that the queue experience will build excitement before guests even board the ride. "Just from the moment you board the vehicle, you're standing in the queue line and you're watching all this dynamic stuff happening around you — just the anticipation for this ride is going to be insane," Hundgen said.
He explained that the queue will feature multiple lift systems that are constantly in motion, enhancing the feeling that guests are inside the bustling door vault environment. "At any given time, one [lift] will be going up, another will be going down," he explained.
Bringing Monstropolis to Life
Hundgen described how this new attraction fits into Imagineering's larger goal of turning memorable movie moments into immersive real-world experiences. "This is exactly, I think, what we as Imagineers are so fortunate to get to do — you have these iconic moments from this film where you want to go live that experience," he said. "Whether it was having the chance to race with Lightning and Mater or getting to actually ride a door in the door vault, you want to step into a Cars environment or into Monstropolis — we get to recreate these moments from the screen into real life, you actually get to live it."
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