Cast Member Lot Walled-Off as Disney Gears Up for Monsters, Inc. Expansion at Hollywood Studios

Jun 12, 2025 in "Monsters Inc. Land"

Gallery / 1 Photo
Monsters Inc. Land backstage Parking Lot Walls

Posted: Thursday June 12, 2025 12:10pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Work is now underway behind the scenes at Disney's Hollywood Studios as crews begin preparing the site for the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land. A significant portion of the Cast Member parking lot has now been closed off, with concrete barriers and fencing marking the future footprint of the new themed area and the staging area for construction equipment.

Monsters Inc. Land backstage Parking Lot Walls

The newly restricted zone spans from the backstage area behind the former MuppetVision 3D theater and Stage 1 Company Store all the way to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, encompassing land currently outside the park's operational guest space.

Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art - June 2025

While much of the existing infrastructure in Grand Park will be retained and reimagined for Monstropolis, including buildings that formerly housed MuppetVision 3D, PizzeRizzo, and Mama Melrose's, plans call for the demolition of the Stage 1 Company Store. In its place, the approach to the signature "flying door" coaster will be constructed, extending beyond the existing theme park boundary and into the former backstage area now under active site preparation.

Monsters Inc. Coaster Concept Model Track Layout

This coaster, themed to the chaotic door vault scene from Monsters, Inc., is expected to be one of the most significant additions to Disney's Hollywood Studios since Galaxy's Edge, both in size and scope. Walt Disney Imagineering has already filed a Notice of Commencement for demolition and infrastructure work on the Stage 1 site.

Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art - June 2025

Disney has yet to announce a formal opening timeline for the new land, but visible activity both onstage and backstage indicates that construction momentum is building. Guests can expect more changes in the coming months as the transformation into Monstropolis progresses.

Construction Walls Up at Monsters Inc Land

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gorillaball2 days ago

My view… is opposing. Not clear I admit.

neo9999553 days ago

I also think coasters shouldn't be as short as Tron or RnRC. I would expect this ride to in-between Slinky and RnRC speed/intensity wise and I hope the tide time is around 90-120. But I agree it should be one of their best themed coasters period.

DaisyFan3 days ago

I can’t handle anything more intense than Thunder Mountain or Space Mountain, so Disney’s coasters are perfect for me even without the theming. Cosmic Rewind is too much for me.

𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇3 days ago

How is that opposing views?

gorillaball3 days ago

So it’s both poorly themed and a bad coaster? I’ll take opposing views for $100 Alex.

Casper Gutman3 days ago

Personally, I’d put it somewhere around my 18th or so favorite attraction at the resort. I like coasters. I’ve ridden a lot of them, though their appeal wanes as I age. I’ve never been a coaster connoisseur, however, and I lack the critical tools to confidently evaluate coasters as coasters. That said, my sense has been that Disney’s coasters taken only as coasters have always been mediocre or worse. It’s the theming that elevated them into greatness - or not. It’s one of many reasons that Disney management’s obsession with building as many coasters as possible is so frustrating - they’re just never going to be as good at it as other parks.

HauntedPirate3 days ago

Wait... Forced rotation trying to induce motion sickness isn't a good thing?

lazyboy97o3 days ago

It’s not even a very good coaster. You just can’t see the aimless plodding.

SamusAranX3 days ago

As a coaster junkie, the majority of launch / speed coasters in the US I’ve seen and experienced are longer than Tron.

parksandtravel3 days ago

Thankfully, we don't need to worry about that. I did some digging and Chapek spearheaded that change when he was in charge of the parks.

Casper Gutman3 days ago

GotG is a bad comparison here. Guardians is a very good coaster and quite a bad themed attraction. For Monsters to succeed it needs to excel as a themed attraction first and foremost. It doesn’t need to be - in fact, shouldn’t be - a particularly exciting coaster. If Monsters is akin to Guardians, it’s a failure.

Mr. Sullivan3 days ago

I feel like I need to take a shower and have a smoke after all that

FerretAfros3 days ago

Dear, it's not about the length of your coaster, but the sensation it provides. And Tron has a habit of leaving many riders unsatisfied because it's over almost as soon as it starts. After a long queue and the build-up with the pre-show and locker nonsense, there's an expectation that it's going to be something special, right up until it finishes prematurely and kicks you out to the sidewalk. RNRC is similarly unsatisfying, but given how rough it is (I'm tall enough that the restraints really rub on my shoulders), I'm not sure I want it to be much more than a quickie. It's a fun romp, but it's never going to get serious. If being "on the shorter side of average" reduces the performance anxiety, so be it. ;)

No Name3 days ago

Remember that our old pal Bob Chapek said the Guardians coaster would be “one of the world’s longest indoor coasters”, and then it ended up being the longest by a significant margin? I just think that’s funny to remember. Here are the lengths of the 10 longest predominantly indoor coasters: GotG: Cosmic Rewind — 5,577 ft Crazy Bats — 3,852 ft Space Mountain Disneyland — 3,459 ft Space Mountain Hong Kong — 3,450 ft Space Mountain Paris — 3,281 ft Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — 3,268 ft Avengers Assemble: Flight Force — 3,268 ft Space Mountain Alpha side — 3,196 ft Space Mountain Omega side — 3,186 ft Tron Lightcycle Power Run — 3,169 ft Tron Lightcycle \ Run — 3,169 ft