Disney's Hollywood Studios is set to gain one of its most ambitious new lands in years with Monstropolis, the Monsters, Inc.-themed expansion replacing the former Muppets Courtyard. At D23, Disney confirmed the land will use a phased opening strategy in 2027 — meaning most of Monstropolis will welcome guests before its headline attraction, a suspended door roller coaster, is ready. While that technically qualifies as an "early" opening relative to the coaster, recent aerial footage paints a more measured picture of where things actually stand.
Construction crews have made meaningful progress throughout the area, but the site remains very much a work in progress. Scaffolding still covers large portions of the buildings, underground utilities and plumbing are actively being installed, and façades along Dark Avenue are mid-transformation — receiving deeper overhangs, unusual rooflines, arches, and monster-inspired architectural elements. A central courtyard fountain is also in the works, with crews currently excavating and laying pipe beneath the area where the water feature will eventually stand.
Some of the land's specific offerings are taking clearer shape. The former Muppet*Vision 3D theater is being converted into The Glob, which will house a live show called Welcome to Monstropolis! With Sulley & Mike, featuring an original song composed by Randy Newman. The former Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano is becoming Harryhausen's, a restaurant that will include a tentacled sushi-chef Audio-Animatronic. Other announced spots include Archie's Scare Pig Pizza, the Monsters University Alumni Club, and the Scareporium retail location. These experiences are expected to carry the land during its initial phase, before the coaster opens separately.
The coaster itself is an enormous undertaking: Disney is constructing a massive Monsters, Inc. factory building behind the existing structures to house the suspended roller coaster, which will feature the company's first vertical lift on a coaster and send riders through the film's iconic door vault. That scale alone explains the phased approach. No specific opening date for either phase has been announced, and nothing in the latest aerial footage suggests the project is behind schedule — but with construction still deep into infrastructure work as of early September 2026, "2027" could mean nearly any point across the calendar year.
Planning Your Trip
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For guests planning a Walt Disney World visit around the new land, the safest approach is to watch for an official date announcement rather than building an itinerary around the early months of 2027. This update was first reported by Inside the Magic.
