Disney Invites Humans Into Monsters, Inc. World with Monstropolis Land Backstory

Walt Disney World is pulling back the curtain on the backstory for Monstropolis at Hollywood Studios, sharing the narrative framing for the land and why humans are being invited into the Monster world. Here are full details, plus our take on the potential good & bad of the animating idea for the new land based on recent experience with Tiana’s Foods, Zootopia: Better Zoogether, Jungle Cruise & more.

Monstropolis picks up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, with humans now invited to visit the world of Monstropolis, where the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly (same premise as Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom). The land is being brought to life through a creative collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios, giving guests a chance to finally take in all the monstrous sights, tastes and sounds of Sulley and Mike’s world.

This isn’t just the new Monstropolis land taking shape, it’s the start of a new story. Let’s begin there, with the official background–or perhaps more accurately, the conceit–that will animate the world of Monstropolis. Here’s what Walt Disney World just shared…

Monstropolis is getting ready to give humans a glimpse of what’s been hidden from their world for generations, in the city that is now powered by laughter. Which raises an interesting question: if humans were never meant to enter the monster world, why are the doors finally opening to us?

As it turns out, the answer is already making headlines in the city of Monstropolis. Through the pages of the Monstropolis Horn, the city’s official newspaper, monsters are talking about a “historic decision” that’s about to seriously mix things up for monster kind.

For generations, Monstropolis ran on fear, and not just because the monsters used screams to power their society: monsters were scared of humans, too. We were viewed as dangerous, toxic, and completely off-limits.

When James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski discovered that human laughter generates far more power than screams, it didn’t just transform the energy crisis, it transformed Monstropolis itself. Fear gave way to curiosity, and caution to connection. And for the first time, the doors separating the monster world from ours no longer felt like barriers.

What started as a breakthrough inside Monsters, Inc. quickly became something much bigger: a citywide shift in how monsters viewed humans. Scales fell from their eyes – well, at least for the monsters with scales to shed.

Monstropolis HR Department

As Monstropolis evolved, so did its connection with the human world. You may have heard of the HR department, but you haven’t heard of this HR department: the Department of Human Relations. This new team established by the city has been tasked with sinking their teeth into helping monsters better understand humans as welcomed guests.

The newly instated department has been spearheading a moment that was once thought impossible: inviting humans into Monstropolis for the very first time. And the big event for which humans are there has a name…

H.U.M.A.N. Day Celebration

H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for “Humans Understand Monsters Are Nice,” marks a historic milestone for the city. Part celebration, part cultural exchange, the event is designed to introduce humans to life inside Monstropolis while helping monsters discover that humans are not so frightening after all.

Human guests will have the chance to explore the city, meet its citizens, taste unique cuisine, and step into the everyday world of monsters in a totally new way. For the first time, two worlds once separated are meeting face to scaly, furry, and fang-filled face, brought together not by screams, but by laughter.

Exploring the Streets of Monstropolis

As more of Monstropolis comes into view, one thing is clear: move over, cities of the human world! Monstropolis is going to be the next big vacation destination!

Storefronts line the streets, industries hum alongside everyday life, and every corner reflects the quirky, character-filled world fans fell in love with. And of course, it wouldn’t be Monstropolis without a few iconic stops along the way. Places like Harryhausen’s, the legendary restaurant monsters line up for, and the Glob Theater help bring the city to life, adding even more personality, energy, and can’t-miss moments around every corner.

Our Commentary

I have several thoughts about this. First, I have a love-hate relationship with backstory. I love that Imagineering writes extensively to inform their storytelling, and you can peruse pages upon pages of internal lore about attractions old and new. This phenomenon proliferated during the Eisner era, highlighted by boundless backstory for Pleasure Island, Typhoon Lagoon, and other additions from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Although fans might think otherwise, Imagineering’s obsession with story is not a new thing. We simply have greater access to it now, when everything is published and dissected online. And often before the thing itself even opens, because it’s used as marketing in the lead-up to new rides debuting.

Consequently, there’s a temptation to over-scrutinize backstory, question its quality or internal consistency, whether it’s overcomplicated, etc. But I’m here to tell you: this has been a thing for a while, and to whatever extent Imagineering is indulgent with backstory, it’s been happening since at least the late 1980s.

Backstory that guests can stumble upon in queues and throughout lands is a great enhancement to the overall experience. At its best, backstory informs what’s already there, providing added texture and richness to what could be readily understood by context cues, visuals, etc.

It adds layers to peel back, and a way for the most dedicated fans to appreciate offerings on a different level, without adversely impacting the more superficial casual guest experience. If you notice it, great, your experience is enhanced!

If you don’t, that’s fine too, as missing this type of worldbuilding is not detrimental to the core experience, which stands on its own. This type of backstory is basically icing on a cake that tastes pretty great without icing.

I hate backstory when it’s necessary to explain away deficiencies, and engages in storytelling that would come as a surprise to the average visitor. If the backstory causes a reevaluation of the ride or land, it’s not good–it’s bad. That means the thing itself cannot stand on its own, or is at odds with its backstory.

The infamous example of this is Dino-Rama, with its “lipstick on a pig” backstory. As I’ve ranted dozens of times, that land is not good, it’s a dumpster fire. Some fans just love it because they are part of the in-group that supposedly “gets” Dino-Rama and why it’s “actually” good. (It is not.)

Now that Dino-Rama is finally extinct (rest in pieces!), an existing example of this would be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I don’t think that’s nearly as egregious as Dino-Rama, but the whole Tiana’s Foods story is overwrought and tedious, without bringing anything to the table. Then there’s the attraction itself, which manages to be deficient in plot despite all of the story that preceded it.

This is something I covered at length in Tom’s Top 7: Backstories at Walt Disney World. I won’t belabor the point here–if you’re interested in good and bad backstory at Walt Disney World, that article covers it.

At this point, the backstory for Monstropolis could go either way. I don’t read the above details about the Department of Human Relations or H.U.M.A.N. Day and have any particularly strong opinions.

One thought that comes to mind is that these are mildly amusing puns, and I almost wonder if that’s really all there is to this. Maybe the show writers felt this department and celebration would work well within the context of Monstropolis set after the film, as the monsters invite humans into their world, and that’ll be the totality of their existence.

This could be a conceit to explain the “why” of Monstropolis, and one that won’t impact the guest experience in the least. Perhaps the Department of Human Relations and H.U.M.A.N. Day will have their own lore for dedicated fans to discover. This is probably the best case scenario, and consistent with my perspective on backstory.

The other thought that came to mind is that Imagineering is pulling from the playbook of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and Zootopia: Better Zoogether for its scene-setting.

The Department of Human Relations has the potential to be staffed at least in part by Cast Members, as they act as ambassadors or whatever to the Monster world. This could be akin to Galaxy’s Edge at opening, when then Parks Chairman Bob Chapek infamously said that Cast Members are the land’s characters and entertainment.

Then there’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Zootopia: Better Zoogether, both of which lean on some variation of the ‘celebration’ trope. This is quickly becoming played out, which is in part because it’s very one-note and because ‘celebration’ is the default for Disney, even in the absence of it as a better defined backstory.

Most entertainment already has ‘celebration’ undertones, so this wears out its welcome faster when the explicit story of an offering. (Take me back to the days of …and something has gone horribly wrong. At least that has stakes.)

With all of that said, I’ve also learned not to criticize backstory prematurely. In this internet era, fans are thirsty for a constant trickle of information, and Disney largely obliges us. In the 1980s and 1990s, backstory leaked out after the fact, and was judged against the finished attraction, land, etc. Now, it comes out ahead of time and is judged on its own.

I learned my lesson about overanalyzing and prematurely judging backstory with the Jungle Cruise enhancements a few years ago. Initially, it seemed that Imagineering was getting heavy-handed with story for the sake of story on a ride that didn’t need it. My fear was that it would bog down the attraction, overwhelm guests, and come across as contrived.

As it turned out, that was just what was (over)shared online, and the actual end result with Jungle Cruise was very different. Those backstory details are peppered around the queue, and there for the discovery of guests. That’s an asset, as it gives guests something to engage in that previously basic and sometimes very long standby line. You can uncover nuggets of information that illuminate and connect to other adventurous experiences, but are not the least bit necessary to enjoying the attraction.

The Department of Human Relations and H.U.M.A.N. Day could be like that. Another layer to peel back, or a framing device that doesn’t stick out to casual guests but adds something for diehard fans. It could be icing on top of a rich and lived-in metropolis with a lot of details, atmospheric entertainment, and exceptional world-building.  

I’m actually very optimistic for Monstropolis and how it’ll come alive. For one thing, the film franchise lends itself to a dimensional environment that’s brimming with detail. For another, even smaller-scale attractions like Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue and Monsters Laugh Floor are overflowing with pun-filled details, gags, and Easter Eggs.

Between the much bigger budget here to pull off something far more ambitious and Imagineering using Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland as the blueprint for this land, Monstropolis has the potential to be something special. I doubt that will have anything to do with the Department of Human Relations or H.U.M.A.N. Day, so I’m really just hoping those conceits aren’t actively detrimental to the land as a whole. More likely, they’ll be amusing ways to frame guests’ presence in Monstropolis, and that’s really about it.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on the Department of Human Relations and H.U.M.A.N. Day backstory for Monstropolis? Thoughts on the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster, new show, restaurants, or anything else coming to this Monsters, Inc. inspired land? Excited for this new land, or will you miss Muppets Courtyard? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!