Is Monstropolis On Track To Open Early in 2027 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?!

Walt Disney World has been making, dare we say, monstrous progress on Monstropolis and the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster. I’ve been on the ground at Hollywood Studios this week, and wonder if WDW will reveal not just details about the rides & restaurants during the 2026 D23 Expo, but also fast-tracked debut dates. This shares new construction photos, our Parks Panel predictions, and potential timeline for opening.

As basic background, Monstropolis is partially replacing Muppets Courtyard, with existing venues in that now defunct land being reimagined and the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster being built backstage as a proper expansion of DHS. We’re only going to focus on the front half of Monstropolis here, though.

You can see the walls along the corridor of Grand Avenue as you walk to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, along with changes to the facades of the former MuppetVision 3D theater, as well as the PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose restaurants. Meanwhile, the Stage 1 Company Store has been demolished.

As previously expected, Mama Melrose is now officially confirmed as becoming Harryhausen’s, a table service restaurant. Harryhausen’s is the restaurant in Monsters, Inc. where Mike Wazowski takes his girlfriend Celia for her birthday. Sulley and Boo show up, as does the CDA, ruining dinner. It was a whole thing.

As one of the most iconic locations in Monstropolis, we’re expecting Disney to go all-out on Harryhausen’s. Imagineers will likely recreate the restaurant, and we’re expecting something that amounts to Oga’s Cantina meets Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant meets Space 220, but better than all three. It should join the already-formidable themed restaurant roster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

In fact, we fully expect Harryhausen’s to be one of the aspects of Monstropolis that Imagineers highlight on stage during the Parks Panel at the 2026 D23 Expo. This has tremendous potential for a ‘show’ component and (fingers crossed) should serve up some unique, themed cuisine. Not that we have high expectations or anything! In reality, even if it’s awful, Harryhausen’s will be the hottest Advance Dining Reservation at Walt Disney World. Here’s hoping it’s actually good.

Next door, PizzeRizzo is being reimagined into a counter service restaurant with an identical footprint in a manner similar to the previous conversion of Pizza Planet into PizzeRizzo. As part of a hard hat tour of Monstropolis, I went inside the former PizzeRizzo. Although a lot has been removed to the point that it feels like an eerie shell of its former self, a lot has also been retained.

Based on what’s still there, my impression is that the layout is being preserved. That the changes will be mostly cosmetic, with the interior given a refresh and new thematic window-dressing, but booths, tables and everything else being reinstalled towards the tail end of the project. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a lot of room for Imagineering to radically reinvent the restaurant with a new interior.

Still, I don’t expect the PizzeRizzo replacement to be all that exciting. My guess is that Disney will allocate the bulk of the budget to Harryhausen’s and let this be more of a utilitarian, high-capacity location. The comparison I’d use here is Docking Bay 7 in terms of detail and design depth meets PizzeRizzo in terms of Easter Eggs, but better than both.

Those are probably fairly realistic expectations, and accordingly, I wouldn’t expect much on this restaurant at D23. Unless the name is PizzeRoz, which is what it should be. That’d be sure to get a laugh from the crowd.

Meanwhile, MuppetVision Theater will be transformed into The Glob Theater to accommodate a brand-new show. On a recent hard hat tour of Monstropolis, Imagineers boasted that the production would be packed with technology.

This is backed up by public filings. Walt Disney World is Spending $22.4 Million on MuppetVision Theater Transformation, and that’s just the structure, not the show itself. If Disney is spending that much on the building, that bodes well and suggests there’s some serious tech under the hood on this bad boy.

Between March and last month, Disney has filed a flurry of construction permits for set installation, electrical work, and more at The Glob Theater. These permits would seem to suggest that progress is coming along, and that the show should be ready by Spring or Summer 2026 given the expirations.

Our expectation is that The Glob will be a secondary attraction to the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster, but an ambitious one. It behooves Walt Disney World to spend big and make this a worthwhile addition that’ll round out Monstropolis and last decades.

We predict that The Glob will be the other big Monstropolis reveal for the 2026 D23 Expo. While we don’t have insight into what, exactly, the show will feature, it presumably has some sort of never-before-seen (at least at Walt Disney World) wow-moment. Just the fact that Disney opted to replace MuppetVision as opposed to concocting an in-universe justification for its existence suggests this is something big-budget.

The Glob is one of two announcements from last D23, along with Piston Peak, that Imagineering really needs to “sell” fans on. And even the diehard Muppet fans at WDI know it. While I don’t necessarily expect a model for The Glob, I wouldn’t be surprised to see something from it showcased on the show floor along with a big reveal in the Parks Panel. My gut is that Disney will want to quiet the critics like me, and get us to say “yeah, okay, maybe it was worth losing MuppetVision for this.” But perhaps that’s wishful thinking!

When it comes to other 2026 D23 Expo predictions for Monstropolis, we do not expect a scale model of the miniland, but would love to be wrong about that. What we do expect is detailed looks at the building facades, probably via a display in the Imagineering booth. This feels like a safe prediction, as this type of concept art and elevation plans were shown to media during our recent Imagineering-led hard hat tour of Monstropolis.

Along with that, perhaps some of the food, merchandise, and entertainment that’ll bring the land to life. Basically, an exhibit that’s very similar to what Imagineering did for Zootopia Land back at the 2022 D23 Expo.

Monstropolis Construction Progress (August 2026)

If you’ve been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently, you’ve seen that the Monstropolis project has really kicked into high gear. Scaffolding is up around all of the buildings, facades are starting to be ripped open and replaced. Rebar is rising at the entrance for columns…and falling, and then rising again!

Before this week, my last visit to monitor Monstropolis construction progress was a full month ago. Wow, what a difference that made! From an elevated perspective by BaseLine Tap House, we spotted the first of several new details. Two crossed steel beams now mark the entrance to Harryhausen’s, forming an X shape. This is just like the real restaurant (well, movie real) and they’ll eventually be themed to chopsticks.

Here’s a look, along with other photos of some facades flush with scaffolding and more details (if you look closely):

The most monstrous details appear on the former Gonzo’s Royal Flush restroom and PizzeRizzo facades. Here, several window frames have been added and feature teeth and horn-shapes directly in the frame. The more minute details like this are a clear signal to us that Imagineers have moved past structural work in the courtyard portion of Monstropolis.

The roofline has likewise received its own themed details as well. Construction crews have cut a jagged, teeth-like pattern along the top of the facade. Paired with the horned windows, this section of the building is starting to take on a decidedly monstrous design.

All of these touches make the facade feel both fresh and lived-in. We’re expecting more detail than was here before, to give Monstropolis depth and make the space feel larger and more alive. On the aforementioned hard hat tour, Imagineers said the goal was making Monstropolis come alive and be an “attraction” unto itself. They want guests to feel like they’re stepping into the movie and a living, breathing (and growling, I guess) city.

It’s more difficult to see the more distant portions of Monstropolis, but another thing that’s clear is that the backside of The Glob is going to have more detail than before. Scaffolding is up and detail work is clearly happening there. On the hard hat tour, Imagineers said this taller building would serve as Grand Central Station.

Closer to the front of the courtyard sits The Glob, which has seen a lot of progress on its facade, not all of which is immediately apparent. This is mostly going to look the same as before when all is said and done, save for the addition of a new marquee. New steel supports now protrude from the building, where that’ll presumably be installed.

All of this looks like an absolute mess of scaffolding right now, but if you squint, you can see the details starting to come into focus. After months of not seeing much movement, it feels like this is starting to turn a corner, similar to what we’re starting to see over at Animal Kingdom, which caused us to question When Will Tropical Americas Open?, raising the possibility that the first phase could debut in Summer 2027.

If anything, the front half of Monstropolis appears even further along. Well, about that…

When Will Monstropolis Open?

Officially, Walt Disney World has not indicated when the Monsters, Inc. land will debut, but they have announced that Tropical Americas will open first of the upcoming additions, debuting in 2027.

Tropical Americas is the only major project for Walt Disney World with an opening year. Everything else you’ve seen concerning opening timelines for Monstropolis (2028), Piston Peak Cars Land (2029), Villains Land (2030) or beyond is purely speculative, based on educated guesses at best.

We’ve been assuming that 2028 opening date for the last two years, and even discuss in our 5-Year Construction Plan for Walt Disney World that they’re going to return to a cadence of opening one major addition per year. That certainly makes sense. But what if it’s wrong?!

In that Tropical Americas post, we discuss how a phased opening for that land seems almost like a foregone conclusion. Animal Kingdom needs the ride capacity, and they’ll want to get attractions and areas online as quickly as they’re ready.

When it comes to Tropical Americas, my best guess is that Disney will try to open the Pueblo Esperanza area, critter carousel, and (ideally) Indiana Jones Adventure in Summer 2027, and then the Encanto Madrigal Casita attraction between Late 2027 and Spring 2028. Two phases are the most likely scenario, but I wouldn’t rule out 3 if the critter carousel is tracking to be done multiple months before Indy.

Previously, we speculated that Monstropolis could also have a phased opening. Given the closure timing and the comparative simplicity of those reimaginings, the front half of Monstropolis could theoretically debut by 2027. We added this: “Unless Tropical Americas is delayed to 2028, we view a phased opening of Monstropolis as a mistake.”

Our basis for that was Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Walt Disney World has likely learned its lesson about doing phased openings after this area’s next door neighbor, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, fell flat upon its partial opening in mid-2019. As you might recall, that land had phased opening on both coasts, and debuted without the blockbuster Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

The opening summer for that new land was incredibly slow, and that was largely due to the drumbeat of messaging from the company itself and fan community about crowds. We worked ourselves into a collective tizzy over a “crowdpocalypse” scenario, and the exact opposite happened as result of the overhype.

Fearing multi-hour lines and crazy congestion, fans stayed home–delaying visits until crowds died down. The first few months were dead, and the time when people expected things to “die down” were crazy busy.

The seed back then was planted by CEO Bob Iger jokingly boasting that no marketing would be necessary for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. He could just tweet “it’s open” and that would be enough to pack the park during the opening season.

That was followed by persistent messaging from Disneyland that you’d need reservations to access the new land (among other policies & protocol). With that came breathless speculation among fans and commentators, and the ‘crowdpocalypse’ narrative scared guests away. (We cover all of this and much more in our Why Are Star Wars Land Crowds So Low?)

While that was at Disneyland, history essentially repeated itself with the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge a few months later at Walt Disney World. The first few months were among the deadest we’ve ever seen at Walt Disney World, with the ‘Extra, Extra Magic Hours’ being gloriously uncrowded (and totally unnecessary). On both coasts, crowds arrived in full force by the holiday season…and didn’t let up until the closures of March 2020.

Over the last ~7 years, we’ve used Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as a cautionary tale, and a reason not to do phased openings. That sure seems like a logical conclusion given the dramatic difference between the early, eerie emptiness and the veritable tidal wave of people that hit once Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened.

What if the actual lesson is one about messaging? Disney itself was incredibly aggressive with its actions in the lead-up to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. Literally everything they said and policies they implemented were warning signs of a “crowdpocalypse.” Most guests don’t want to experience unpleasant crowds or excessive friction, so they obliged Disney and stayed home.

The company quickly realized this, and tried to pivot its messaging for the Walt Disney World version, but it was already too late. Well, it wasn’t just too late…it was also the off-season, and it was going to be dead regardless.

Point being, what if instead of making a big to-do about the first phases of Tropical Americas and Monstropolis opening…they did not do that? I know, I know–crazy idea!

Seriously, though. Walt Disney World could package these smaller scale first phases together as part of the 2027 Cool Kids’ Summer package along with whatever else they have planned, and have that be the marketing. Instead of signaling heavy crowds (which won’t happen since summer isn’t what it once was), they could market this as a “chance to be among the first guests to get a glimpse at portions of the new lands before the crowds arrive.”

This could work. Based on what we currently do not know about Summer 2027 versus what we did know by this point last year, it seems like there’s a good chance Cool Kids’ Summer next year will be lighter on ‘singles & doubles’ level offerings.

What if, instead of ride reimaginings and overlays, Disney opted to debut half of these two new lands and positioned the campaign that way? They could even use Mike Wazowski as the mascot of the summer and have some catchphrase about getting a first look “but with only one eye” (to indicate half of the land–just spitballing).

Ultimately, I’m on record as saying on countless occasions that I strongly prefer the fanfare and excitement of a singular, highly-marketable opening for expansions. They pack a more powerful punch and generate more excitement, whereas phased openings risk falling flat. That remains my position.

At the same time, I’ve started to question this conventional wisdom, which was derived from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge flopping hard when it launched in Summer 2019. This thought first came to mind when Epic Universe debuted last year, and didn’t seem to garner much traction beyond the fan community. And to the extent that it did, a lot of the buzz was negativity about the excessive wait times, ride breakdowns, and weather-induced downtime.

All of this is to say that I’ve talked myself into the possibility (see above) that maybe phased openings aren’t such a bad thing if messaged carefully. Between the dedicated Walt Disney World fanbase that’ll make visits for every new thing (allowing for Disney to double-dip), no matter how big or small, and the casual guests who would plan around a Cool Kids’ Summer (or whatever) campaign, maybe it makes sense.

Perhaps there’s also something to be said for front-loading some of the demand to reduce the influx of crowds once the main event opens. This is doubly true for Monstropolis, which is expected to be akin to Zootopia Land in Shanghai, which is treated as an attraction unto itself where guests linger, shop, and eat. Getting some of that demand (and those sales!) worked out before the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster opens might actually be the savvy play.

Bringing things full circle, one of our bigger and bolder 2026 D23 Expo predictions is that Monsters Courtyard (or whatever they call it) gets an opening season. Moreover, it’s our expectation that opening season will be Summer 2027, and will align with the first phase of Tropical Americas with both incorporated into a bigger picture marketing campaign.

As with Tropical Americas, Disney will say something like this during the Parks Panel: “We’re excited to announce that we’re opening Monstropolis ahead of schedule! (Pause for applause.) The first portion of the new themed area will welcome guests starting in Summer 2027, with the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster to follow later in 2028. The exact opening dates for each experience within the land will be revealed at a later date.”

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Excited about Monstropolis? Thoughts on recent progress or anything else? Think our phased opening and timeline speculation is right or wrong? Are you looking forward to Monstropolis? 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!