Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster to Replace MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Welp, it’s official. Walt Disney World has made the distinctly unpatriotic announcement that Monstropolis is slated for Muppet Courtyard, which means the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will replace MuppetVision 3D. This covers the official announcement on the upcoming Disney’s Hollywood Studios project, plus our reaction.

By way of recap, Walt Disney World announced during the 2024 D23 Expo that a brand-new land themed around Monsters, Inc. will come to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc.

The monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly, so you’ll be able to visit the Laugh Factory, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like Sulley and Mike Wazowski, via a door. The Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Construction on the Monstropolis land project is slated to begin in 2025. This is literally all that’s been officially announced.

Within 48 hours of this news, the mood turned from excited to apprehensive. What Walt Disney World did not announce was where Monstropolis would go. This has led to a lot of speculation and fear, especially after Disney revealed that the Cars area in Magic Kingdom will replace the Rivers of America, resulting in permanent closures of Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat.

Like the Cars area in Magic Kingdom, the new Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will almost certainly need to replace an existing area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Further reinforcing this notion is that Disney released two pieces of concept art for Monstropolis, showing seemingly conflicting locations for the land. A couple of competing candidates emerged: Animation Courtyard and Grand Avenue or Muppet Courtyard.

Unfortunately, we now know that the loser in the Monstropolis sweepstakes is Muppet Courtyard. Walt Disney World has announced that they’ll be opening new doors for Muppets and Monsters at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here’s the tease:

Get ready to open the door because Mike and Sulley are coming to town!

That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show.

Here’s aerial concept art of Monstropolis:

In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls.

Our best guess is that this means MuppetVision will be open through most of 2025. We’ve been through this before with the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom, which are being replaced by Cars Land.

Although Walt Disney World has already announced ‘shovels in soil’ on Monstropolis in 2025, there’s still plenty of work that could be done backstage before moving inside the park. The closures and construction will likely be phased, and it stands to reason that MuppetVision could remain open through at least Summer 2025. Having a fond farewell for the attraction only seems appropriate.

Additionally, Walt Disney World stated this: “as we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.”

It’s unclear what, exactly, that means. Personally, I’d love to see MuppetVision moved to the Mickey Shorts Theater and presented there. Obviously it’d be very different and without much of what makes the show special and more than just a passive 3D film, but it’d be better than nothing.

Failing that, getting MuppetVision 3D on Disney+ (with the pre-show) or relocated and preserved would be fantastic. There’s gotta be somewhere in Hollywood that would love to have the show. Tons of celebrities are Muppets fans–public preservation of MuppetVision would be worthy endeavor!

Honestly, there were compelling reasons for either Animation Courtyard and MuppetVision to be the target for Monstropolis. We explained the reasons for and against each location in What Will Walt Disney World Sacrifice for Monstropolis? That’s a lengthy rundown, and I’m not going to rehash all of that here.

What I will say is that Animation Courtyard was the obvious candidate because it’s a massive amount of underutilized capacity and nothing back there is sacred. I’m sure there would be some fans who would mourn the loss of this corner of the park–at least, as it once existed decades ago–but there were also some who did the same for Camp Minnie-Mickey and will for Dino-Rama. It’s the nature of the beast.

By and large, the Walt Disney World fandom–as a whole–would not have cared. We would’ve applauded the decision. It was the so obviously correct choice that to some fans, frankly, it didn’t feel like much of a choice at all. A complete no-brainer.

However, Monstropolis replacing Animation Courtyard would’ve been the costlier and more time-consuming project. Since this is one of the D23 announcements intended to have a faster turnaround time (obviously everything is subject to change and this is just rumor, but my understanding is that the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster is what’s in the pipeline to follow Tropical Americas), they want it done quickly. Well, “quickly” by Disney standards. I’m sure someone else could build a ~90 second coaster in under 3 years.

Most significantly, it’s also my understanding that another (larger) project is slated for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as part of the 10-year plan, and that’s better suited for Animation Courtyard. The general thinking here is that this plot of land has the potential to be significantly larger and accommodate a much bigger and more ambitious project.

If Animation Courtyard were to end up being used for Monstropolis–a smaller project in the grand scheme of things–it would handcuff Imagineering since there isn’t space on Grand Avenue or anywhere else in the park for the next project.

Someone forgot to tell the original planners of the Disney-MGM Studios about Walt Disney World’s blessing of size, because this park faces unique challenges due to the surrounding roads. It is highly unlikely–if not impossible–that those are ever going to be re-routed. The expense and inconvenience makes that a non-starter.

While I’m sympathetic to the idea that DHS expansion should proceed in a manner that puts each parcel of land to its highest and best use, I also can’t help but roll my eyes. For one thing, this land has just sitting here, languishing for well over a decade.

For another thing, no one made Disney do these projects in this order–Animation Courtyard should obviously be redeveloped first, even if that means starting with the more ambitious expansion. I’m not saying that fans would be fine losing MuppetVision down the road in this scenario, but we’d be at least more accepting if there weren’t a giant “dead mall” in the park where the expansion could happen instead.

Finally, anyone who has been around the block with Disney knows that second phases are cancelled more often than not. A decade into the future is a long time, and we don’t know what’ll happen between now and then with the economy, Universal Orlando, or anything else.

The notion that fans should be fine sacrificing MuppetVision now because Animation Courtyard will probably/possibly/perhaps be put to better use a decade from now is unrealistic. We fans know better, and so should Walt Disney World.

As for the end of MuppetVision, I’ve known for a few weeks that the writing was on the wall and it was a matter of when and not if. I’ve sorta hinted at that in the D23 Brazil post (I thought there was a decent chance this would be announced then) and the Hall of Presidents post.

Still, I held out hope that what I was hearing was wrong or that plans would still change. After all, I’ve heard a lot of competing rumors about Animation Courtyard and MuppetVision over the last few months. Several expressing a high degree of confidence that could not possibly all be correct since they were in direct contradiction of one another.

Regardless, I’m still in a state of shock. I don’t want to believe this is true. I want to hold out hope that if enough passionate fans make their voices heard, plans will change. That if the gang gets together and puts on a show to raise $10 million, they can save the show. In my heart, I know all of that isn’t true. Walt Disney World and Imagineering took their time on this one because they wanted to evaluate all possible options and feedback, and this is the end point of that–not a potential starting point for a story about saving MuppetVision.

Beyond that, I’m not sure what else to even say. It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of MuppetVision 3D, and view it alongside the OG Country Bear Jamboree as one of Walt Disney World’s candidates for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It’s impossible for me to be unbiased when it comes to MuppetVision, but I personally believe that it still stands the test of time. It’s not just a simple 3D film, it’s truly an attraction and the funniest at Walt Disney World.

The artistic significance of MuppetVision 3D is almost immeasurable. It owns a special place in both Walt Disney World history and American culture. It’s one of the last projects that Muppet creator Jim Henson was involved in prior to his passing. It is widely regarded as an exemplar of Muppet humor and storytelling; a true masterpiece and work of art.

Consider this excerpt from Jim Henson: The Biography: “Disney would be good for the Muppets as well. If there was any organization that knew how to preserve and promote iconic characters beyond the lifetimes of their respective creators, it was the Walt Disney Company.”

“For Jim, finding such a suitable home for the Muppets was important…and if he couldn’t always tend to their well-being, he wanted to ensure they were with someone else who would. ‘Looking way back down the road to when I stop sitting in my rocking chair and working Kermit the Frog, I really like the idea of characters living on in the Disney parks,’ said Jim. ‘It’s a wonderful future for these characters. It’s as close to an eternal life as a little green frog can get.'”

While there’s some truth to the superficial sentiment that “Disney is not a museum” that’s bandied about by fans and the company to justify otherwise poor decisions, there’s also truth to the notion that some attractions are untouchable. Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and “it’s a small world” all would fit this bill. Among a certain segment of fans, this also extends to MuppetVision 3D. I am one of those fans, so I’m pretty heartbroken about this news. That’s still the case even though this does come with a consolation prize: Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of Monstropolis replacing MuppetVision? Is this addition still “worth it” to you now that it’s replacing Grand Avenue and MuppetVision 3D? Thoughts on preserving the film somehow? 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!