Monstropolis City logo. (Photo Credit: The Walt Disney Company Media)
As
construction continues on Monstropolis, the new Monsters, Inc.-themed land underway at Disney’s
Hollywood Studios, Disney has revealed the backstory that explains why humans
are being invited into a monster world that previously worked so hard to keep
them out.
The
answer traces back to the discovery by Sulley, Mike Wazowski, and the citizens
of Monstropolis that laughter was more powerful than screams. That shift
changed how monsters viewed humans, leading to the first invitation for humans
into Monstropolis.
During
a recent behind-the-scenes media preview, we got a first look beyond the
construction walls as the former Muppets-themed area off Grand Avenue is being
transformed into Monstropolis, complete with iconic locations from the film, a
door-vault roller coaster, and monster-sized details throughout.
Disney
has yet to announce an opening date for Monstropolis, but read on for the
latest on the new land and watch this space for ongoing updates.
Why Humans Are Finally Welcome
Disney's
newly revealed storyline for the land, a creative collaboration between Walt
Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios, centers on a city that has
begun warming to the idea of humans. Rather than viewing them as dangerous
outsiders, the monsters of Monstropolis have grown increasingly curious about
their former foes.
To
help foster that relationship, the city has established a Department of Human
Relations and is hosting H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for "Humans Understand
Monsters Are Nice," a celebration designed to welcome humans into the city
for the first time.
The
premise provides a clever explanation for how Monstropolis went from 2319
alerts to hosting H.U.M.A.N. Day. (Given some human behavior in 2026, it can be
hard to blame the monsters for those 2319 decontamination protocols.)
Building Monstropolis
Our
first look from the balcony of the former PizzaRizzo, which will become a new
quick-service dining location, helped us understand how existing buildings are
being woven into the larger vision for Monstropolis, from Harryhausen's in the
former Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano to the Glob Theater in the former
Muppet*Vision 3D theater.
The
view also reinforced that Monstropolis will be far more than a collection of
rethemed facades. Recent Walt Disney
World projects have shown how much can be accomplished within existing
footprints, but Monstropolis will expand this corner of Disney's Hollywood
Studios with visible additions, including a large new show building housing the
new door vault coaster.
Previously detailed at
SXSW, the attraction will become Disney's first suspended coaster and
feature the first vertical lift ever built in a Disney park. Guests will board
before being hoisted into the air, recreating the memorable scene in which
doors are grabbed by mechanical claws and launched into the warehouse.
Rather
than being hidden backstage behind a camouflage of blending blue and go-away
green paint, the structure will become a focal point of Monstropolis, drawing
guests deeper into a corner of Disney's Hollywood Studios that many previously
bypassed.
Monstropolis Human Relations Department logo. (Photo Credit: The Walt Disney Company Media)
Taking Cues From Zootopia
Imagineers
repeatedly pointed to the level of detail found in Shanghai Disney Resort's
Zootopia as both an inspiration and a welcome challenge. Just as Zootopia was
designed for animals of dramatically different sizes, Monstropolis is
envisioned as a city inhabited by monsters ranging from tiny to towering. That
philosophy extends to the architecture, signage, and decorative details
throughout the land.
Imagineers
also hinted that guests can expect monster-inspired embellishments throughout
the city, including buildings featuring scales, teeth, and other monstrous
flourishes.
Disney
also released a new “Monstropolis: The City Frightful” city logo and a logo for
the Department of Human Relations featuring a human-and-monster handshake,
reinforcing the message at the heart of the land: beneath the claws and fur, or
the Crocs and Taylor Swift tees, those who seem most different may not be so
scary after all.
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