One of Walt Disney World’s biggest construction projects is starting to look much more like the place guests will eventually experience.
Monstropolis is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2027, and Disney has now shared a new behind-the-scenes look at the work underway. While there is still plenty left to build, Imagineers are already preparing to move into another important phase of the project.
Detailed exterior work could begin appearing on the actual buildings within weeks.
It is the latest sign that Disney is pushing forward with the massive Monsters, Inc. expansion, which will eventually include a suspended roller coaster, restaurants, entertainment, stores, and an entire city designed for monsters.
Disney also revealed something guests will hear plenty about once the land opens: Dark Avenue.
Disney Reveals Dark Avenue
Dark Avenue will serve as the main street running through Monstropolis.
Rather than simply functioning as a pathway to the land’s biggest ride, the street will connect many of the experiences Disney is building throughout the area.
Guests will be able to travel along Dark Avenue to reach the Welcome to Monstropolis show, Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza, Harryhausen’s, shopping locations, and the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Factory suspended roller coaster.
That gives us a much better idea of how Disney intends to organize the new land.
The company isn’t simply constructing a coaster and surrounding it with Monsters, Inc. decorations. Disney wants guests to feel as though they’ve walked directly into the city seen in Monsters, Inc. (2001).
That idea extends all the way to the buildings.
The Buildings Are About To Become Much More Interesting
Imagineers are giving the architecture throughout Monstropolis a monster makeover.
Eyes, teeth, horns, and other unusual features will become part of the buildings themselves. Disney’s latest look even showed tooth-inspired windowsills, offering an example of the smaller details guests may discover throughout the finished land.
Before adding those finishes to the actual buildings, Imagineers are creating mock-ups to test different textures and designs.
That process is already moving along.
Disney revealed that crews are expected to take those finishes to the actual structures within a couple of weeks.
For guests watching construction from around Hollywood Studios, that could make a noticeable difference.
A building can remain relatively unrecognizable while crews focus on its basic structure. Once themed finishes, architectural details, signs, and other decorative pieces start arriving, it becomes much easier to see the final land emerging.
Monstropolis appears to be approaching that stage.
The Monsters Inc. Coaster Remains the Main Attraction
Of course, the biggest addition will be the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Factory coaster.
Disney is building a suspended roller coaster inspired by the famous door vault sequence from Monsters, Inc. (2001).
The suspended design should help give riders the feeling of moving through the enormous collection of doors, making the ride unlike anything else currently operating at Hollywood Studios.
But Disney is surrounding that attraction with much more.
Harryhausen’s will bring a familiar location from the movie into the park, while Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza will provide another dining option. Welcome to Monstropolis will add entertainment, and stores will give visitors additional places to explore along Dark Avenue.
Together, those additions should make this feel like a complete land rather than an expansion built around one attraction.
Monstropolis Is Still Coming in 2027
Disney continues to list Monstropolis for a 2027 opening, although the company has not announced an exact date.
The newest construction update doesn’t change that official opening year.
What it does show is how quickly Disney is moving toward the next stages of construction.
Imagineers are already testing detailed architectural finishes, and those designs should begin appearing on the actual buildings soon. Dark Avenue has officially been named, and Disney is providing a clearer picture of how guests will move through the finished area.
There’s still a long way to go before visitors can walk through Monstropolis themselves.
But as Disney moves into more detailed exterior work, the transformation at Hollywood Studios should become increasingly difficult to miss.
And with the land scheduled to open sometime in 2027, Disney is quickly turning its Monsters, Inc. plans into something guests can finally see taking shape.
