Monsters Inc Door Coaster Details Revealed at D23: Plus Monstropolis Opening Early

D23’s Entertainment Showcase revealed exciting new details about the Monsters, Inc. Door Vault roller coaster coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios, including a vertical lift that will raise riders 40 feet in around four seconds. There was also an important update for UK holidaymakers: Monstropolis is now confirmed to open in 2027, but the coaster will NOT be opening. UK planners currently looking at booking or with booked 2027 Walt Disney World holidays will want to keep an eye on this land, especially with new dining locations, shopping and an attraction opening.

What are the new Monstropolis announcements?

New coaster details plus restaurants, shopping, the Glob Theater show and more of the city itself were all announced during the D23 Entertainment Showcase/

How will the Monsters Inc Door Vault coaster work?

The Monsters, Inc. coaster will lift riders approximately 40 feet vertically in around four seconds before sending them into the Door Vault. Demonstrating the sequence at the Showcase, it’s clear the new rollercoaster will be aiming to replicate what fans have watched in the Monsters Inc films.

The coaster will not however be opening with the rest of the land in 2027. The rest of the Monstropolis announcements centred around what else you can expect to find in the land which may prove more useful for a day in Hollywood Studios.

What restaurants are coming to Monstropolis?

The Monstropolis area will include Harryhausen's; a new pizza location, Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza; and a Monsters University Alumni Club among its food and drink venues.

Although Disney had already officially confirmed in June that a real version of Harryhausen's would be part of Monstropolis. D23 has now placed the restaurant within a much broader food and drink line-up for the land which guests will be able to experience when it opens in 2027. For anyone heading to Hollywood Studios, expect queues and difficulty in getting dining reservations if needed.

What show is coming to the Glob Theater?

The former Muppet Vision 3D theater will become the Glob Theater, with a new Monstropolis stage show featuring an original Randy Newman song. Disney had already confirmed the Glob Theater as part of the land in June, but stopped short of explaining what guests would actually see inside.

D23 finally added some substance. During the presentation, Megan Hilty performed part of "Welcome to Monstropolis," a new song written by Randy Newman that will feature in the land's stage show. Newman's involvement is particularly fitting given his long association with Pixar and the music of Monsters, Inc.

Mike and Sulley will be involved in the show, although the format is not yet clear. New concept art of the show was also unveiled:

What shops will be inside Monstropolis?

Disney has revealed a Scare Emporium as one of the shopping locations inside the new land. The Scare Emporium was among the additional Monstropolis locations presented during the D23 showcase, alongside the new dining venues and Monsters University references.

Imagineering sketches and notes included references to Tony's Grossery, Hidden Café and Art's Gallery, while neighbourhood names shown included Old Town Monstropolis and Frightening Heights.

What’s the story behind the new Monstropolis land?

Guests will be visiting Monstropolis during H.U.M.A.N. Day, the first time the monster city has officially welcomed humans into its world. This part of the story was revealed before D23, in June.

Set after the original Monsters, Inc. film, Monstropolis now runs on laughter rather than screams. That change has also altered the monsters' view of humans, who were previously regarded as dangerous. The city has therefore created H.U.M.A.N. Day, (Humans Understand Monsters Are Nice), as a combination of celebration and cultural exchange.

Disney has even created a Department of Human Relations within the land's backstory to prepare Monstropolis for its first human visitors. It provides a simple story reason for thousands of very human Walt Disney World guests to suddenly be wandering around a city in which humans were once considered toxic.

D23 didn't share that storyline at the Entertainment Showcase, but the new restaurants, shops, theatre and neighbourhood details show how Imagineering intends to turn the story into a complete land. It also highlights how the land can open without the coaster and still feel whole.

Magic in a Minute

The Monsters Inc sliding doors coaster launch was revealed at the D23 Entertainment Showcase, but the big news is that the land will be opening earlier than originally planned in 2027, but without the sliding doors coaster. However with themed restaurants, shop, and attraction opening the land should still feel whole even without the coaster opening.