Disney has revealed new story details for Monstropolis, the first-ever land inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., which is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.
The new land will be built around a citywide celebration known as H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for “Humans Understand Monsters Are Nice.” The storyline gives guests a reason to enter Monstropolis, where humans are being welcomed into the monster world for the first time.
The story is set after the events of the original Monsters, Inc. film. In the movie, James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski discover that human laughter is more powerful than screams, changing the way Monstropolis generates energy and reshaping how monsters view humans.
That discovery now serves as the foundation for the new Hollywood Studios land. Within the story, Monstropolis leaders have made what Disney describes as a historic decision: opening the doors between the human and monster worlds.
To prepare for that first encounter, the city has created the Department of Human Relations, a new organization designed to help monsters and humans better understand one another. The department will play a role in welcoming guests as they arrive in Monstropolis.
H.U.M.A.N. Day will serve as the backdrop for the guest experience. Disney describes the event as part celebration and part cultural exchange, with humans invited to explore the city, interact with its residents and experience Monstropolis through laughter rather than fear.
As the land continues to take shape, Disney says guests can expect a fully developed monster city with colorful streets, active industries and locations inspired by the film. Harryhausen’s restaurant and the Glob Theater are among the recognizable destinations expected to help bring the world of Monsters, Inc. to life.
The land is also expected to include Disney’s first suspended roller coaster, themed around the door vault sequence from Monsters, Inc. Disney has not announced an official opening date for Monstropolis.
Disney Faces New Pressure From Universal’s Epic Universe
The Monstropolis project comes as competition in Orlando’s theme park market has intensified following the opening of Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe.
Epic Universe represents Universal’s largest Orlando expansion in years and has added major new themed lands tied to brands such as Harry Potter, Super Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon and Universal Monsters. Reuters reported that analysts expected Epic Universe to attract millions of visitors and potentially pull some attendance away from Walt Disney World, even as Disney continues to hold a much larger share of Florida theme park visitation.
For Disney, the addition of Monstropolis at Hollywood Studios is part of a broader effort to keep its parks fresh and competitive as Universal attempts to turn more Orlando vacations into Universal-centered trips. Hollywood Studios already features major intellectual-property-driven areas such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land, and the addition of a Monsters, Inc. land would give Disney another family-friendly Pixar anchor at a time when Epic Universe is drawing national attention.
More details about Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are expected to be released at a later date.
