NEW Photos Show Progress at Monsters, Inc. Expansion in Disney World

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is undergoing TONS of construction right now, and in just one month, soon there will be even more as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster closes for its new retheme in just one month.

Two entire lands are being rethemed right now, and while one of them, The Walt Disney Studios (formerly Animation Courtyard), is expected to open by Summer 2026, the other, the former Muppets Courtyard that’s being turned into Monstropolis, won’t be done for quite some time. We’re keeping a close eye on updates, though, and thanks to @bioreconstruct on Instagram, we’ve got a bit of a progress report!

Thanks to these new aerial photos, we can get a really great look at the progress happening in the center of the land. Seen at the right is the former entrance to the land that’s currently blocked off. From this photo, we can now see that ALL signage from the former Muppet*Vision 3D theatre is gone, as well as all the theming from the Stage 1 Company Store. The paint is completely gone, too — now it’s just a plain gray. Considering how colorful this land used to be, this is a pretty big jumpscare, but we know it’s necessary for the retheme.

Another angle gives a view of the former PizzeRizzo location, as well as around the former Mama Melrose’s location. If we look closely, we can still see a bit of signage from PizzeRizzo, but it appears most other signage is completely gone. All additional add-ons from the land that were around the ground, such as trees, Muppets memorabilia and statues, the Kermit and Miss Piggy clocks we knew and loved, and the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew-inspired globe, among many others, are totally gone as well. Perhaps we’ll see some of them return over closer to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster when the retheme takes place, but we’re preparing ourselves to lose them forever.

We’re happy to see that construction is well underway, as it makes us excited to see the new land (hopefully) in 2027, but it does make our Muppet-loving hearts sad at the same time.