Monstropolis construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has moved to the outside of the town buildings. Our new photos show scaffolding covering the storefronts as crews add brick, trim, arched windows and colorful roof shingles. Last week, the first coaster track went in at the Monsters, Inc. land.
One building has red brick with cream zigzag trim along the top. Workers were up on the scaffolding fitting cream trim around its arched windows. Another building has scalloped roof shingles in blue, teal and bronze, with a wood-look tower on top. Next door, a gray brick building now has white trim and window frames, and a tan building has a curved top. A new steel walkway with arches and green railings runs along the front of one building. A tall concrete tower is also up. And at the bottom of one wall, a “Public Restrooms” sign is already painted on.
Walt Disney Imagineering is building Monstropolis. Michael Hundgen, who leads creative for Imagineering’s Walt Disney World projects, has called the door coaster “a showstopper.” Scott Mallwitz, a senior creative director of concept design at Imagineering, walked fans through the land’s story and design in a behind-the-scenes video in June. Pete Docter, who directed Monsters, Inc. and leads Pixar’s creative team, called the land “like a dream come true” when it was first shown in 2025.
Imagineers have said they are “monster-fying” the town, with teeth on windows, eyes on pillars and horns on top of doorframes. Take another look at the zigzag trim around those arched windows in our photos. It looks a lot like teeth. The main street even has a monster name, Dark Avenue. Imagineers also built test pieces to check colors and textures before adding them to the real buildings.
Monstropolis is replacing the old Muppets Courtyard. Disney says it will open in phases. The first phase opens in 2027 with the Welcome to Monstropolis show at the Glob Theater, Harryhausen’s and Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza, the Monsters University Alumni Club and the Scareporium shop. The suspended door coaster does not have an opening date yet.
This is the fun part of construction. The steel and concrete are giving way to brick, trim and color, and Monstropolis is starting to look like a real town. Scalloped shingles and zigzag trim are the kind of small details Imagineering gets right. Catch up on the Monstropolis story and land details, and find more Hollywood Studios news.
