I've Been Worried About Disney World's New Monsters Inc. Land, But New Information Is Giving Me Hope

There is a lot of construction taking place at Disney World right now. Three different lands at three different parks are currently in the middle of being overhauled. These decisions have been met with no small amount of controversy, and while the one fans are most upset with is the end of the Rivers of America at Frontierland, a close second has to be the end of Muppet*Vision 3D and the upcoming Monsters Inc. land set to replace it.

Expectations are quite high considering that such a fan favorite attraction is being replaced. While I, for one, am excited that the long-rumored Monsters Inc. Door Coaster is becoming a reality, I’m still far from sure the land as a whole will end up better than what it's replacing. It will be a couple of years before we get to experience the final product, but some new information at least gives me the confidence that Disney World is starting out on the right foot.

Disney World Is Set To Spend $22.4 Million On The Muppet*Vision 3D Replacement

A new report from the Orlando Business Journal cites documents submitted to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which oversees Walt Disney World, that say the resort plans to invest $22.4 million in the new show that will replace Muppet*Vision 3D. While that number certainly pales in comparison to the costs of major E-ticket attractions (Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is rumored to have cost $500 million), it’s also not chump change.

Considering that the new theater show is not the primary draw for the new Monsters Inc. land, which will be the roller coaster, it’s valuable to see that of the $17 billion that Disney World plans to spend on improvements over the next decade, a significant piece of it will be going to what could otherwise be seen as a less important attraction.

Other than the fact that there will be some sort of Monsters Inc. show in the land, we know nothing about this attraction. A Monsters Inc. show already exists at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The future of that show once the new one opens is unclear.

The Monsters Inc Land Will Be Small, But Can Still Be Great

Considering that the other two major Disney World projects currently in development are a complete retheming of Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and a major overhaul of one of Magic Kingdom’s original lands, the entire Monsters Inc. project is going to be small by comparison. The Muppet Courtyard area isn’t all that big, and while it will be expanded by the Door Coaster show building, it will still likely be the smallest and cheapest of the three projects.

The fact that we’re seeing a not insignificant investment in the smallest part of the smallest new land gives me hope not only for the new Monsters Inc. land but for all the projects. Losing what has gone away is never fun, but now that it’s happened, the best we can hope for are great experiences that will take their place.