When the team at Pixar Animation Studios start dreaming up new worlds and places to visit in the movies, there’s a little voice inside their head (an emotion, maybe) asking, “Is this something Imagineers could create, and we could walk into?” If the answer is no, they keep working.
But if the answer is yes… well it’s time to partner with the team at Walt Disney Imagineering to see if it’s possible to bring that space to life in one of the Disney Parks around the world.
Taking to the stage during The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen walked the crowd through their latest upcoming immersive space to occupy Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Monstropolis.
First announced at last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Imagineers are hard at work bringing the world of Pixar Animation Studios’ Monsters, Inc. to life — and that includes its monster inhabitants, James P. Sullivan, Mike Wazowski, and more. While getting to walk through the streets of Monstropolis is exciting enough, the land will include a signature attraction where guests embark on a thrilling roller coaster ride through the Monsters, Inc. door vault.
“Imagineers have been itching to turn that moment into an attraction ever since we saw it for the first time,” Hundgen teased.
While many details about the attraction are still locked up in a laugh canister, the Imagineering team is ready to reveal the load area for the attraction. The upcoming door ride will feature the first-ever suspended coaster at a Disney Park, and the first-ever vertical lift. Get ready to scream — not out of fright, but fun.
Showing off a new animatic of the attraction, guests will board the vehicle before being hoisted into the air (just like in the movie!) to zoom into the door vault. It’s going to be, “an experience that’s as memorable and fun as the film,” Hundgen continued.
“I can tell you that everyone at Pixar is excited about how this is coming together,” Docter told the crowd. “It really is like a dream come true for us.”
Miss any Disney Experiences updates from SXSW? Catch up on all the exciting announcements now!
But do you want more Imagineering? We’ve got more Imagineering.
Come along as we pull back the curtain on the latest episode of “We Call It Imagineering,” and take you behind the scenes of the Ride Studio. What’s the Ride Studio? Great question — it’s the birthplace of many vehicles just seen in the SXSW presentation in a space dedicated to design and engineering.
Join us as we take a deeper dive into the evolution of some of the most beloved attractions, from Haunted Mansion to the upcoming Monsters, Inc. coaster. Catch a brand-new episode this Monday only on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube.