The pace of change at Disney California Adventure has been accelerating for years, and the latest development makes clear that acceleration is not slowing down.
Disney has filed nine confidential demolition permits with the City of Anaheim covering Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure, including the show building for Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! Disneyland Resort officials confirmed to The Orange County Register that the permits support “long-term work to enable expansion projects” in Hollywood Land.
The area is being cleared and rebuilt as a new Avatar land featuring a boat ride inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water, the 2022 sequel. What the permits represent is something more significant than a single attraction replacement. They represent the formal legal beginning of Disney California Adventure's next major transformation, one that will change the character of the park's back corner more substantially than anything since Cars Land reshaped the previous version of the park over a decade ago.
For guests who follow Disney parks development, the filing of nine permits simultaneously is a meaningful signal. For guests who are planning a Disneyland Resort visit in the near or medium term, the details of what is happening, what is staying open, and what is coming matter for how that trip gets planned.
What Nine Permits Filed at Once Actually Means
A coordinated filing of nine permits covering a single area of a theme park is not a routine development move. Individual projects and smaller refurbishments typically generate individual permit filings. Nine simultaneous permits covering a defined area signal a large-scale, coordinated demolition and development effort that requires removing existing structures, relocating underground utilities, and preparing a substantial footprint for new construction.
The permits do not include start dates for demolition, so the specific timing of visible construction activity has not been established. What the filings do establish is that the project is moving from planning into the formal pre-construction legal phase. Disneyland Resort's confirmation to The Orange County Register that the permits support “long-term work to enable expansion projects” is careful language, but it is a confirmation nonetheless.
These permits fall under the Disneyland Forward framework, the multi-decade initiative Disney secured approval for to expand the Disneyland Resort beyond the zoning limitations that previously constrained development in Anaheim. Hollywood Land's transformation represents one of the first major applications of that expanded development authority.
The Monsters, Inc. Ride Gets More Time
Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! was originally expected to close in early 2026. Disney has extended that timeline through 2027, keeping the ride open longer to give families with young children more options in Disney California Adventure during the construction period. Disney stated the delay will not impact the Avatar land construction timeline, which means the planning and permitting work is sufficiently advanced that the extended operating period does not create a conflict with the development schedule.
The attraction has been a Hollywood Land fixture since 2006, built on the track of the former Superstar Limo ride. Its signature interactive Roz animatronic became one of the more beloved details of the experience, and the ride found a devoted audience among guests with younger children for whom the shorter waits and approachable theming made it a natural stop. Its eventual closing will remove one of the few remaining structural connections to Disney California Adventure's original 2001 configuration.
Avatar Land Is the Confirmed Replacement
Disney has confirmed that Hollywood Land's footprint will become a new Avatar land inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water. A boat ride is confirmed as part of the land's attraction lineup. An opening timeframe has not been announced.
The confirmation settles what had been an active fan debate between Avatar and Zootopia as the expected replacement for Hollywood Land. The Shanghai Disneyland Zootopia land and its trackless dark ride Zootopia: Hot Pursuit had generated significant discussion as a potential model for a California installation, particularly given Hollywood Land's existing urban character, which some felt aligned naturally with Zootopia's city district theming. The permits and Disney's confirmation move the conversation past speculation.
Avatar's presence in Disney's parks is already established through Pandora: The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, where Avatar Flight of Passage and the Na'vi River Journey boat ride have been consistent draws since the land opened in 2017. A California Avatar land would be the franchise's second Disney parks installation and its first outside Florida. The confirmed boat ride aligns with the aquatic themes of The Way of Water and suggests a thematic distinction from the Florida land's jungle environment focus.
The Avatar franchise's commercial profile supports the investment. The two Avatar films collectively represent the highest-grossing film franchise in global box office history, and Disney CEO Bob Iger referenced a bold new Avatar experience for the Disneyland Resort in previous public statements.
Planning a Disneyland Resort Trip Around This Development
The immediate and practical takeaway for guests with Disneyland Resort visits in their plans is that Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! remains open through 2027. Guests who want to experience the attraction before it closes permanently have time, but the 2027 window is not indefinite and will close. Guests specifically planning a farewell visit to the ride before its closure should begin factoring that into their trip planning rather than assuming it will be available on an open-ended timeline.
The construction footprint in Hollywood Land will expand as demolition and site preparation work begins. Guests should expect that portions of the area will be affected by construction walls and modified pathways during the development period. The nine-permit filing indicates the project is getting closer to the visible construction phase, though without start dates in the permits, the specific timing of when guests will begin seeing active demolition remains unconfirmed.
Disney California Adventure continues to operate its full lineup of other experiences throughout the Hollywood Land development. Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT!, Radiator Springs Racers, Avengers Campus, Incredicoaster, Pixar Pier, and Buena Vista Street are all unaffected by the Hollywood Land permits.
Our Disneyland Resort guide is updated as construction developments unfold and attraction availability changes. Check it before your trip to get an accurate picture of what is operating during your visit and what the Hollywood Land construction footprint looks like on the ground.
