Hollywood Studios is entering a new chapter, and the latest permits filed for the former MuppetVision 3D theater show just how quickly that chapter is being written. Disney has officially submitted two construction permits tied to the building, confirming the start of its transformation into a key piece of the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land.
The first permit calls in Jon Richards Company, a group Disney has relied on many times when it needs highly detailed, story-driven construction. They’ve contributed to projects at every Walt Disney World park and beyond, handling everything from set pieces to specialty signage. The second permit brings Solotech into the mix, an audio-visual company often associated with major show technology upgrades. Both teams working together points to significant interior and exterior changes.
This supports what many fans have suspected after watching Muppet theming slowly disappear from the theater’s exterior. Disney hasn’t announced the closure of the original show outright, but the filings make it clear the building is being prepared for a completely new role.
Based on concept art for the Monsters, Inc. land, the theater will keep its brick shell but receive a full identity makeover, including a new marquee and an oversized eye-themed clock. The building will even get a new name—The Glob—giving it a quirky Monstropolis twist.
The makeover doesn’t stop with the theater. The land’s big-ticket attraction, a roller coaster themed around the giant door vault sequence, is already under construction just outside park boundaries. It’s expected to be Disney’s first-ever suspended coaster and the first to use a vertical lift, setting the stage for a high-energy addition to the park.
Restaurants surrounding the area are also expected to shift thematically, with Mama Melrose’s rumored to become Harryhausen’s and PizzeRizzo likely keeping its quick-service format but taking on a new Monsters, Inc. look.
All together, the permits mark the beginning of a large-scale redesign that will reshape an entire corner of Hollywood Studios. While there’s still no opening date, the movement behind the scenes suggests steady progress.
For fans who grew up watching MuppetVision, it’s a meaningful change. But for those excited to meet Mike, Sulley, and the world of Monstropolis in a more immersive way, it’s the start of something big.
