Monsters, Inc. Coaster Steel Rises at Hollywood Studios
The Monsters, Inc. roller coaster is going up before our very eyes. Well, mostly before Bioreconstruct’s eyes. But since he’s such a fantastic aerial photographer, we get to come along for the ride.
Bio flew over Monstropolis on Saturday and shared several new photos of the land. While we can spot aspects of the Monstrous transformation from Grand Avenue, very little of the coaster is visible from ground level. His latest aerials reveal that significant progress has been made since his last flyover. Most notably, crews have erected massive steel coaster supports near the transition from the load area into the actual ride.
Aahs n Oohs and I have spent a lot of time discussing this coaster. We’re fairly confident about the layout since everything built so far lines up closely with the model Imagineers shared nearly two years ago. But we’re less certain about some of the operational details. Specifically, where are the trains going for maintenance?
Setting the scene
Before we get into our analysis, let’s get acquainted with the coaster. Bio’s photo lays everything out perfectly. The sandy area at the bottom of the image will house the ride entrance and queue. The area just above is the load/unload area for the ride.
The station will have four separate loading tracks. When a train is dispatched, the track will be lifted straight into the air. Trains will then go through two of three track switches before merging onto the coaster’s main line.
After leaving the load room, trains will immediately turn left and travel forward over an uncertain path. We say “uncertain” because there could be a winding show scene or a straight hexagonal tunnel, like what’s in the film. The construction hasn’t revealed what’s happening in that stretch just yet.
After that section, the trains will turn left into the ride’s massive show building, better known as the Door Vault. That cavernous structure is the large concrete pad visible at the top of Bio’s photo above. So far, crews haven’t started installing coaster supports inside that space.
Where is the maintenance bay?
As I said, the Monsters, Inc. coaster is unique because it lifts guests vertically into the air before launching them into the attraction. Disney shared an animation showing how the system works.
But that unusual setup has many people wondering where the maintenance bay will be located. We’ve gone back and forth on whether Disney would place it near the end of the ride or closer to the beginning. At this point, I think we’ve settled on the start, thanks in part to a gentle nudge from Scott Walker.
New theory on the maintenance area for this.
— Scott Walker (@scottwalker88) May 10, 2026
Blue line would be load/unload. (ground floor)
Red would be maintenance. (middle floor)
Yellow would be the ride path. (top floor)
The circled area in the other photo would be where the train enters the maintenance area. https://t.co/9x0RyhUI1j pic.twitter.com/aGordRguQ2
The area on the right side of the following photo has a ton of vertical space beneath those supports. In fact, many of those poles haven’t reached their full height. Any steel capped with light gray will grow even taller.
And since the suspended coaster won’t need all of that room for the opening section, the space underneath feels like a prime candidate for a maintenance spur.
The newly installed steel also supports that theory. Some of those structures feature noticeably heavier latticework and reinforcement. Having two levels of track (ride and maintenance) could warrant that extra engineering. The split loading tracks also merge at that spot. A lot is going on in that part of the room.
Nothing like Cosmic Rewind’s construction
We could be wrong about the maintenance spur, but it’s fun to speculate. And we couldn’t do that if Disney had built the show building first and installed the coaster later, like they did with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This time, Disney is doing the opposite, building the coaster before adding walls and a roof. Why the change? Who knows. But building a coaster without having to shoehorn it into a completed structure certainly seems easier. Whatever the reason, we’re glad Disney switched gears for this project.
The coaster is only getting started. We can’t wait to see the Door Vault’s themed element, coaster supports, and winding track take shape. That area is on the right side of this photo.
Laydown yard
Tyler snapped photos of the hardware destined for Monstropolis. The project’s laydown yard is visible from the Skyliner as you travel along Buena Vista Drive behind EPCOT. We haven’t seen any track pieces yet, but plenty of coaster supports and girders are already on site.
More Monstropolis progress
Finally, let’s look at a few pics I snapped over Monstropolis’ construction walls in late April, where the Glob Theater is taking shape. We’re also seeing a new facade being applied to the former PizzeRizzo.
The Monsters, Inc. coaster build has been fascinating to follow, especially since Disney is revealing so much of the structure before the show building closes everything in. We can’t wait for Bioreconstruct’s next pass over Hollywood Studios to see what comes next.
