Sightlines? Monsters, Inc. Coaster Being Built Below Grade

The Monsters, Inc. coaster coming to Hollywood Studios requires a massive show building, one large enough to house a suspension coaster and a warehouse full of doors. That kind of structure is hard to hide, which makes a detail in Bioreconstruct’s latest aerial photos especially interesting. Aahs n Oohs immediately noticed a lowered foundation.

“I see why they added such large drainage culverts. That slab looks to be 8 to 10 feet below grade. Shorter building outside, taller building inside.”

Disney hasn’t shared the reason, but lowering the floor reduces the building’s overall height, making it easier to hide from Galaxy’s Edge and other lands. Yes, we’re talking about sightlines. And in this case, they matter. Nobody wandering Batuu should ever spot Pixar IP while hanging out with Mando and Grogu.

Bio’s photos also show that Imagineers are approaching this build differently than previous coaster projects. For TRON Lightcycle / Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the locations of the coaster mounts had to be finalized before the concrete was poured. Anchor bolt cages were embedded directly into the slab, each positioned with a tolerance of just 5 millimeters. It was a herculean task. The Guardians build was documented in EPCOT Becoming: Inside the Transformation on Disney+.

No such cages appear in the Monstropolis factory. The slab is completely smooth, as the coaster mounts will be installed later. Unfortunately, that means we don’t know how the building will be laid out. But if the tradeoff is getting another indoor coaster in Florida, I’m cool with that.

Disney hasn’t announced when Monstropolis and its coaster will open, but if construction keeps moving at this pace, 2027 seems like a reasonable bet.

Read more: Concrete Auger Pilings Installed for Monstropolis Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios