The Monsters, Inc. Coaster's M Shaped Load Station Went Up in Steel, and You Can See It From the Hollywood Studios Parking Lot

You do not need a park ticket to see one of the odder pieces of engineering going up at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Walk south through the guest parking lot and look into the thicket of rust colored steel rising over the Monstropolis construction site. Enormous curved ribs have appeared, and multiple pairs of them look to be in place.

Blog Mickey published the first look at them late Tuesday afternoon. Those arches are the load and unload station for the Monsters, Inc. Suspended Coaster, the Door Vault ride at the heart of the Monstropolis land, and they show one of the most unusual parts of the attraction taking shape closely along the lines Imagineering drew.

What actually went up

Blog Mickey describes finding the pieces deep inside the steel rather than out at the edge of the building. "Deep within the maze of steel, multiple large, curved pieces are now installed," the site wrote. "Together they form the 'M'-shaped ribs of the coaster's load and unload station."

From parking lot distance it is hard to count them, but Blog Mickey reports that "multiple pairs of ribs appear to be installed," and that the arches come in pairs, framing a load platform and an unload platform. Three large cranes are still working over the show building, and the site notes plenty of work is left, including the ride structure's second half and the rest of the building around it.

Why the station is shaped like that

The arches are not decoration. Disney detailed this space at a SXSW panel in 2025. Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen said the coaster will use the first vertical lift system at a Disney park. That means hoisting riders straight up rather than towing them up an incline. Guests will board on the ground floor and be lifted into the air before dispatching into the ride, echoing the door hoist moment from the film.

That is what the ribs are holding up. As Blog Mickey put it, "The arched ribs need to support machinery that lifts riders well above the boarding platform before the ride begins. That's a very different structural demand than a standard load station."

It matches the model from D23 2024

The M silhouette itself is not news. It was already visible in the concept model Imagineering displayed at D23 in 2024, down to the row of arches and the prominent X shaped support at the center of that row. What is new is watching it appear in real steel two years later.

"Seeing that same silhouette rise in steel is a clear sign of how closely the built structure is tracking the original design," Blog Mickey wrote.

Where the project stands

Blog Mickey's own timeline puts the first roller coaster support columns at the site in April 2026, with track installation starting in June 2026, when the first piece of track was joined to the support steel inside the show building. The site says Disney is reportedly targeting a 2028 opening for Monstropolis, which is a report rather than a Disney announcement.

When it opens, it will be Disney's first suspended coaster at any of its parks, themed to the door vault chase from the movie. Blog Mickey describes the land as replacing the former Muppets Courtyard.

Worth watching this weekend: Blog Mickey says it hopes to learn more at the upcoming D23 event. Disney is streaming its Horizons: A Carousel of Progress parks showcase live on Disney+ at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, August 15, as we reported this week, so a Monstropolis update has an obvious slot to land in.

Sources

• Blog Mickey, "FIRST LOOK: 'M'-Shaped Load Station Steel Installed for Monsters Inc. Door Vault Roller Coaster"
• Parks Magic, "Disney Is Streaming Its D23 Parks Showcase Live on Disney+ Saturday, and No Badge Is Required"

Image credits: Construction and concept model photography by Blog Mickey. Load station concept visualization by Disney, published via Blog Mickey.