Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the MagicDisney’s Hollywood Studios guests will lose one major Fantasmic! perk in just over two months.
Disney’s Latest Updates From SXSW
“Getting to know all the little details and getting those right, that’s how we build authenticity into our worlds,” Pixar’s Pete Docter said at the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) conference (via a Disney press release). “It really has to feel real because that’s what allows you to believe in the story.”
Docter was there alongside Walt Disney Imagineering to discuss the upcoming additions to Disney’s theme parks, most notably, the inclusion of Pixar favorites Monsters, Inc. and Cars to the Walt Disney World Resort.
Imagineer Michael Hundgen discussed the two new Pixar projects in the works for the Central Florida resort, starting with the first-of-its-kind attraction that takes guests through the door vault in Disney’s Monsters, Inc.-inspired land at Hollywood Studios.
“We have never done anything like this before,” Hundgen told audiences at SXSW. “It’s Disney’s first suspended coaster, it’s our first vertical lift. We’re designing this experience to be as memorable and as fun as the film itself.”
The Monsters, Inc. addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios was announced during last year’s D23 Expo, along with further updates to Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The former will gain the Cars franchise, replacing beloved attractions in the Frontierland part of the theme park, while the latter will see DinoLand U.S.A. erased and taken over by the Tropical Americas, featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones.
On the Monsters, Inc. coaster–which will be based on the iconic door sequence in the final act of the movie–Disney Experiences shared the concept behind this exciting new attraction.
“Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself,” Disney Parks Blog explained in August 2024.
“You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (AKA Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door!”
In the months that followed the flurry of D23 announcements, Disney confirmed that parts of Hollywood Studios, including locations like Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo, will close on June 7, 2025. The Mouse House also shared that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith would be getting rid of its rock band premise in favor of the Muppets.
So, how does the end of the Grand Avenue as guests know it affect the popular nighttime show, Fantasmic!? Well, part of the Fantasmic! experience at Disney World can be enhanced by booking a Fantasmic! Dining Package at select restaurants at Hollywood Studios.
The restaurants include: 50’s Prime Time Cafe, Hollywood & Vine, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, The Hollywood Brown Derby, and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.
“An entrée and dessert at select full-service restaurants or one (1) full buffet (where applicable), along with a nonalcoholic beverage (or alcoholic beverage, for Guests 21 and older),” the official Walt Disney World Resort website reads. “One voucher for guaranteed seating at Fantasmic! in a reserved area.”
However, being located in the Grand Avenue, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano is set to close on May 10, 2025, meaning it will no longer be able to be booked as a dining option for the Fantasmic! package. That, teamed with the probability of non-Fantasmic! guests also booking the location to enjoy it before it closes, means the demand for the other four locations may increase.
In the coming months, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will also debut two new entertainment experiences: Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, which replaces Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, and The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure. They will begin performances in summer 2025.
How do you feel about losing this Fantasmic! perk at Walt Disney World Resort? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!