Imagineering Uses VR to Preview ‘Welcome to Monstropolis’ at Hollywood Studios

Before a single wall goes up, Imagineers are already sitting in the audience. Walt Disney Imagineering has shared a behind-the-scenes video showing how it uses virtual and augmented reality to preview new attractions, and the star of the video is Welcome to Monstropolis, the new Monsters, Inc. show coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2027.

The video gives a rare look at how a show is tested in a headset long before guests ever see it. Imagineers can stand in the middle of a scene, check every sight line, and make changes before anything is built in the field.

Here’s how the Welcome to Monstropolis VR preview works, what we know about the show, and how it fits into the new Monstropolis land.

Quick Summary

• Walt Disney Imagineering shared a video showing how it previews attractions in virtual and augmented reality
• The video focuses on Welcome to Monstropolis, the new show coming to Hollywood Studios in 2027
• Imagineering builds full previsualizations in Unreal Engine, the game engine it uses for this work
• Show set designers, mechanical engineers, ride teams, and programmers all feed into one virtual model
• Imagineers can change their viewing height to check sight lines for kids and tall guests
• Welcome to Monstropolis replaces MuppetVision 3D in the Glob Theater

How Imagineering Previews a Show in VR

In the video, Francesca, a Media & Art Pipeline Developer at Imagineering, explains how her team builds full previsualizations of attractions in Unreal Engine.

“The biggest one right now is our show called Welcome to Monstropolis, that is coming to our new land at Hollywood Studios,” she says.

Francesca’s team pulls together work from many groups into one virtual model, including:

• Show set designers
• Show mechanical engineers
• Ride mechanical teams
• Show programmers

“This is the first time, usually, that an attraction is seen in its entirety,” she explains.

Wearing a headset, Imagineers can place themselves in the middle of a show or ride and see lighting, animation, timing, media, and figures all running together. That lets the team make decisions with more confidence before anything is built in the field.

Seeing the Show From Every Guest’s Height

One of the most useful features is the ability to change the viewer’s height in the headset.

The team can check sight lines from a child’s point of view and from the tallest guest’s point of view, then adjust the design so everyone sees what they’re meant to see.

“It gives us the ability to say exactly what is in the guest point of view,” Francesca says.

That’s a big deal for a theater show. Anyone who has watched a show from behind a taller guest knows how much sight lines matter. Testing them in VR before the theater is finished could mean fewer blocked views when the show opens.

Her goal is to get the virtual version as close as possible to the finished product. “I get to be the person that hopefully gets us as close to one to one to what our attraction is going to look like before it’s built.”

Why This Matters for Guests

For park fans, previsualization is mostly invisible, but it shapes the experience in a few important ways:

• Better sight lines. Checking views from different heights helps more guests see the show clearly.
• Fewer surprises. Seeing lighting, timing, and media together early lets Imagineers fix problems before construction.
• Tighter storytelling. When every team’s work is combined in one model, the show is more likely to feel seamless.

It’s also a reminder of how much planning goes into a single attraction. By the time Welcome to Monstropolis opens, Imagineers will have already “watched” it many times.

About Welcome to Monstropolis

Welcome to Monstropolis will play in the Glob Theater, replacing MuppetVision 3D. Here’s what Disney has shared so far:

• Hosts: Mike and Sulley
• The story: Sulley has been working on a small, homespun show, but Mike, ever the showman, has a few surprises up his sleeve
• The music: Disney Legend Randy Newman wrote an original song called “Welcome to Monstropolis,” the first song he has composed specifically for a Disney theme park attraction
• Opening: Part of Monstropolis, which opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting in 2027

For more on the show’s reveal, see our coverage of Monstropolis opening in 2027 with a Randy Newman song, the Glob Theater marquee coming soon, and three new versions of the Glob Theater lobby concept art.

What Else Is in Monstropolis

Welcome to Monstropolis is one piece of the new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios. The land also includes:

• The Monsters Inc Flying Door coaster, Disney’s first suspended coaster
• Harryhausen’s, a table service restaurant
• Archie’s, a quick service location
• The Scareporium shop

We’ve been tracking construction all fall, including the flying door coaster track going in, the latest Monstropolis aerials, and the Monstropolis dining reveal.

The Bottom Line

Imagineering’s new video shows how the Welcome to Monstropolis VR preview lets Imagineers watch the show in Unreal Engine before it’s built, combining sets, mechanics, programming, lighting, and media into one virtual model. They can even check sight lines from a child’s height and from the tallest guest’s height.

Welcome to Monstropolis, hosted by Mike and Sulley with an original Randy Newman song, will replace MuppetVision 3D in the Glob Theater as part of Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting in 2027. We’ll keep sharing updates as the land takes shape.

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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop

I’m a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since ’92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I’ve graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I’m your guy!