Latest Monstropolis Aerials: Entry Gateway, Fountain, and Flying Door Coaster Track

New aerial photos of Monstropolis show the land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios moving from dirt and foundations into something you can start to picture. The entry gateway is up, brick paving is going into the plaza, a fountain foundation has appeared, and the steel for the Flying Door coaster building keeps climbing. Even better for coaster fans, track sections are now sitting on trucks at a staging area near EPCOT.

The latest aerials come from @bioreconstruct on X, who has been tracking the project from above for months. Here’s what they show.

Quick Summary

• Entry gateway columns for Monstropolis are in place, and brick pavers are being laid in the plaza.
• An octagonal concrete fountain foundation and its formwork are visible near the center of the land.
• An L-shaped structure is taking shape in the area tied to Harryhausen’s Restaurant.
• Steel framework for the Flying Door coaster building continues to rise.
• Coaster track sections are staged on flatbed trucks at an off-site area visible from the Skyliner near EPCOT.
• Monstropolis opens in phases starting in 2027, and the coaster is not part of the first phase.

The Entry Gateway and Plaza Are Taking Shape

The biggest visual change is at the front of the land. The columns for the Monstropolis entry gateway are now standing, which gives the first real sense of where guests will walk in. Behind them, crews are laying brick pavers across the plaza.

Paving is one of those details that tells you a project has moved past the heavy-structure phase in at least one area. You don’t lay finished brickwork where cranes and concrete trucks still need to drive over it every day. That doesn’t mean the plaza is close to done, but it’s a sign this part of the land is getting its surface treatment.

A Fountain Is Coming

Near the middle of the site, an octagonal concrete foundation with formwork around it looks like the base of a fountain. Disney hasn’t released detailed renderings of this exact spot, so we don’t know yet how it will be themed. An eight-sided centerpiece in a central plaza would fit the city-square feel the land is going for, though, and it would give guests an obvious meeting point.

Harryhausen’s Restaurant Area

In the area connected to Harryhausen’s Restaurant, an L-shaped structure is forming, with foundation walls and concrete footings visible in the photos. We covered the Harryhausen’s Restaurant permit recently, which pointed to theming work for the sushi spot. These aerials show the physical structure going up around it.

Harryhausen’s is the restaurant from Monsters, Inc. where Mike takes Celia on their date before Boo shows up and everything goes wrong. Bringing it to life is one of the more fun pieces of the land for fans of the film.

Flying Door Coaster Building Keeps Rising

The largest structure on site is the show building for the Flying Door coaster. Steel framework continues to go up, and the aerials give a clear look at how big this building will be compared to the rest of the land.

The coaster is being built by Vekoma and will be Disney’s first suspended coaster, with riders hanging below the track as they fly through the door vault from the film. We’ve been following the Flying Door coaster track as it moves toward installation. A large enclosed building suggests a lot of the ride will take place indoors, which matches the door-vault concept.

Coaster Track Is on the Trucks

One of the most interesting details isn’t on the Monstropolis site at all. Coaster track sections have been spotted on flatbed trucks at an off-site staging area, visible from the Skyliner near EPCOT. Disney often stages large ride components away from the build site until crews are ready to install them.

Seeing track on trucks doesn’t tell us when installation will start, but it does mean the pieces have arrived in Florida. Once the steel structure is far enough along, those sections will make the short trip to Hollywood Studios.

When Does Monstropolis Open?

Disney has said Monstropolis will open in phases starting in 2027. Based on the D23 information, the Flying Door coaster is not part of the first phase. That means the land could start welcoming guests before its headline attraction is ready.

Other pieces we’ve covered include the Monstropolis playground permit, which points to a new play area for younger guests. That kind of smaller attraction is a good candidate for an earlier phase, though Disney hasn’t said which elements open first.

What This Means for Your Trip

If you’re visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the coming months, construction walls will remain in the area that was once part of the Muppets and Grand Avenue section of the park. A few tips:

• Don’t expect to see much from the ground. Most of what’s in these photos is hidden behind walls. Aerials are the best way to follow progress.
• Look out the Skyliner window. If you ride the Skyliner between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, keep an eye out for the staging area where the coaster track was spotted.
• Plan for phased openings. If you’re booking a 2027 trip specifically for Monstropolis, know that the coaster may open later than the rest of the land.

The Bottom Line

Monstropolis is clearly picking up speed. The entry gateway, plaza paving, fountain foundation, and the rising coaster building all show a land moving from groundwork toward real structures, and the arrival of Flying Door coaster track is a milestone worth noting. Disney still hasn’t given exact opening dates for each phase, and the coaster won’t be in the first one, so don’t lock in plans around it yet. We’ll keep tracking the progress as new photos come in.

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