More than a month after the Muppets Courtyard area was closed to guests, we’ve got a unique vantage point of the work taking place thanks to Bioreconstruct. The ever-present aerial photographer took to the skies over Walt Disney World recently, and the latest photos include a look at the current status of the demolition of Muppets Courtyard. We also spotted some early work on the Monsters Inc. door vault roller coaster coming to an expanded area just behind the Muppets Courtyard footprint. Let’s take a closer look!
Aerial Photos of Muppets Courtyard Demolition
A little over two weeks ago, we brought you a first look at the demolition taking place within Muppets Courtyard, including the removal of the Miss Piggy fountain. Now, a unique vantage point from hundreds of feet in the air shows the current status of the demolition work as Walt Disney World transforms Muppets Courtyard into a Monsters Inc.-themed area.
As you can see in the photos below, bricks that previously made up a majority of the Muppets Courtyard plaza have been removed. The work appears to be rather careful, ensuring that the pavement isn’t damaged to the point where it needs to be replaced. As seen in updated concept art, this area will remain similar to how it stands today. Of course, there will be all-new Monsters Inc. set dressing, but the walkway and even fountain placement will remain the same.
A closer look at the work shows that while the “upper” level of the plaza will be somewhat preserved, the lower level of the plaza is undergoing demolition. In fact, the large building seen in the upper right-hand side of the photo below will be completely demolished. Disney will replace the building with a small park area, opening up this corner of Hollywood Studios a bit and giving guests some room to walk to and from the all-new expanded area where the door vault roller coaster will sit. More on that in just a second.
Moving along, we now turn our attention to the expanded area where the door vault roller coaster will sit. This ride will expand the footprint of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, taking over a portion of the Cast Member parking lot behind the Muppets Courtyard area.
In the photo below, you can see the massive 10-acre construction site where Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster will sit. BlogMickey.com broke the news of the size and location of the building that will house the roller coaster a couple of weeks ago. According to our calculations, the roller coaster building will be one of the largest attraction buildings on Walt Disney World property – even larger than the nearby Rise of the Resistance attraction show building seen in the aerial photo below.
While Walt Disney World/Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has since hidden the show building details, a closer look at this aerial photo actually appears to show the outline of the planned structure. Yellow tape appears to mark the building footprint.
In addition to the building footprint, we can see that crews have started to demolish the parking lot pavement as they establish the expanded plot that the roller coaster will sit on. As you’d imagine, the plot is slightly bigger than the planned roller coaster building. In fact, this initial work should give us a good idea of what will be left of the Cast Member parking lot when the work is completed.
Here’s a closer look at the faint building outline, followed by an illustrated version of the aerial photo showing the planned building footprint.
For more on the upcoming Monsters Inc. Land, including the latest news, photos, and info, check out our dedicated page for the project below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
