Big things are happening in Walt Disney World, but not all of them are popular.
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Over the years, the Disney theme parks, namely the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, have changed dramatically, with all kinds of new rides, attractions, and experiences opening up. Disney is often ahead of the game when it comes to cutting-edge technology and effects, with the company producing some of the world’s most impressive and beloved attractions ever, such as Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Avatar Flight of Passage, and numerous others.
To make way for the new, the old often has to go away, with Disney also being no stranger to shuttering fan-favorite rides and locations. This is a harsh reality of theme parks, though in 2025, Disney is set to embark on one of its most transformative and unprecedented transformations yet.
Most recently, one iconic, yet divisive restaurant closed its doors forever.
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In May 2025, Disney officially closed Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. The Italian restaurant debuted in 1991, just two years after Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then called Disney-MGM Studios) opened its gates. While never ranking high on the food list, Mama Melrose filled one of the many gaps in Disney World’s theme park offerings: slightly fancy Italian cuisine.
Burgers, chicken, and French fries reign supreme at Disney and likely every other theme park across the country, but guests could walk into Mama Melrose’s for some decent Italian food if they desired. This is no longer the case, as the “ristorante” has officially closed its doors forever to make way for the park’s upcoming overhaul.
This overhaul will see the likes of Mike, Sully, and the rest of the crew from Pixar’s Monsters Inc. make their way into Hollywood Studios as part of a large transformation of the park’s Muppets Courtyard area. The closure of Mama Melrose’s marks the beginning of this project, with several other iconic locations set to close soon.
While not the height of pizza-related cuisine, Pizzerizzo has become a fan-favorite among the park-going community. It offers patrons a Muppet-flavored, New York City-themed place to wind down and enjoy a slice (or four) of pizza. The restaurant is actually quite an old part of the park, originally opening as the Toy Story-themed Pizza Planet decades prior. The location will also be closing permanently.
Muppets Courtyard will eventually become Monstropolis, the fictional city seen throughout the original Monsters Inc. film, though it’s unclear what exactly the new land will look and feel like once guests are standing inside it. The land will be headlined by a major “E-ticket” attraction, a suspended roller coaster, which will be a first for Disney World.
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Several other attractions will be littered throughout Monstropolis, though it’s interesting to consider the fact that one of Disney’s most popular theme parks will soon be losing a fast-food pizza shop.
Big changes aren’t just limited to Hollywood Studios, as Disney is also beginning to transform both its Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom parks. Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand is on the chopping block, with half of the prehistoric-themed land closing permanently in January. The other half will close in early 2026, as work begins on transforming the area into a new South America-inspired hub. This new area will be anchored by rides based on Indiana Jones and Encanto.
Magic Kingdom’s Tom Sawyer Island is also on the chopping block. This playground has been a staple of the park for decades, though it’s never been all that popular. Still, the closure of Tom Sawyer Island, as well as Magic Kingdom’s man-made waterways, the Rivers of America, has proven to be very controversial.
This was all announced at Disney’s D23 event in 2024, which was by far the company’s most exciting, action-packed, and divisive yet. More changes are set to occur soon at other Disney parks, though it’s safe to say Walt Disney World has never been on the cusp of something so exciting and divisive.
Will you miss Muppets Courtyard? What new Disney World project are you most excited about?
The post Disney World Axes Classic Restaurant, Fan-Favorite Location Closing Next appeared first on Inside the Magic.
