Mike, Sulley and the other scare factory workers will avoid eviction a little longer than expected as Disneyland gives the Monsters Inc. dark ride a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball that will eventually pave the way for a new Avatar themed land at Disney California Adventure.
The Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue dark ride in DCA’s Hollywood Land will remain open until 2027 after facing an early 2026 closing date that has now been extended by more than a year, Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum said during a press briefing.
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The Monsters Inc. dark ride will remain open as Disneyland begins work in early 2026 to transform an underused portion of DCA’s Hollywood Backlot area into the new Avatar themed land.
The delay in closing Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will have no impact on the construction timeline for the new Avatar themed land, Mazloum said.
Disneyland’s project management team found a way to sequence construction of the two new Avengers Campus attractions, the new Coco boat ride and the Avatar themed land without having to close the Monsters Inc. ride when initially planned or impacting the timeline for the new attractions.
Walt Disney Imagineering remains in the early stages of development on the Avatar project which is not expected to debut until 2028 or 2029.
DCA’s new Avatar themed land will be based on the second film “The Way of Water” from 2022, the third film “Fire and Ash” that debuted in December and other upcoming movies in the franchise.
Concept art for the Avatar land shows visitors wandering through the water-centric land dominated by a towering ribbed rockwork wall with a cascading waterfall and cave-like tunnels.
An innovative boat ride will take riders on a journey through a Pandoran rainforest glowing in luminescent blues, greens and purples.
The Avatar project will push out into the existing Disneyland bus drop off/pick up area. Walt Disney Imagineering is working on the way the Disneyland Monorail will interact with Disney California Adventure.
DCA’s new Avatar themed land is expected to rival the detail and scope of the Pandora — World of Avatar themed land that debuted in 2017 at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida.
Allowing young families to enjoy Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue as long as possible will enhance the harmony and balance of the guest experience, according to Mazloum.