Timeline changes for ‘Monsters, Inc.’ ride permanently closing for ‘Avatar’ at Disney California Adventure
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will permanently close as Disney California Adventure Park prepares for an upcoming “Avatar” attraction, and the timeline for the closure has now changed.
As of Feb. 20, 2026, Disney says the “Monsters, Inc.” ride will still eventually permanently close, but will “now remain open into 2027,” according to journalist Scott Gustin. Disney had first announced on June 5, 2025, that the ride would close in early 2026 as part of wide-ranging construction projects throughout Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. (more on those in a moment).
Beyond the wide timeframe of 2027, Disney has not announced a specific closing date for the “Monsters, Inc.” ride at this time.
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! is a Fantasyland-style dark ride that first opened at California Adventure’s Hollywood Backlot area in 2006. The attraction tells the story of the 2001 Pixar film using Audio-Animatronics figures.
Enjoy a ride-through of Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! by watching our POV video:
Other attractions in Hollywood Backlot include Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Disney Theater (currently home to “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!”), and the currently empty Hyperion Theater (previously home to “Rogers: The Musical,” “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion,” and “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular.”) Disney has not mention those venues closing.
The real estate Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! occupies will one day in the distant future be home to a new “Avatar” land for California Adventure. Details about the land’s attractions remain unannounced, though Disney has said the area will be based on 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” and 2025’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Elsewhere in California Adventure, Disney is currently expanding Avengers Campus with two new rides and will begin construction this fall on a “Coco” ride near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier.
Meanwhile on the east coast, a “Monsters, Inc.” land will replace Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios near Orlando, Fla.
The official logline for Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! reads:
Venture inside the Monstropolis Transit Terminal and hail a taxi cab for a tour of the town. As your journey begins, an emergency “special report” is unexpectedly broadcast inside your cab — a human child is loose in Monstropolis and must be caught!
Help friendly monsters Mike and Sulley as they race to return little girl Boo safely to her home.
Can she find the way back before it’s too late?
Disneyland Resort
Prior to hosting the current attraction, the Mike & Sulley ride’s building previously housed Superstar Limo, generally regarded as one of the worst attractions in Disney theme park history. Take a look in this video from our friends at MouseSteps.com:
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