Part of our Disneyland Resort Pocket Guides series, your home base for every land, one guide at a time.
Hollywood Land is Disney California Adventure’s golden-age-of-cinema corner, art deco storefronts, a genuine Hollywood Boulevard energy, and the Disney Animation Building anchoring the whole street. It’s also a land in the middle of a real countdown clock, more on that below, so if there’s a version of this land you’ve been meaning to experience, this is a good year to actually do it.
The Big Story: Monsters, Inc. Is Staying Open Longer Than Planned
Here’s the headline update worth knowing before anything else: Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! was originally set to close permanently in early 2026 to make way for a new Pandora – World of Avatar land, inspired by the Avatar film sequels rather than the existing Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney has since delayed that closure, and the ride will remain open through 2027. Resort leadership pointed to a focus on younger families as part of the reasoning, this ride is one of the more accessible, gentle attractions at DCA, and keeping it around a bit longer gives families with small kids one less thing to lose right away while the resort works through years of expansion.
That said, the writing’s on the wall. Demolition permits covering the Monsters, Inc. show building, along with the nearby Hollywood Lounge dining spot, were already filed with the City of Anaheim back in April 2026. The ride isn’t closing today, but it is closing, sometime in 2027, so if this one matters to your family, don’t put off riding it indefinitely.
Worth knowing too: this Avatar-land expansion is part of the same broader DisneylandForward construction plan that’s already changing the resort’s eastern side. We’ve covered the first visible phase of that separately, read our full breakdown of the new Eastern Gateway here. That project is centered on new parking and a pedestrian bridge rather than Hollywood Land itself right now, so it’s not yet physically affecting this corner of the park, but it’s the first domino in a sequence that eventually leads here.
Rides and Attractions
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Best for: families with younger kids, and a genuine must-do before its 2027 closure.
A gentle, story-driven dark ride following Mike and Sulley as they try to get Boo safely home, funny, a little chaotic, and genuinely one of the more accessible rides at the whole resort. It’s been a park staple since 2006, when it replaced the poorly-received Superstar Limo. Given the confirmed 2027 closure, we’d treat this as a real priority rather than something to skip on a return trip.
Disney Animation Building
Not one single attraction, but a building full of them, worth budgeting real time for.
Animation Academy puts a real Disney animator in front of you to teach a simple, step-by-step drawing of a Disney character, paper and pencils provided, and it’s genuinely fun for both kids and adults. Sorcerer’s Workshop offers a handful of interactive exhibits themed to Disney animation history. Turtle Talk With Crush is a real-time, interactive conversation with an animated Crush from Finding Nemo, genuinely clever technology and a great one for kids who like being called on. Courtyard Gallery is the quiet option, padded benches, ambient screens playing concept art and animated scenes, a good spot to just sit and cool off.
Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome
Best for: Frozen fans, a dedicated meet-and-greet with the two sisters.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Disney Junior Dance Party
Both current stage/theater experiences in this land, worth checking the Disneyland app for current showtimes since scheduling varies.
Hyperion Theater
Worth knowing about even though there’s no ongoing show here as of this writing. This 2,000-seat theater has hosted a genuine run of Broadway-caliber Disney productions over the years, Steps in Time, Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, Frozen – Live at the Hyperion, and a limited engagement of Rogers: The Musical in 2023. Nothing has replaced that last show yet, so check the app before building your day around catching something here.
Where to Eat
Award Wieners
Hot dogs and sausages along Hollywood Blvd, a solid quick-service option.
Schmoozies!
Smoothies, a good stop on a hot day.
Fairfax Market
Grab-and-go snacks.
Studio Catering Co.
Another quick-service option along the street.
Hollywood Lounge
Worth knowing this one’s also on the list for closure alongside Monsters, Inc., demolition permits for both were filed together in April 2026. Enjoy it while it’s still here.
Shopping in Hollywood Land
Off the Page
Disney animation cels, books, posters, collectible figures, and artwork, a genuinely good stop if you’re into the artistic side of Disney rather than just character merchandise.
The Studio Store
Merchandise here rotates with park events, expect different inventory during Food & Wine Festival, movie preview promotions, and other seasonal moments.
Gone Hollywood
General apparel and accessories along the street.
Photo Spots: PhotoPass and DIY
Disney PhotoPass photographers are typically stationed near the Monsters, Inc. entrance and along Hollywood Blvd. Check the Disneyland app’s PhotoPass map for exact current placement.
For DIY shots, the Hyperion Theater’s grand facade is worth its own photo, it’s modeled after the real Los Angeles Theatre on LA’s historic Broadway theater district, and it reads as genuinely cinematic even with no show currently running inside. The art deco storefronts lining Hollywood Blvd and the fictionalized Hollywood Boulevard/Sunset Boulevard street corner where the theater sits are both good backdrops if you want a shot that captures the land’s overall golden-age aesthetic rather than one specific landmark.
Restrooms
Restrooms are located at the end of Hollywood Blvd, to the left of the Hyperion Theatre.
A Quick FAQ
Is Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue closing soon? Not immediately, it was originally slated to close in early 2026 but has been confirmed to stay open through 2027 to make way for a new Pandora – World of Avatar land. Demolition permits have already been filed, so treat 2027 as a real deadline, not a rumor.
What’s replacing Monsters, Inc. when it does close? A new Pandora – World of Avatar land, inspired by the Avatar film sequels rather than the existing Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida. Few concrete ride details have been shared publicly as of this writing.
Is the Hollywood Lounge closing too? Yes, demolition permits for the Hollywood Lounge were filed alongside the ones for Monsters, Inc. in April 2026, both are part of the same construction footprint.
Is there a current show at the Hyperion Theater? Not as of this writing. The theater’s last production, Rogers: The Musical, was a limited 2023 engagement. Nothing has been announced to replace it, check the Disneyland app for the current entertainment schedule before planning around it.
Does this land connect to the DisneylandForward construction happening elsewhere in the resort? Yes, indirectly. The eventual Avatar land here is part of the same broader DisneylandForward plan whose first physical phase, new parking and a pedestrian bridge on the resort’s east side, we’ve covered separately. That phase isn’t touching Hollywood Land directly yet, but it’s the first step in a sequence that leads here.
Explore More
Hollywood Land connects directly to Avengers Campus, sharing one of that land’s two entrances. Read our full Avengers Campus guide here, and for the bigger picture on the construction eventually reaching this corner of the park, our full Eastern Gateway breakdown here.
This post is part of our full Disneyland Resort Pocket Guides series, your home base for every land, one guide at a time.
Want the whole trip planned out, not just this one land? The Magic Made Easy Guide covers everything from rope drop to dining reservations in one place. And if you’d rather talk it through, we offer 1:1 Coaching, 60 minutes, just the two of us, mapping out your trip together.