Disney's Mama Melrose's Now Closed Ahead of Monsters, Inc. Land Construction

May 11, 2025 in "Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano"

Gallery / 3 Photos
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano Closed

Posted: Sunday May 11, 2025 8:26am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

As of today, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is permanently closed. The long-running table-service restaurant served its final guests on May 10, 2025, as part of the phased transformation of the Grand Avenue area into the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano Closed

Guests visiting the area now will find the restaurant’s windows blacked out and the menu board removed from the exterior. While the location is clearly out of operation, no construction walls have been installed yet, and the entrance area remains accessible to foot traffic.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano Closed

Mama Melrose’s closure marks the first step in a multi-phase project that will eventually see the removal of other Grand Avenue locations, including PizzeRizzo and Muppet*Vision 3D, both of which are scheduled to close at the end of the day on June 7, 2025.

The upcoming Monsters, Inc. land will introduce a reimagined version of the space, including Harryhausen’s Restaurant, a door coaster, and the Monstro Theater.

Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art

More visible construction activity is expected in the coming weeks as Disney prepares the area for redevelopment. For now, Mama Melrose’s joins the list of shuttered Hollywood Studios dining locations as the park moves toward its next major expansion.

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mattpeto5 hours ago

Fairytale Hall has to go. I want a ride back in that space. Disneyland FL around the castle is leaps and bound better.

WaltWiz19015 hours ago

true all that, but I also recall Sotto saying that he sold the OLC on it being based on an existing system (Aquatopia was, as you said, already in development), only to have to modify the system to make it work as a dry indoor ride: The problem was to create a new attraction without R&D. There was not much on the shelf at the time. Frankly, I hated using anything already done so we kind of cheated with the Aquatopia, but it was something in process and at the time. I thought we could just use the guts of the system, but it was guided by lasers that needed a clear line of sight to each car from a central location. You can't do that with physical dark ride sets in the way, so we had to rethink the guidance. Once you do that, the strategy unraveled into a new system. The show was funded and going by then and we were off to the races.

EricsBiscuit8 hours ago

Even this scene is fun because of the dancing ride vehicles. They shift around, more so than even on Ratatouille.

Chi849 hours ago

It would be unusual for a contact between private entities to be made “very public.” I assume the poster was referring to statements made in regard to the attraction.

MisterPenguin9 hours ago

You left out a picture of the boring room in which almost nothing happens! (But aside from that one room, it does look very good over all.)

MisterPenguin9 hours ago

Tokyo's non-IP additions are noteworthy and unique. But it just added a lot of Disney IP in their extended Fantasy land. Now, some of the mechanics are unique, but it is showing OLC bending back to Disney-ana. Several people have asked for that source so far. Does the poster in question have the three of us on /ignore?

Disney Analyst9 hours ago

Heck… tear down the restaurant and “meet and greet”, find a way fit the ride there 😂

EricsBiscuit10 hours ago

They have a massive field behind IASW which is accessible from b/w IASW and the tangled bathrooms and from the BatB village near the restrooms there. Why not both? Take a tour of the Beast’s castle then enjoy dinner there. I don’t think anyone would care after they had ridden the ride. It’s so good.

lazyboy97o10 hours ago

Pooh’s Hunny Hunt was the second attraction developed using the trackless technology even though it opened first. The technology was developed for Aquatopia. Disney didn’t clone the ride because it was the late-90s and the Magic Kingdom already had a smaller, cheaper ride in development. Disneyland would then follow with a true Pressler era special.

WaltWiz190110 hours ago

re: the bolded...not sure if it's a factor in said reason, but I distinctly recall Eddie Sotto saying that the OLC funded (or at least helped fund) the R&D for Hunny Hunt, which they normally don't do. nothing to do with money - in late '90s/early '00s currency, it cost $110 million to build, which they theoretically could still build a ride on the same scale for the inflation-adjusted equivalent of today...if not for their needlessly layered bureaucracy

lazyboy97o10 hours ago

The default position on claims of exclusivity deals should be that such claims are bunk. They’re like the claims that the Big Hat had to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios due to copyright and an expired deals. Or all the unsourced claims of building codes requiring things. The purpose isn’t to provide actual information but a seemingly unreviewable defense of Disney’s actions. Shanghai Disneyland demonstrated the rather uselessness of the exclusivity agreements and it was the big reason for the major set of exclusivity agreements around the three land expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland. By the time Disney actually does all of the work required for even a clone, a five year exclusivity deal is going to be close to over. The relationship between Disney and the OLC Group got pretty rocky because was being cheap in their parks while demanding more of their licensee. OLC felt they were being made to financial Disney’s research and development. Things have been mended but would be hurt by a lot of after-the-fact cloning. That though isn’t due to exclusivity clauses. There’s also the component of Disney, while now spending more, still isn’t interested in spending in the same way.