There are only a couple of days left in 2025, which has been a big year for the theme park industry, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still time for big changes at your favorite theme parks. This year has been a huge one for the beginning of change at Walt Disney World, specifically. We’ve said goodbye to the Rivers of America and farewell to most of Dinoland U.S.A. Now, we must say goodbye to the true icon of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the PizzeRizzo sign.
However, I don't think we should worry too much about this development yet.
The PizzeRizzo Sign Is Gone
Grand Avenue, otherwise known as the Muppet Courtyard, closed earlier this year to make way for a new land dedicated to Monsters Inc. This meant that the fan favorite Muppet*Vision 3D has seen its last show, and that surprisingly popular eatery PizzeRizzo’s had served its last rat pizza. However, the massive sign advertising said rat pizza had still been visible over construction walls, reminding us of simpler times.
Unfortunately, as captured in pictures from BlogMickey, the PizzeRizzo sign was removed overnight, as it wasn’t visible when visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios this morning. For many, this is the end of an era. However, I’m not fully convinced that we’ve said goodbye forever, at least not entirely.
The New Monsters Inc. Land Is Just Going To Get A Rethemed Pizza Place, Right?
PizzeRizzo is gone, but the reason people loved PizzeRizzo isn’t only because they loved the iconic rat Muppet. That’s certainly part of it, but people also liked… you know, the food, and the general atmosphere of the place, and I’m not sure that part of it will be gone forever.
We don’t know officially what will replace the PizzeRizzo location, but it could easily turn into another quick-service dining location of some sort. I’d wager that Disney World will keep it as a pizza place, if only because the infrastructure for making that food already exists, pizza is a fairly popular theme park food, and there really isn’t any place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to get it with PizzeRizzo gone.
There are other possibilities, of course. Harryhausen's is a Japanese restaurant that features prominently in the first Monsters Inc. movie, so recreating that for the new theme park land would make sense, as it would give people a chance to visit a spot from the film. Don't get me wrong, I love sushi, but unless the park is willing to go high-end, something on par with Shiki-Sai at Epcot, then the idea of theme park sushi becomes...less than appetizing.
I’d expect that when the new Monsters Inc. land opens, it will do so with a Monsters Inc. themed pizza place where everything but the theme is essentially what we had before. Will it be exactly the same? No, some people will still miss PizzeRizzo just because, but for those who miss the pizza, I think there’s a chance it will be back before too long.
