Harryhausen’s at Disney’s Hollywood Studios just got a new construction permit, and it starts a one year clock

Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has taken another visible step forward, this time at Harryhausen’s. Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new construction permit for the table-service restaurant planned for the land.

The new Notice of Commencement was filed on October 15, 2026. It authorizes Artistic Entertainment Services to perform general construction at 359 Cypress Drive, the address tied to Harryhausen’s, which was previously Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.

For fans watching the Monsters, Inc.-themed expansion, the filing is the latest formal change connected to the restaurant’s transformation. The permit is set to expire one year after the filing, putting a defined window on this phase of the work.

Artistic Entertainment Services is a company that specializes in scenic fabrication and has worked with Disney and other theme parks. The same firm has also previously been permitted for work on Project Fedora, a construction project near Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.

Harryhausen’s is expected to be a major themed dining location within Monstropolis. Mama Melrose’s is being fully reworked for the new concept. An X-beam was installed in July for the building’s oversized chopsticks on the exterior.

Inside, the restaurant is expected to include a sushi-slinging octopus animatronic. The menu will also lean into the monster setting, with items including eyeball ramen.

The permit does not announce an opening date, but it does mark another official step in converting the former Mama Melrose’s space into Harryhausen’s as Monstropolis continues to take shape at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.