More changes are coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park, including the replacement of Star Wars: Launch Bay in favor of a new attraction dubbed The Magic of Disney Animation.
There's also a giant sorcerer's hat in the works again. And company-supplied renderings indicate the removal of the archway that currently is the entrance to the area.
The park's Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into a version of the real-life Walt Disney Studios.
In the main building, "You will interact with and explore silly takes on the iconic Disney Animation headquarters, including the many different studio departments. Only this time, some of our favorite pals have taken over to create the fun adventures," reads a post on the official Disney Parks Blog.
Inspiration for the area comes from the short film "Once Upon a Studio," in which characters came to life after the animators stepped away.
Also included will be a "Drawn to Wonderland" indoor playground inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair's "Alice in Wonderland" concept, character sketching lessons and meet-and-greets.
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The animation building will be fronted by a tall Mickey's sorcerer hat (a la "Fantasia") over its entrance. Disney mentions that the facade will be "just like the real building in California," but WDW aficionados will remember a 122-foot giant sorcerer hat installed at Hollywood Studios that stood in front of the Chinese Theater building from 2001 through early 2015.
Other plans for the area appear to include a re-landscaping that adds "lush trees" to the courtyard.
Changes coming to the animation area include a new sorcerer hat and landscaping. Gone: the formidable archway and Star Wars: Launch Bay activities. (Walt Disney Co.) The changes are also a throwback to the earliest days of the theme park, which opened as Disney-MGM Studios in 1989. The company opened an on-site branch of Walt Disney Animation, and park visitors could peer at actual, real-life animators at work. The films "Mulan" and "Lilo & Stitch" were completed there, but the work was discontinued at the park in 2004.
The last day for the current version of Animation Courtyard and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! will be Sept. 24. Visitors will still have access to "The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure" show and Walt Disney Presents.
The new animation activities are expected to debut in 2026, Disney says.
The park has other construction projects underway. MuppetVision 3-D and a restaurant recently closed to make room for a land inspired by "Monsters, Inc.," and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will be reimagined to incorporate a Muppet theme. Hollywood Studios also recently added a stage show named "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After."
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Originally Published: July 22, 2025 at 11:27 AM EDT
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