A brand new area is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios: get ready to step into The Walt Disney Studios when it opens in 2026!
©Disney
In July 2025, Disney announced that the area currently known as Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into The Walt Disney Studios as a “special nod to the legendary Walt Disney Studios Lot” in Burbank, California. We just learned some exciting new details about this spot, so let’s get into it!
Disney previously shared that Walt Disney Studios and The Magic of Disney Animation will be very reminiscent of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at Disney headquarters in Burbank, California. But, Disney also recently shared that it will be a place where people can explore what Disney Animation is really like! We can’t wait to experience this new addition — it feels like part of the old Hollywood (er, MGM) Studios is coming back.
©Disney
The entire Animation Courtyard area will be reimagined into The Walt Disney Studios, which will be themed around the actual Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. It will even include the return of Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat to the park (albeit a smaller version of it). Believe it or not, this part of Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) was once a REAL working movie studio where Disney movies and TV shows were created, like Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, The Tower of Terror film, and more.
©Disney | Roy E. Disney Animation Building
Star Wars Launch Bay will become The Magic of Disney Animation (this is where you’ll see Mickey’s sorcerer’s hat on top of the building). The new building will have a story that it’s a studio where the animators have temporarily stepped away, and the characters have come to life to take over. It will also include an experience where you can learn to draw your own character sketch. Disney shared an updated look at a poster for the attraction, including a NEW character — Robin Williams’ Lost Boy!
In 2026, The Magic of Disney Animation, where kids and kids at heart can laugh, draw, dream, and explore animated new experiences, will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney also shared that NEW changes are coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at this park! For the first time ever, riders will be able to choose their destinations. It will fall to the Engineer on board to choose where to go throughout the journey, where passengers will team up with the Mandalorian, Grogu, and Hondo.
New missions will be added to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu.
We can’t wait to see what else Disney has in store for upcoming changes at Walt Disney World. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!
Learn More About The Walt Disney Studios at Hollywood Studios Here
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Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of upcoming Disney World park changes. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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