Welp, another day — another Disney World closure. Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now officially closed, as is almost everything located within it.
Animation Courtyard
Animation Courtyard is closing to make way for Walt Disney Studios. This new area is expected to open in 2026 and will serve as a special tribute to the Walt Disney Studios lot in California. Now that Animation Courtyard has closed, we’re bringing you a look at all the changes you need to see!
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. But here, Disney Animation characters will “leap off the screen and into our world.” The new land will retain two of Animation Courtyard’s signature attractions while introducing brand-new experiences inspired by beloved Disney characters, as well as the “Once Upon a Studio” short film!
©Disney
We stopped by Animation Courtyard on the first day of its closure to see what had changed, and weren’t surprised at all to see the classic Disney construction walls and bushes surrounding the area.
Lots of walls and bushes
You’re still able to go around the walls if you walk all the way to the left. While you still can’t get into the actual Animation Courtyard area, Disney has kept The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure open during construction, so they’ve created a pathway to get to the entrance of that attraction.
Additional construction walls
We also spotted some changes in the My Disney Experience app. The entire Animation Courtyard has been replaced with trees.
©Disney
For reference, this is what the map used to look like:
©Disney
In addition, the Darth Vader character meet-and-greet that was located inside Star Wars: Launch Bay has now moved over to Star Tours. He is now meeting in an area in the ride queue. To meet Darth Vader, you’ll go past the entrance to Star Tours and look for the CM in blue near Tatooine Traders. There, you can enter the queue. It’s very inconspicuous, but the wait is in the shade, so that’s nice.
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As part of these changes, Star Wars Launch Bay will be turned into The Magic of Disney Animation. This attraction will have you interacting and exploring with this fun take on Disney Animation headquarters.
©Disney
Just like its namesake building, The Magic of Disney Animation will feature Mickey’s famous Sorcerer Hat on top (which serves as a double nod to the Sorcerer’s Hat that used to stand in front of the Chinese Theater in the park). Disney says it will “cast a spell with pixie dust.” And once you go under it to step inside, you’ll be able to interact and explore this fun take on the Disney Animation headquarters, including the different studio departments. But in this version of the iconic HQ? “Some of our favorite pals have taken over to create the fun adventures.”
©Disney
This area will also feature a new Drawn to Wonderland indoor play area inspired by Mary Blair, and the current Disney Jr. Play and Dance! show will be getting a makeover.
©Disney
We’ll be on the lookout for even more updates about Walt Disney Studios and The Magic of Disney Animation at Hollywood Studios. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest news and more!
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It’s almost like they don’t really know what to do with that area of the park. This would be a great location for another great ride…Marvel maybe?
@Kornel can’t do marvel due to the contract with Universal. But I always thought it would be a good place for a Toontown, given you can still find Roger Rabbit references in the park.