Disney Just Confirmed That Controversial Park Is Never Going Back to What It Was
Walt Disney Imagineering just filed two new permits for Hollywood Studios, confirming that the park’s most dramatic transformation in decades is moving forward on schedule. The permits cover signage installation in the former Animation Courtyard area, targeting a phased summer opening for what will become one of the park’s most distinctive new experiences.
Combined with simultaneous construction happening across multiple areas, these permit filings confirm that Hollywood Studios guests returning this summer will find a park that looks fundamentally different from anything they’ve visited before.
What the Disney Permits Cover
Both permits list Design Communications as the contractor with scope of work described as “install signage.” They cover two separate addresses within the former Animation Courtyard footprint.
The first permit is for the building currently housing The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure. That show continues after the transformation, but the building gets renamed “Studio Theater.” The permit likely covers new entrance lettering for the renamed building.
The second permit covers the address where the Animation Courtyard archway stood before its October 2025 demolition. Based on released concept art, this permit likely covers installation of a “The Walt Disney Studios” sign establishing the area’s new thematic identity connecting to the real Burbank studio lot.
The Animation Courtyard Transformation
Animation Courtyard closed permanently on September 25, 2025, and the reimagined space draws inspiration from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. When complete, the former Star Wars Launch Bay will become The Magic of Disney Animation, featuring interactive animation workshops, a short film presentation, character meet and greets, and an indoor play area for younger guests.
The return of the Sorcerer Mickey hat is the most talked-about element. The iconic structure that once defined Hollywood Studios’ skyline is returning at the Magic of Disney Animation entrance, giving the park a recognizable landmark that longtime fans have missed since its removal.
Aerial construction photos show meaningful progress with new hardscape and mature trees already installed. The Disney Jr. show is expected to open first, potentially in early summer. Work on the Magic of Disney Animation entrance is also underway as crews prepare to install the Sorcerer Mickey hat.
Everything Else Changing
The Animation Courtyard work is just one piece of Hollywood Studios’ simultaneous transformation.
Grand Avenue, including Muppet*Vision 3D and Mama Melrose’s, closed earlier in 2025 to make way for Monstropolis, an upcoming land inspired by Pixar’s Monsters Inc. A suspended roller coaster themed to the door vault sequence will anchor the new land. A construction crane for that coaster now stands above the Hollywood Studios skyline, visible from Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and Echo Lake simultaneously.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith takes its final bow on March 1 before receiving a Muppets retheme. The Muppets characters, losing their Muppet*Vision 3D home, are essentially relocating to this attraction, preserving the beloved characters in an updated experience.
The Bigger Disney World Picture
Hollywood Studios isn’t transforming in isolation. Multiple Disney World parks are undergoing major simultaneous construction, representing the largest expansion period the resort has seen in generations.
Magic Kingdom is moving forward with what Disney describes as its largest expansion ever, including Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park and a Beyond Big Thunder project featuring Disney Villains.
Animal Kingdom permanently closed DinoLand U.S.A., and construction is underway on Tropical Americas, featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones experiences scheduled for 2027.
Disney Experiences Chairman and incoming CEO Josh D’Amaro declared during D23 Expo 2024 that dirt was moving across the resort. By early 2026, that statement barely captures what’s actually happening.
What Summer Looks Like
The signage permits signal that the summer timeline for Animation Courtyard’s phased opening is realistic rather than aspirational. Permanent signage installation typically occurs when projects are approaching guest-facing completion rather than still in early construction.
Guests visiting Hollywood Studios this summer should expect a phased opening, with the Disney Jr. show likely becoming accessible before The Magic of Disney Animation is fully operational. Even when both are open, additional finishing touches will continue throughout the year.
What This Means for Your Disney Visit
Guests planning Hollywood Studios visits in 2026 should expect significant construction presence alongside exciting new experiences opening throughout the year. Construction walls currently surround multiple areas, and the Monstropolis crane dominates the skyline.
The park that exists today barely resembles Hollywood Studios as it did 18 months ago. Between Animation Courtyard’s transformation, Monstropolis construction, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster transition, and Grand Avenue’s complete removal, Hollywood Studios is essentially being rebuilt around guests in real time.
These two signage permits are small details confirming that, despite the scale of simultaneous construction, individual projects are hitting milestones and moving toward summer openings that will permanently redefine what Hollywood Studios offers. The transformation is nowhere near finished, and the best changes are still coming.
