Disney World Finally Removes Longstanding Toy Story Land Fixture After 4 Years

For years, it became one of those things guests stopped questioning. You’d walk into Toy Story Land, grab a bite at Woody’s Lunch Box, and there it was—still sitting in plain view, still unfinished, still part of the landscape long after it should have been gone.

Now, after more than four years, Walt Disney World is finally starting to remove it.

According to reports first shared by WDWNT, scrim covering one of the support columns for the expanded shade structures at Woody’s Lunch Box has officially been taken down, offering guests their first real look at part of the completed design.

It’s a small update on the surface—but for frequent visitors, it represents the end of one of the slowest-moving projects inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

A Project That Never Seemed to End

When Toy Story Land first opened in 2018, it didn’t take long for guests to notice a major issue: there simply wasn’t enough shade. Florida heat doesn’t take days off, and this land—designed to feel like Andy’s backyard—offered very little protection from the sun.

Disney’s solution came in early 2022, when construction began on new roof structures to expand covered seating at Woody’s Lunch Box.

At the time, it felt like a quick fix.

Instead, it turned into a years-long process that tested guest patience.

Progress moved slowly. Sections opened in phases. And throughout it all, scrim-covered supports became a permanent fixture in the area, blending into the background simply because they were always there.

Why This Change Matters More Than It Seems

Removing scrim from a single column might not sound like a big deal, but in a park built on immersive storytelling, details matter.

Toy Story Land thrives on visual consistency. Everything is oversized, colorful, and designed to make guests feel like toys themselves. When construction elements linger for years, they interrupt that experience in a way that’s hard to ignore.

Now that one of those columns has been revealed, guests can finally see part of the finished theming—a stylized beam designed to look like a closed box of dominoes, complete with added detailing.

It’s exactly the kind of touch Disney is known for, and it’s something guests have been waiting to fully experience.

Slow Progress, But Real Movement

This isn’t the first milestone for the project, but it may be one of the most noticeable.

The first portion of the new shade structure didn’t open until April 2025—more than three years after construction began. Even then, parts of the area remained incomplete, with visible scrim still covering structural elements.

By late May 2025, the front half of the expanded seating area was accessible, but the unfinished supports remained.

Now, nearly a year later, Disney is finally starting to peel back those last visible layers.

Not Completely Finished Just Yet

While this update is a clear step forward, the project isn’t fully complete.

At least one column remains covered, meaning the transformation of the area is still ongoing. Guests visiting now will notice progress, but they’ll also see that the job isn’t entirely done.

Still, the pace has clearly shifted.

After years of incremental updates, Disney appears to be moving toward wrapping up the project for good.

A Bigger Pattern Across the Park

This change also reflects something larger happening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The park is evolving quickly. Attractions are being reworked, new experiences are taking shape, and smaller upgrades—like this one—are finally being completed after long delays.

While major announcements often grab attention, it’s these quieter updates that shape the day-to-day guest experience.

Seating, shade, and flow all matter. And for a land as busy as Toy Story Land, those elements can make or break a visit.

The Finish Line Is Finally in Sight

For longtime visitors, this moment feels overdue.

What started as a simple improvement stretched into a four-year process that became part of the land’s identity. But now, with scrim finally being removed, it’s clear that Disney is closing in on the finish line.

And once the final pieces are revealed, Toy Story Land will finally feel complete in a way it hasn’t since opening day.

Sometimes, the smallest changes are the ones guests notice the most—especially when they’ve been waiting years to see them happen.