Disney Is Putting the Finishing Touches on Something Big at Hollywood Studios Right Now
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been hiding something behind construction walls for months, and the finishing details now appearing on the exterior of that blocked-off area are the clearest signal yet that whatever is coming is almost ready. The former Animation Courtyard is being transformed into the Walt Disney Studios Lot, and the pace of visible progress happening right now suggests the project is in its final stages rather than its middle ones.
The Disney Billboard Getting Painted
Crews have been adding details to the retro Walt Disney Studios billboard, which is taking shape on the theater’s exterior, which will be renamed the Studio Theater as part of the reimagined area. The billboard design features Walt Disney Studios, Mickey Mouse, and Silly Symphony Sound Cartoons, and is pulled directly from the original Hyperion Studio era of Disney animation, when production took place from 1926 to 1940. The most recent update shows the letters for studios, Mickey Mouse, and sound cartoons all filled in alongside the music staff now painted onto the design. Comparing the current state to where it was just days ago shows visible progress, pointing toward a surface-finishing phase rather than foundational construction.
More Details Added to Walt Disney Studios Billboard on ‘The Little Mermaid’ Theaterhttps://t.co/Ccev7XQ7fe
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) April 24, 2026
The wall where this billboard is taking shape previously held an advertisement for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which was removed before the current show opened. The retro Disney Studios design replaces it with something that serves the broader thematic identity of the new area rather than promoting a single attraction.
The Sorcerer’s Hat Is Already Back
The billboard is not the only significant development at this corner of Hollywood Studios in recent weeks. Disney installed the Sorcerer’s Hat atop the entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation earlier this month, marking the return of an icon that had been absent from the park since January 2015. The original hat stood on Hollywood Boulevard from 2001 until its removal eleven years ago, and its absence sparked ongoing fan discussion that has never fully resolved itself since. The new version sits above the entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation rather than on Hollywood Boulevard, but its return gives the new area an immediate, recognizable visual anchor.
The facade of The Magic of Disney Animation is designed to resemble the actual Disney Animation headquarters in Burbank, California, creating a connection between the Hollywood Studios experience and the real-world studio campus that inspired the entire transformation.
What Is Opening and When at Disney
Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! opens on May 26, making it the first new experience in the reimagined area to welcome guests. The Magic of Disney Animation will follow at a later date this summer. Inside that experience, guests will meet characters, learn to draw with Olaf through a digital format, and explore an Alice in Wonderland-themed playground. The reimagined courtyard will also feature more green space and pavement incorporating character autographs and handprints. The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure continues performing as normal inside the theater, which will be renamed the Studio Theater.
Why This Disney Update Matters
When a major Disney transformation is in its early phases, the changes are structural and invisible to anyone walking past the construction walls. When those same walls start showing finished theming details being painted in stages, facades with recognizable design elements, and icons going up overnight, the project is approaching completion. The billboard at the Studio Theater is getting its letters filled in. The Sorcerer’s Hat is already up. The first new experience opens May 26. The Walt Disney Studios Lot at Hollywood Studios is almost here, and what is visible right now is the final stretch of a months-long transformation that is about to open its doors.
