Disney World Cuts Hollywood Studios Experience by 33% Just Weeks After Opening

Disney World spent months preparing a new experience for Hollywood Studios, but a major operational change is already coming.

The Magic of Disney Animation officially opens September 14 inside the transformed Walt Disney Studios Lot. Guests have already been able to explore the experience during its soft-opening period, with Disney currently keeping the building available from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

That schedule is about to become much shorter.

Starting September 28, The Magic of Disney Animation will operate from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. That cuts its daily operating window from 12 hours to eight, a 33% reduction only two weeks after the official opening.

Disney Makes a Major Cut at Hollywood Studios

The four-hour reduction could make a noticeable difference for guests trying to fit the new experience into an already busy Hollywood Studios day.

Under the current schedule, guests have opportunities to visit throughout the morning, afternoon, and evening. Beginning September 28, the building won’t open until 10 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m.

Disney hasn’t provided a reason for the adjustment.

It’s worth noting that the current 9 a.m.-to-9 p.m. hours cover the soft-opening and debut period. Those hours weren’t necessarily intended to become the permanent schedule.

Still, moving from 12 hours of availability to eight only two weeks after the official debut represents a significant change.

There’s More Than One Experience Inside

The reduced hours matter because The Magic of Disney Animation isn’t simply one attraction.

Olaf Draws allows guests to sketch Disney characters with help from an Audio-Animatronics Olaf and recorded instruction from Disney Animation artists.

Off the Page features character meet-and-greets themed around animation departments, while Drawn to Wonderland gives younger guests a playground inspired by Mary Blair’s concept artwork for Alice in Wonderland (1951).

Guests can also visit the Disney Once Upon a Studio Theater, which presents Once Upon a Studio (2023).

Disney created the experience inside the building that previously housed Star Wars: Launch Bay.

Guests May Need to Change Their Plans

The September 28 change means guests interested in The Magic of Disney Animation may want to visit during the middle of their Hollywood Studios day.

Waiting until evening will no longer work once the 6 p.m. closing time begins.

The change arrives after a lengthy transformation of this part of the park. Animation Courtyard permanently closed in September 2025, while the Walt Disney Studios Lot courtyard opened in May 2026. The Magic of Disney Animation remained closed until this month’s debut.

Disney could adjust the schedule again in the future, but no later expansion has been announced.

For now, guests have a clear date to remember: starting September 28, one of Hollywood Studios’ newest experiences loses one-third of its current daily operating window.