A flurry of updates has already surfaced during the opening period of Disney’s new Hollywood Studios attraction.
Guests who have been planning a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios around the newly opened Magic of Disney Animation building should pay close attention to their calendars. Barely two weeks after its debut, the experience is set to lose four hours of daily operation, a change that will reshape how visitors plan their day at the park.
The Magic of Disney Animation opened on September 14, taking over the space long occupied by the shuttered Animation Courtyard. The new offering combines drawing instruction, character meet-and-greets, and tributes to Disney’s animated history into a single multi-part attraction. Since opening day, it has run on an expansive 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule, giving guests a full 12 hours to work it into their touring plans.
That will no longer be the case starting September 28. On that date, the building’s hours will contract to 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., an eight-hour window that amounts to a 33 percent reduction from its opening-period schedule.
The shift creates complications on both ends of the day. Guests who arrive at rope drop will find the building still closed for the first hour after the park opens, as Hollywood Studios typically opens before 10 a.m. Meanwhile, visitors who prefer to explore attractions later in the evening, after dinner reservations or nighttime shows, will now find the doors locked well before park closing.
Disney has not issued an official explanation for the reduced hours. It is worth noting, however, that the initial 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule coincided with the attraction’s preview and opening period, and new Disney experiences have historically seen their hours trimmed once that early window ends. Even so, a cut of this size so soon after launch is significant for anyone who built travel plans around the original schedule.
Hours are not the only indication that Disney may be adjusting its approach to the new space. A post shared on X by user @Mattlegostar2 suggests that Olaf Draws, the drawing experience featuring an Audio-Animatronics Olaf from the Frozen franchise, did not generate the turnout Disney had reportedly anticipated. According to the post, the attraction lost its virtual queue system on opening day itself:
“Olaf Draws is NOT using Virtual Queue on opening day (10 minute wait) despite being advertised it would use one. You are free to walk up and join the line!”
In Olaf Draws, guests receive drawing instruction modeled on techniques from real Disney Animation artists, framed around an interaction with the animatronic Olaf. It sits alongside several other components inside the building, including Drawn to Wonderland, the Disney Once Upon a Studio Theater, and Off the Page.
The timing adds another layer of planning difficulty to a park that already asks a great deal of its guests. Hollywood Studios visitors juggle marquee rides, live shows, dining reservations, character interactions, and nighttime spectaculars throughout a single day. Fitting a new, multi-part experience into that schedule was already a challenge, and the tightened hours narrow the available window considerably. Guests hoping to experience more than one component, such as pairing Olaf Draws with a stop at the Once Upon a Studio Theater, will need to plan their visit with more precision than the opening weeks required.
The reduced hours are especially notable given how long fans waited for this section of the park to return. Disney first announced redevelopment plans for the Walt Disney Studios Lot in July 2025, and the original Animation Courtyard closed permanently that September to clear the way for construction. The rebuilt courtyard reopened in May, though The Magic of Disney Animation itself remained closed at that time, leaving one of the area’s headline draws still unfinished. Disney later confirmed the September 14 opening following a series of cast member preview events earlier in the month.
Given that roughly a year passed before the area was even walkable again, the swift move to a shortened public schedule stands out as unusual.
For anyone planning a visit to Hollywood Studios in late September or beyond, the practical takeaway is straightforward: don’t save The Magic of Disney Animation for later in the day. Starting September 28, the building will only be accessible from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., four fewer hours than during its debut weeks.
Guests aiming to see Olaf Draws, Off the Page, Drawn to Wonderland, and the Once Upon a Studio Theater in a single trip should plan for a mid-morning or early-afternoon visit rather than treating it as an evening stop, and should check current conditions for Olaf Draws specifically, since access to that experience appears to be shifting quickly even now.
What are your thoughts on the new experiences at Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments down below!
