Walt Disney World Resort has officially confirmed major changes are on the way for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with a planned overhaul beginning in September 2025. The transformation includes the permanent closure of Star Wars Launch Bay and the Disney Jr. Play and Dance! show in Animation Courtyard.
Earlier this summer, Disney revealed plans to bring back one of Hollywood Studios’ original attractions. The Magic of Disney Animation, which opened alongside Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, gave theme park guests a behind-the-scenes look at the animation process with the help of a real Disney animator. The attraction was connected to a working animation studio, where classics like Mulan (1998) and Lilo & Stitch (2001) were brought to life. It even featured Animation Academy classes, where guests could learn to draw iconic Disney characters.
However, the attraction’s popularity waned when the Florida division of Walt Disney Animation Studios closed in 2004. The backstage animation building was repurposed as office space for Disney Experiences cast members. In 2015, Disney announced that The Magic of Disney Animation would close, making way for Star Wars Launch Bay.
Once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, most Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests gravitated toward the new immersive land, leaving Launch Bay underused. While the attraction still offered meet-and-greets with Star Wars characters like Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and Kylo Ren, and showcased Lucasfilm props, it never regained the popularity it had hoped for.
This July, Walt Disney World Resort announced the return of the Magic of Disney Animation in a new form. The area that was once home to the attraction, Animation Courtyard, will soon be transformed into The Walt Disney Studios Lot, inspired by the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California. Guests will enter through a large blue Sorcerer Mickey hat facade, and the new experience will be centered around the Once Upon A Studio (2023) short film. The area will also feature an Alice in Wonderland (1951)-themed play area.
On August 5, 2025, Walt Disney World Resort filed a new construction permit for the Animation Courtyard overhaul. The Notice of Commencement lists Buena Vista Construction Company as the contractor responsible for labor and materials for electrical work on the former animation offices backstage. It does not specify what exact changes will be made to the existing structure or whether it will be partially open to Disney Park guests when complete.
Star Wars Launch Bay will officially close its doors on September 25, 2025, and the Disney Jr. Play and Dance! show will have its final performance on September 24. A new Disney Jr.-inspired show will debut alongside the opening of the Walt Disney Studios Lot in 2026. Whether the Star Wars meet-and-greets and Lucasfilm props will be relocated elsewhere remains unclear.
Walt Disney World Resort has yet to reveal a grand-opening date for The Walt Disney Studios Lot and the new Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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