Permit Filed for Disney World Park as Permanent Closure Takes Place
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is stepping into a new era, marking one of its most transformative years in recent memory. By fall 2025, the familiar Animation Courtyard—once home to Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance—had permanently closed its gates on September 25 to make way for The Magic of Disney Animation, a fresh experience honoring Disney’s storytelling legacy.
When Disney Experiences first announced the project, fans learned it would echo the design of the Walt Disney Studios buildings in Burbank, California. The new space will feature animation workshops, a short film, character meet-and-greets, and an indoor play area for younger guests. According to the Disney Parks Blog, visitors can look forward to “portraits that come to life before your eyes, just like they did in Once Upon A Studio,” along with opportunities to “learn how to draw your very own character sketch.”
A nostalgic touch will also return: the beloved Sorcerer Mickey hat, once the park’s icon, will stand proudly once again—welcoming guests to this reimagined celebration of animation.
The reimagining became more official when Walt Disney Imagineering filed a permit in Orange County listing the former Animation Courtyard site. The permit outlines the installation of set elements for The Magic of Disney Animation, with Icarus Exhibits Inc. leading the work. These filings mark the shift from conceptual design to tangible construction, signaling that the transformation is now well underway.
Earlier in 2025, the park saw additional major changes as Grand Avenue—including Muppet*Vision 3D and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, closed to make room for Monstropolis, a new Pixar-inspired land. The attraction will feature a suspended roller coaster themed around the Monsters, Inc. door sequence. Meanwhile, the Muppets will soon reappear in a new home when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith completes its retheme in 2026 as a Muppets attraction.
Across Walt Disney World Resort, other parks are transforming as well. Magic Kingdom continues work on its largest-ever expansion, including the addition of Piston Peak National Park from Cars and the “Beyond Big Thunder” area, featuring Disney Villains. Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Tropical Americas zone is in development, introducing experiences inspired by Encanto and Indiana Jones in 2027.
As Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said at D23 Expo 2024, “dirt was moving” across the resort—and guests can now see those words coming to life at Hollywood Studios, where imagination is quite literally being rebuilt from the ground up.
