Families planning an autumn trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios now have one more indoor option than they expected.
Vacation Fun – An Original Animated Short with Mickey & Minnie, shown inside the Mickey Shorts Theater, was scheduled to close temporarily on October 28, 2026. Instead, the show kept running past that date. The official Walt Disney World website now lists hours for the attraction for the foreseeable future, and those listings carry on past November 7, when Disney Jollywood Nights returns to the park.
The planned closure looked like history repeating itself. In late October 2025, Disney closed Vacation Fun so the theater’s exit area could be converted into a merchandise location supporting Jollywood Nights. The show did not reopen until December 27, 2025.
With this year’s Jollywood Nights running from November 7, 2026, through January 5, 2027, the pieces seemed to fit. Disney never confirmed that link, though, and it never shared a reopening date or a reason for the scheduled shutdown.
Regular visitors may have noticed this attraction disappearing more often than most. Here is how 2026 has played out so far:
- From April 29 to May 7, the theater closed for a Star Wars merchandise activation tied to May the Fourth, also known as Star Wars Day.
- From August 9 to September 26, the space hosted a Kermit the Frog magnet distribution for Annual Passholders.
- On September 27, Vacation Fun returned to the lineup, and it remained there through the planned October 28 closure date.
Disney has not said why the timeline changed. The closure may have been canceled, it may have been postponed, or Disney may have moved any Jollywood Nights operations once planned for the theater to another spot. The repeated use of this space for merchandise and seasonal events gives the resort flexibility, but it also leaves guests guessing about when the show will actually be on.
Vacation Fun first appeared at the Mickey Shorts Theater in Hollywood Studios’ Echo Lake area in March 2020. The animated short combines new animation with clips from classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, and the surrounding space includes photo opportunities built around life-size recreations of Mickey’s world. For families who need to sit down somewhere cool between headline attractions, it is an easy addition to a park day.
Given how often this theater’s schedule has changed this year, check the My Disney Experience app or the official Walt Disney World website on the morning of your visit, particularly after Jollywood Nights begins on November 7.
What do you think Disney World has planned for this Hollywood Studios location? Let us know in the comments below.
