Okay Disney fam, we need to talk about what just went down at Hollywood Studios because Disney quietly pulled the plug on Early Entry access to Walt Disney Presents, and honestly, the timing is SUSPICIOUS. The gallery had been opening early for resort guests during the whole Taylor Swift costume exhibit craze, letting Swifties get first dibs on seeing those iconic Eras Tour outfits before the general public flooded in. But now that holiday crowds have cleared out and January’s slower attendance is here? BOOM, Early Entry is gone. The gallery now opens at regular park time like nothing special ever happened there. Are we reading too much into this, or did Disney just use Taylor Swift to drive early morning traffic during peak season and then yank the perk the second it wasn’t convenient anymore?
For anyone who doesn’t obsess over Disney park operations like we do, Early Entry is that sweet 30-minute head start that resort hotel guests get at all four parks every single morning. It’s one of the biggest perks of staying on property, letting you hit major attractions like Slinky Dog Dash or Rise of the Resistance before the masses arrive and wait times explode. Hollywood Studios usually opens a handful of headline rides during this window, so having Walt Disney Presents (a walk-through GALLERY, not even a real ride) included in Early Entry was already weird. But it made sense when you consider the Taylor Swift factor, because those costumes were drawing SERIOUS crowds during the holidays.
Now the early access is gone, but the Taylor Swift exhibit is STILL THERE. So if you’re a Swiftie visiting Disney World and you were planning to see those costumes first thing in the morning during your resort guest Early Entry time, tough luck! You’re waiting until 9 a.m. with everyone else now. And here’s the kicker: Disney is keeping the Christmas decorations up at Walt Disney Presents even though it’s literally mid-January and Santa stopped meeting there weeks ago. So we’ve got holiday décor that should’ve been gone by now, but we lost the Early Entry that was actually useful. Make it make sense, Disney!
The Taylor Swift Exhibit Is Still Here (For Now)
Let’s be clear about one thing: the Eras Tour costumes aren’t going anywhere immediately. Disney says they’ll be on display for “a few more weeks,” which is classic Disney vague-speak that could mean literally anything from two weeks to two months. If you’re desperate to see these costumes in person, you should probably book your trip sooner rather than later because once Disney decides they’re done with this promotion, those outfits will disappear faster than Lightning Lane reservations for Flight of Passage.
The costumes arrived when Disney+ dropped Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film and docuseries, which was a MASSIVE deal for the streaming service. Disney clearly wanted to capitalize on the hype by giving fans something tangible to experience at the parks. And credit where it’s due, the costumes are actually legitimate pieces from the tour, not replicas or cheap knockoffs. For Swifties, seeing these outfits up close is genuinely meaningful, especially if they couldn’t afford the astronomical ticket prices for the actual Eras Tour concerts.
But here’s what’s driving us crazy: the Christmas stuff is STILL UP at Walt Disney Presents. Like, full holiday decorations everywhere, even though we’re well into January and every other part of Disney World has moved on from the holidays. Santa isn’t there anymore for meet-and-greets, but his workshop aesthetic is apparently permanent? Disney’s excuse is probably that they’re working through their resort-wide de-installation schedule and Walt Disney Presents is low priority. Which, fair, but it’s weird to walk into a gallery that’s promoting a summer concert tour while being surrounded by tinsel and snowflakes.
Walt Disney Presents as a concept is basically Disney’s promotional showroom disguised as a museum. They rotate exhibits constantly to tie into whatever Disney+ show or movie they’re pushing at the moment. Sometimes it’s Pixar props, sometimes it’s concept art for new attractions, sometimes it’s historical animation cels. There’s also a little theater inside that screens trailers and previews for upcoming content. It’s honestly a great air-conditioned break spot on hot days, but nobody’s rushing there during Early Entry unless there’s something specific like Taylor Swift costumes to see.
Hollywood Studios Is Having a MASSIVE Identity Crisis
Can we talk about the ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM? Hollywood Studios is literally falling apart thematically, and the Walt Disney Presents Early Entry situation is just a tiny symptom of a much bigger problem. This park used to be ABOUT something. It celebrated Hollywood, filmmaking, the golden age of cinema. You felt like you were stepping onto a working movie lot. Now? It’s just a random collection of Disney IP lands with zero cohesive theme holding it together.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is INCREDIBLE. Like, genuinely one of the most impressive themed lands Disney has ever built. You can pilot the Millennium Falcon, join the Resistance, build a lightsaber, create a droid, meet Chewbacca and Rey. It’s immersive, it’s detailed, it’s absolutely stunning. But it has NOTHING to do with Hollywood or movies or filmmaking. It’s about dropping you into the Star Wars universe and keeping you there. Which is cool! But it’s not what Hollywood Studios was supposed to be about!
Same with Toy Story Land. Adorable? Yes. Fun for families? Absolutely. Does it have anything to do with Hollywood? NOPE. You’re shrunk down to toy size in Andy’s backyard riding Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers. It’s pure Toy Story immersion with zero connection to the park’s original theme.
And don’t even get us STARTED on The Great Movie Ride getting replaced by Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The Great Movie Ride was EVERYTHING Hollywood Studios stood for. You literally traveled through scenes from Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Raiders of the Lost Ark with live cast members narrating the journey. It was a love letter to cinema history. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a fun cartoon chaos ride, but it completely abandoned that “celebration of movies” concept in favor of pure Disney animation entertainment.
Now they’re turning the Muppet Vision 3D area into Monsters, Inc. land. Muppet Vision 3D at least felt like it belonged in Hollywood Studios because it was staged as a production in a theater, keeping that behind-the-scenes vibe alive. Monsters, Inc.? Just another franchise land with no connection to Hollywood whatsoever.
And Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is closing soon for a complete retheme. The Aerosmith coaster wasn’t perfect thematically, but at least it had that Los Angeles concert rush storyline that tied into entertainment culture. Whatever replaces it (probably another IP overlay) will just be one more nail in the coffin of Hollywood Studios’ original identity.
What’s left that actually feels like “Hollywood”? Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage still performs. Tower of Terror still has that 1930s Hollywood hotel aesthetic. But two things don’t make a theme! You can’t call yourself Hollywood Studios when 90% of your park has nothing to do with Hollywood anymore!
So What Does This Mean for Your Trip?
Real talk: if you’re planning a Hollywood Studios visit and you specifically wanted to see the Taylor Swift costumes during Early Entry, that’s not happening anymore. You’ll need to visit Walt Disney Presents during regular park hours, which honestly isn’t a big deal because the gallery is never that crowded anyway. Most people use Early Entry to sprint to Slinky Dog Dash or Rise of the Resistance, not to look at costume exhibits.
The bigger question is whether you even care about Hollywood Studios losing its identity. If you’re a first-time visitor or you never experienced the park when it actually felt like it was about Hollywood and movies, you probably won’t notice or care. The rides are still fun, Galaxy’s Edge is still amazing, and you’ll have a great time regardless of thematic consistency.
But if you’re a longtime Disney fan who remembers when Hollywood Studios had a clear identity and purpose? This slow transformation into “Disney IP Land” is genuinely sad to watch. Every time another piece of the original concept gets replaced with franchise immersion, the park loses a little more of what made it special and different from Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom.
The Early Entry change at Walt Disney Presents is tiny in the grand scheme of things. But it’s happening at a park that’s already in the middle of a massive identity crisis, so it feels symbolic of Disney’s current priorities: capitalize on whatever’s trending (Taylor Swift, Star Wars, Toy Story, Monsters Inc.) without worrying too much about whether it all makes sense together thematically.
Have you seen the Taylor Swift costumes at Walt Disney Presents yet? Drop a comment and tell us what you thought! And more importantly, how do you feel about Hollywood Studios completely abandoning its “Hollywood” theme? Are you team “who cares, the rides are still fun” or team “this is sad and Disney should’ve preserved what made this park unique”? We genuinely want to know where people stand on this because the Disney community is DIVIDED on whether these changes are improvements or losses. Let’s hear your hot takes!
