Disney is transforming Star Wars: Launch Bay and Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios into a new space completely dedicated to the magic of Disney animation. The current Star Wars: Launch Bay space will change into a new experience called The Magic of Disney Animation. Just outside, the courtyard will become The Walt Disney Studios and take on theming from Burbank.
The updated spaces are expected to open in 2026. Animation Courtyard and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! will close beginning September 25, 2025. Guests will still be able to watch The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure show during construction.
Here’s how Disney describes the new Magic of Disney Animation experience.
Inside, you will interact with and explore silly takes on the iconic Disney Animation headquarters, including the many different studio departments. Only this time, some of our favorite pals have taken over to create the fun adventures.
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The playful and interactive moments will be around every corner. You’ll see portraits come to life before your eyes just like they did in “Once Upon A Studio;” you’ll find inspiration with a short film (with a twist, of course); and you’ll even pencil in some time to learn how to draw your very own character sketch.
The Magic of Disney Animation area will also include a new playground just for kids! Called the Drawn to Wonderland Playground, the new indoor play area will take inspiration from Alice in Wonderland concept art drawn by Mary Blair. And, of course, guests will have plenty of opportunities to meet characters.
Outside, the Animation Courtyard will be renamed to the Walt Disney Studios. The building facades will be updated to take on the appearance of buildings found in Burbank. Best of all, the area will include a new courtyard with trees and plenty of places to sit.
These are all great changes for Hollywood Studios! We’ve mentioned numerous times that Star Wars: Launch Bay and Animation Courtyard are in desperate need of an update. Launch Bay in particular has felt extremely out of place ever since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened. These changes will bring new life to the area and give younger kids something else to do in Hollywood Studios.
However, we don’t think this is the permanent or long-term plan for these Hollywood Studios spaces. We’ve heard rumblings that Disney has something larger in the works here, but this is the plan until other projects around the park (Monsters Inc land for starters) are complete. We still expect something bigger here (like a brand new land) at some point in the future.
