Guests arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios today quickly realized this was not going to be an ordinary park day. Between new previews, reopened spaces, and updated attractions pulling in massive crowds, the park started feeling noticeably heavier by late morning. Walkways filled up fast, wait times ballooned, and several of the park’s biggest rides began posting numbers that looked more like holiday week than a normal spring day.
Disney currently has multiple major offerings opening or previewing at the same time, and fans are clearly eager to experience them all before the full public launches begin.
Guests Finally Step Inside the Reimagined Courtyard
One of the biggest additions, drawing crowds today, is the newly reopened Walt Disney Studios Courtyard. Disney has finally removed construction walls around the refreshed section of the park, allowing guests to explore the transformed space for the first time.
The area is still not fully operational yet. Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! has not started entertaining guests, and the Drawn to Wonderland playground remains closed for now. Even with those experiences unavailable, fans have spent much of the day wandering through the courtyard to take photos and see how Disney redesigned the old Animation Courtyard area.
That extra foot traffic has quietly started reshaping crowd patterns around Hollywood Studios. Instead of staying concentrated inside Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge, guests are now spreading deeper throughout the park.
The Muppets Take Over Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster
Crowds exploded even more once previews officially began for Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
The attraction does not officially open until May 26, 2026, but preview opportunities began today and continue through May 23. Fans moved quickly once reservations became available, and demand surged almost immediately.
Disney kept the coaster’s high-speed thrills intact while completely changing the story experience. Aerosmith is gone, and The Muppets now control the chaos from start to finish. The Electric Mayhem plays a huge role throughout the attraction, with Disney leaning heavily into the unpredictable comedy that made the franchise so popular.
Early reactions from guests have been extremely enthusiastic. Many longtime Hollywood Studios fans are especially excited to see The Muppets return in such a major way inside the park.
Smugglers Run Brings Major Star Wars Updates
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster is not the only attraction causing massive lines today.
Disney also began previews of the updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run experience, featuring new missions tied to The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026), which arrives in theaters tomorrow, May 22.
The attraction now includes three mission paths inspired by Din Djarin and Grogu, giving guests more variety each time they ride. Disney also upgraded the engineer role, which many guests previously viewed as the least exciting position aboard the Millennium Falcon.
Those additions immediately drove huge crowds into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. By midday, Smugglers Run had already climbed to a posted 125-minute wait.
Wait Times Continue Climbing Across the Park
The crowd surge is no longer limited to the attractions receiving updates.
Slinky Dog Dash has hovered above for an hour for much of the day, while several other rides around Hollywood Studios have sat between 40 and 50 minutes. Guests looking for shorter waits are now bouncing throughout the park, putting pressure on attractions that normally absorb crowds fairly well.
A few experiences have remained relatively manageable so far. Star Tours and several character meet-and-greets have stayed closer to the 20-minute range. Still, those lower waits may not last if more guests continue searching for alternatives to the park’s overloaded headliners.
The Day May Get Even Busier
Unfortunately for guests hoping crowds settle down later, the opposite may happen.
Hollywood Studios typically grows busier as the afternoon continues, and Disney still has another Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster preview distribution scheduled for 3 p.m. That will likely send another rush of guests toward Sunset Boulevard later today.
As a result, attractions like Smugglers Run, Rise of the Resistance, and Slinky Dog Dash could continue climbing well above the one-hour mark throughout the evening.
Disney clearly has a hit on its hands with these new experiences. The challenge now is managing just how many guests want to experience them all at once.
