If you’ve visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently, you’ve probably noticed something different. The park is deep in transformation, and the shift is visible from nearly every pathway.
The biggest turning point came on September 25, 2025, when Animation Courtyard permanently closed. For years, the space was home to Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance. Now, it’s the epicenter of one of the park’s most significant overhauls.
Construction walls quickly went up around the entire courtyard as crews began preparing for The Magic of Disney Animation, a new attraction centered on Disney’s creative legacy. Earlier in 2025, Disney Experiences confirmed that the reimagined area would take cues from the actual Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.
According to Disney, guests can look forward to interactive animation workshops, a short film experience, character encounters, and an indoor play space designed specifically for younger visitors.
The Disney Parks Blog offered this preview: “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.”
For longtime fans, one detail stands out above the rest: the Sorcerer Mickey hat is coming back. Once the park’s most recognizable visual centerpiece, the giant hat will return as a focal point at the entrance to the new animation experience.
Progress has continued steadily behind the scenes. Walt Disney Imagineering recently filed a new permit in Orange County connected to the former Animation Courtyard site. The filing details plans to install set elements for The Magic of Disney Animation attraction, with Icarus Exhibits Inc. listed as the contractor.
That filing marks a clear step forward. With prior offerings closed and permits in place, installation work is now underway. Each week brings new visible changes beyond the construction walls.
And Animation Courtyard is only part of the story.
Earlier in 2025, Grand Avenue shuttered, taking Muppet*Vision 3D and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano with it. The area is being redeveloped into Monstropolis, a new land inspired by Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.
The headliner attraction will be a suspended roller coaster themed to the film’s iconic door vault scene. Construction has accelerated, and a towering crane now dominates the skyline. Kenny the Pirate reports that the crane is visible from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Toy Story Land, and even Echo Lake.
While Muppet*Vision 3D has officially closed, the Muppets are preparing for their next act. They will take over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith once the retheme is complete. The Aerosmith version is set to close on March 1, with the new Muppets-themed attraction scheduled to open this summer.
Altogether, Hollywood Studios looks dramatically different from what it did just a year ago. Multiple areas are in flux, and the pace of change shows no signs of slowing.
The transformation extends across Walt Disney World Resort. Magic Kingdom is advancing what Disney has called its largest expansion ever, including the Cars-inspired Piston Peak National Park and the “Beyond Big Thunder” project centered on Disney Villains.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, construction continues on the Tropical Americas land following the permanent closure of DinoLand U.S.A. The new land will introduce Encanto and Indiana Jones-themed experiences, both slated to open in 2027.
Back at D23 Expo 2024, Disney Experiences Chairman and soon-to-be CEO Josh D’Amaro told fans that “dirt was moving” throughout the resort. As 2026 begins, that comment feels less like a promise and more like a snapshot of reality.
For Hollywood Studios, the ongoing projects signal a new chapter. Returning visual icons like the Sorcerer Mickey hat will share space with entirely new lands, attractions, and stories.
How do you feel about this skyline obstruction at Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments down below!
