Photos: Walls Go Up and Herald the Return of Disney Animation to Animation Courtyard at Disney's Hollywood Studios
As Disney Animation gets ready to return to Animation Courtyard, the Star Wars Launch Bay has vacated the former studio, and the bulk of this section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now behind a construction wall.
Guests will immediately notice the walls as they approach the studio archway from the end of Hollywood Blvd, leaving only the new show based on The Little Mermaid exposed. Stroller parking has been relocated, and is now along a portion of this wall.
As with other construction projects, quotes can be found along the wall, but we can also see showtimes for The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure on the wall as well, likely to help ease congestion in the area.
The studio archway was also a flat route without stairs to access the main pathway toward Walt Disney Presents and Toy Story Land beyond that. Outside of that, guests could take stairs down to this area from closer to the Chinese Theater. Now, some of that stair space has been transformed into a temporary ramp to allow those who need or prefer the flat surface to go this way.
The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure is the only attraction open in this area at this time as both Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Live have closed for the transformation. Now, guests exiting the show will be met almost immediately by a wall and forced to take a hard right out of the theater and back toward the entrance of the attraction.
Those who frequent the park may have already realized that the theater exit at the end of the Walt Disney Presents is completely blocked by the construction walls, as are the restrooms just to the right of the entrance of the former Star Wars Launch Bay. Now, the next set of restrooms are those in the former Pixar Place area, just before the entrance of Toy Story Land. As for those viewing the finale of Walt Disney Presents (whether it be One Man’s Dream or a film preview of a coming feature), they will get up and walk out through the doors they came in and back into the exhibit space.
Don’t worry though, guests looking for a quick purchase can still access the nearby retail location near The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure.
As a reminder, this is all to bring a new form of The Magic of Disney Animation to life at the park, in the former location of the animation studio that once opened its doors to guests. The new attraction leads a transformation of the surrounding area to look like the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, with the Magic of Disney Animation turning the exterior of the original studio (and most recently, the Star Wars Launch Bay) to look like the exterior of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building adjacent to the studio lot.
Fans who look closely at the art will also notice the planned removal of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios archway, so we anticipate more walls in the future. The Magic of Disney Animation is set to open in 2026.