Your Night Might Be DIFFERENT in Hollywood Studios Right Now

Things are changing all over Disney World and if you don’t go in prepared, you could get caught by SURPRISE.

In recent days we’ve seen unexpected construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, more refurbishments at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and tons of menu changes. But now, we’ve noticed something else you’ll want to know about.

Disney World has a number of spectacular nighttime shows and fireworks offerings at its parks. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the main star is Fantasmic! (which returned in 2022 with some key changes). But that’s not the only thing you can watch when it gets darker in this park!

If you head closer to the middle/front of the park, you can typically see some unique shows projected right onto the façade of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

The two shows typically shown here are Disney Movie Magic and Wonderful World of Animation, but something interesting is happening with showtimes here.

Let’s start with Wonderful World of Animation. This show takes guests on a “journey through more than 90 years of Disney and Pixar animation,” with projections and music from tons of movies like Coco, The Incredibles, and more.

This is typically offered at 9PM each night and the show and sometimes there is a bonus showing during Hollywood Studios After Hours at 11:45PM. There are available times for this show on Disney World’s calendar through June 30th.

Starting July 1st, however, there are no showtimes listed for this experience through the remainder of the calendar. It is possible that Disney is simply in the process of updating its calendars and more showtimes will be listed soon, so be sure to check for updates.

The more interesting update has to do with the second show — Disney Movie Magic. This is a short experience typically shown BEFORE Wonderful World of Animation that showcases “memorable scenes from Indiana Jones and the Pirates of the Caribbean series, plus many more.” Interestingly, this show does NOT appear to list showtimes on most nights from now through the end of the calendar.

BUT we did see that VERY LIMITED showtimes appear to be listed on days when Hollywood Studios is offering After Hours events. On those dates, the show appears to only be offered during the After Hours event itself, at 11:25PM.

So, on those nights it may ONLY be available to those who have separate tickets for the After Hours events, NOT for regular park guests. All Hollywood Studios After Hours tickets have sold out so it looks like it won’t be easy to see this show in the park for now.

Again, it’s possible that Disney will update its calendar in the future to change these showtimes but for now, it seems like on most nights you will NOT be able to catch Disney Movie Magic (with some limited exceptions) but generally WILL be able to see Wonderful World of Animation.

Allow this to serve as your reminder to never take showtimes for granted! Showtimes can change or a show may not be offered on one night versus another. It’s important to always check those times before and during your trip!