5 Things We Are Obsessed With In Disney's NEW Hollywood Studios Attraction

The Magic of Disney Animation is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we are obsessed with this attraction and how it calls back to the park’s earliest days!

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In the summer of 2025, Disney announced that the Animation Courtyard area (which has been part of the park since it first opened as the Disney-MGM Studios) is about to transform. The area, including Star Wars Launch Bay and Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! Will be closing on September 25th. It will be reworked into a mini-replica of the Disney Animation Studios in Burbank.

The primary attraction in the area will be a new version of the Magic of Disney Animation, which those who’ve been visiting the park for decades, like myself, fondly remember as a cornerstone of the original MGM Studios experience.

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Some of the elements of the attraction that the AllEars team and I are most excited about include:

Theming based on the Emmy-winning Once Upon a Studio short that celebrated Disney’s 100th Anniversary. This will include “moving” portraits, as well as character meet & greets.
Sketch classes, where guests will be able to draw their own favorite Disney characters, similar to the original Animation Academy. This might be the most similar element to the classic Studios park.
The Drawn to Wonderland playground, which will feature an oversized flower garden with musical instruments, a Mad Tea Party playset, and a Tulgey Wood exploration area, all designed in the style of Disney Legend Mary Blair.

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Overall, the complex is going to be a family-friendly (including the aforementioned playground) air-conditioned area. Spaces like these are always welcome in Disney Parks!
The return of a version of the Sorcerer Hat! The new area will recreate the facade of the Roy Disney building on the Burbank lot, which includes a recreation of Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat! Of course, a different version of the hat was once the icon of Hollywood Studios.