Why I Spent a Ridiculous Amount of Time at This Nearly-Abandoned Disney World Attraction

Believe it or not, there are a few areas in Disney World that are not well-known, or aren’t high on people’s priority list.

For example, the covered area near Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Magic Kingdom is a great place to get some shade, Walt Disney Presents in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is severely underrated, and if you haven’t walked through all the pathways near The Tree of Life or checked out Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Animal Kingdom, you’re missing out BIG time. However, there’s another spot that we feel is SUPER underrated, especially if you’ve got young kiddos — to be honest, we could have spent ALL DAY there.

Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll find a big, bright sign for the Disney Jr. Play and Dance over in Animation Courtyard (well, honestly, the sign still says Disney Jr. Dance Party, even though that’s the name of the old show). This is a show that happens throughout the day and is filled with your kiddos’ favorite Disney Jr. and classic Disney pals.

It’s a huge dance party inside an INDOOR, air-conditioned location, and it’s an incredible spot to let your kids get some energy out while they jam to some of the songs they love, and meet some of the characters they can’t get enough of. And you? Well, you get to get out of the sun and watch your child have a great time (and maybe know that it’ll get them wiped out enough for nap time).

We honestly can’t recommend this spot enough for parents of younger kids. Right now, the current show in the space is called Get Animated, which was introduced for Disney’s Cool Kid Summer event. Sadly, it’s soon coming to an end, but we hope to see it again next year!

However, we do have some bad news — this spot will be CLOSED for quite some time beginning on September 25th, as Animation Courtyard as a whole will be undergoing a massive retheme! Don’t worry, the building will still be there, and an updated version of a similar show will return when the construction is complete, but right as summer is ending, this show won’t be available for months on end. While we’re looking forward to seeing the transformation this spot will have, as it’ll include a new family-friendly animation-centered experience in the new area, which will be themed towards Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. A new playground inspired by Mary Blair’s original Alice in Wonderland concept art is also on the way!

In the meantime, you will still be able to experience Walt Disney Presents and The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure in Animation Courtyard, both of which are family-friendly and located indoors in the AC!

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the newest Disney World planning tips, tricks, and more!

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Have you ever seen this show? Tell us what you think in the comments!