Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
One of Disney’s most nostalgic new experiences has officially arrived.
The Magic of Disney Animation has opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios days ahead of its scheduled September 14 debut, completing the transformed Walt Disney Studios Lot.
And this one feels different.
Hollywood Studios has spent years adding bigger rides, franchises, and immersive lands, moving further from the movie-making identity that once defined it.
The Magic of Disney Animation brings some of that personality back through hand-drawn artwork, classic Disney references, animation experiences, and unexpected character encounters that feel like the Hollywood Studios longtime fans remember.
Disney’s New Hollywood Studios Area Is Finally Complete
The Walt Disney Studios Lot has gradually taken shape in the former Animation Courtyard, with Disney building an area centered on animation, characters, and bringing stories to life.
Guests will find colorful animation-inspired statues throughout the area, while Disney characters regularly appear around the lot. Instead of every interaction feeling like a traditional scheduled meet-and-greet, characters can roam and interact more naturally with guests.
Now, the biggest piece has arrived.
The Magic of Disney Animation has soft-opened ahead of schedule, giving guests access to the experiences Disney created inside the reimagined animation building.
And there is quite a bit to explore.
What Attractions Can Disney Guests Enjoy?
Drawn to Wonderland is one of the major additions in The Magic of Disney Animation.
The experience invites guests into a creative space inspired by Disney animation, making drawing and imagination central parts of the attraction.
Guests can also experience Olaf Draws!, adding a familiar modern character to the hands-on animation experience.
Then there is the Once Upon a Studio Theater, which gives Disney another opportunity to celebrate its enormous library of animated characters and stories.
Rather than building the entire experience around one movie or franchise, Disney has filled the space with reminders of its animation history.
Everything has now opened as part of the soft opening, meaning guests visiting Hollywood Studios can experience the completed area before its originally announced September 14 opening date.
More importantly, the finished product brings something back that this park has been missing.
Hollywood Studios Finally Feels Like a Movie Park Again
Hollywood Studios has changed enormously over the last decade.
Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge brought major attractions and impressive environments. Other additions have continued pushing the park toward recognizable franchises and immersive worlds.
But somewhere along the way, Hollywood Studios lost part of its original soul.
The park was once filled with reminders that artists, animators, performers, designers, and filmmakers created movies. Guests weren’t simply stepping into fictional worlds. They were also getting a peek at the creativity behind them.
The Magic of Disney Animation taps directly back into that idea.
Guests can discover Easter eggs connected to classic Disney movies throughout the space. Pencil sketches from older animated films are also on display, including artwork connected to The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) and The Fox and the Hound (1981).
Those details give the building a sense of history without turning it into a museum.
Then there are the characters.
Roaming Disney characters throughout the Walt Disney Studios Lot help bring the entire concept together. These face-to-face interactions can be funny, spontaneous, and different from one visit to the next.
That unpredictability feels like vintage Disney.
Instead of rushing from one major attraction to another, families can stumble upon a character, stop to look at animated artwork, or sit down to draw.
It gives Hollywood Studios room to breathe again.
The Magic of Disney Animation Hours
With the soft opening underway, guests also have a better idea of when they’ll be able to experience the new area on its official opening date.
Operating hours are listed as 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on September 14, and Disney appears to follow the same hours during the early opening.
The schedule changes slightly over the following two weeks before significantly shorter operating hours begin on September 28.
Here are the currently listed hours:
- September 14-17: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- September 18-19: 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- September 20-27: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- September 28 onward: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That final change is worth keeping in mind. Starting September 28, guests planning to explore The Magic of Disney Animation will have a much smaller daily window than those visiting during its first two weeks.
Hollywood Studios Just Got Some of Its Magic Back
The Magic of Disney Animation isn’t Hollywood Studios’ biggest attraction, and it doesn’t need to be.
Its importance comes from what it adds back to the park.
Disney has created a place where animation history matters again, classic movies receive meaningful nods, characters come to life outside traditional meet-and-greets, and families can slow down and create something together.
Opening the experience days early is a welcome surprise. What guests are finding inside may be even better.
For years, Hollywood Studios seemed increasingly disconnected from the movie-making magic that originally gave the park its identity.
The new Walt Disney Studios Lot doesn’t erase every change that came before it. However, between the animation artwork, classic references, drawing experiences, and spontaneous character encounters, this corner of Hollywood Studios feels connected to the park’s roots again.
With The Magic of Disney Animation now welcoming guests, Disney has restored a meaningful piece of the park’s soul.
