We, my buddies, have dragons mature bushes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!!!! In a in reality unheard of transfer, Walt Disney International has reversed its decades-long strict “no color” coverage and is within the strategy of planting bushes. Grand, superb bushes! Right here’s the most recent take a look at building growth at the new-look Walt Disney Studios Lot land (space? miniland?), with a Salute to All Development Growth, However Most commonly Mature Tree-Planting.
When you neglected it, Animation Courtyard is these days being reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios Lot at Hollywood Studios. The most important alternate is that the Roy E. Disney Animation Development is changing Famous person Wars Release Bay, and can area an all-new circle of relatives revel in, “The Magic of Disney Animation.”
The Walt Disney Studios Lot and “The Magic of Disney Animation” will open someday in Summer season 2026. The prevailing courtyard, minus the Little Mermaid musical, all closed past due final September. Persona meet & greets had been relocated across the park to deal with the closure.
Development crews had been onerous at paintings on Animation Courtyard within the months because it closed. The most important visual adjustments are pavement substitute and new hardscape paintings so as to add extra inexperienced areas for play and leisure, in addition to the transformation of Famous person Wars Release Bay into the Roy E. Disney Animation Development. With that, an enormous Sorcerer Mickey hat must quickly be added–as mentioned beneath, allows have been simply filed for that the day prior to this!
Now let’s flip to the most recent building growth, as there are some dramatic tendencies for dendrophiles! As all the time, All aerial footage courtesy of theme park eye within the sky bioreconstruct, a chum of the web page who graciously supplied those demolition footage & video:
The obvious growth is the planting of latest bushes within the new central courtyard house. And we’re now not speaking about saplings right here. A couple of, majestic mature bushes stand proudly instead of what used to be as soon as a sea of pavement. Long gone are the useless mall vibes and urban barren region aesthetic, changed through a greener and extra lush setting. Like that of the particular studio lot in Burbank, California.
You might imagine the above is hyperbole, or the everyday feigned pleasure of a blogger with not anything higher to discuss. Like 2012’s notorious Fantasmic Benchgate far and wide once more (IYKYK). I promise, it isn’t. This in reality is thrilling information for enjoyers of theme parks…as parks.
In all probability you’ve by no means spent any time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios within the months of Would possibly via September. Perhaps you’ve by no means walked from the outdated Animation Courtyard via Toy Tale Land and into Famous person Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the summertime solar and triple-digit appears like temperatures with out encountering even one (1) mature tree. You haven’t controlled to get sunburnt via your blouse (how does that even paintings?!), along with your dorky bucket hat being no fit for the Florida climate.
Aerial video of bushes lately added for the Walt Disney Studios Courtyard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. %.twitter.com/mpGD5QBmVc
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 30, 2026
The loss of extra mature bushes, color, and canopy from rain is working grievance this web site has had in opposition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, particularly, however different parks as neatly. Our assessment of Epic Universe shared an identical sentiment; it sort of feels like maximum primary tasks best plant saplings. Mature bushes are pricey.
I’m curious as to what resulted in Walt Disney International blowing its funds on bushes? Or perhaps they didn’t, and those bushes have been transplanted from the Rivers of The usa or different building websites round Walt Disney International. I don’t know the very first thing about bushes (apart from that I love them), so I don’t know the way expensive this procedure could be as opposed to buying new mature bushes. Both method, I’m glad about this terrific tree information.
I’m additionally hoping this new central courtyard is open as a play space and isn’t blocked off through benches. (The idea that artwork is unclear.) Both method, it’ll be an amazing asset. As a solo visitor, I revel in sitting within the color. As a dad or mum, one in all my best Disney “sights” is these days the dreaming tree space in Toontown at Disneyland. It’s inconceivable to overstate how a lot children love stuff like this, even supposing it’s rarely distinctive to theme parks, and DHS may just truly use extra areas for play.
Past the planting of latest mature bushes, groundwork stays ongoing. Crews way back finished elimination of the hardscape, with infrastructure prep now being ongoing. Quickly we must begin to see new pathways, planters, and different landscaping parts take form.
The one different actual contemporary construction is that the sounstages had been receiving contemporary coats of paint. The exteriors now includes a two-tone beige colour scheme. This seems excellent; it’s now not too muted and inspires the actual lot in Burbank. Chances are you’ll even say that the nice and cozy, earthy colours supplement the mature bushes somewhat properly, and can make this an much more welcoming house. (K, now that may well be hyperbole.)
Along side this, Walt Disney Imagineering simply filed a brand new Understand of Graduation building allow list Design Communications Ltd. as contractor. The outline of the paintings is solely “set up signage” at an cope with corresponding with the Animation Development at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We think that is for the Sorcerer Mickey hat that’ll best the entrance front, which would be the primary visible icon that attracts visitors into this land.
All in all, the Walt Disney Studios Lot is shaping as much as be a powerful providing. It virtually feels tailored to my households tastes: bushes, benches, coloring, and the Scorching Canine Tune. What used to be as soon as the worst land in all of Walt Disney International (after Dino-Rama closed), will quickly grow to be the world the place we spend essentially the most time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And that’s now not even a slight exaggeration.
Walt Disney Studios Lot Opens in Summer season 2026
Walt Disney International up to now introduced that the recent Walt Disney Studios Lot will open in Summer season 2026. This implies the land/space/miniland itself, together with the ones terrific bushes. We think this to occur round Would possibly 26, 2026, which is the kickoff to this yr’s Cool Child Summer season, however an authentic date has now not but been introduced.
Additionally anticipated to debut in conjunction with the bushes in Summer season 2026 is “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Reside!” This dance celebration options Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse embarking on a street commute to seek out a few of their absolute best buddies – Goofy, Daisy and Pluto – for the celebration. This display is these days quickly at DCA, and shortly visitors will probably be in a position to sign up for the joys within the newly reimagined Walt Disney Studios space at Walt Disney International.
As somebody who has skilled “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Reside!” dozens of instances, it’s in reality somewhat excellent. Higher than it has any proper to be, somewhat truthfully. The one problem is that it ends (spoiler alert) with an abridged model of the Scorching Canine Tune, when truly that are supposed to be performed on loop. (Talking of which, expectantly it is a part of the BGM loop for the Walt Disney Studios Lot.)
Later in Summer season 2026, “The Magic of Disney Animation” will invite visitors to step throughout the international of Walt Disney Animation Studios at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This would be the development itself, which can comprise a couple of choices–as mentioned beneath.
The Magic of Disney Animation Main points
“The Magic of Disney Animation” starts because the animators have briefly stepped away, however the development continues to be humming with process because the characters have come to existence and so they’re able to play. Visitors will engage with and discover foolish takes at the iconic Disney Animation headquarters, together with the numerous other studio departments.
You’ll see portraits come to existence prior to your eyes similar to they did in “As soon as Upon A Studio.” You’ll to find inspiration with a brief movie (with a twist, after all). You’ll even pencil in a while to discover ways to draw your very personal persona cartoon.
Any other addition is the “Attracted to Wonderland” playground full of an outsized flower lawn with musical tools, a Mad Tea Celebration playset and a Tulgey Wooden exploration space, all impressed through the unique “Alice in Wonderland” thought artwork from Disney Legend Mary Blair. It’ll be the very best whimsical indoor play space for little ones to develop “curiouser and curiouser!”
Mission into “Off the Web page!,” a collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. Right here, you’ll be able to meet characters throughout six distinctive departments from the animation studio, together with Tale, Structure, Hand-Drawn Animation, Laptop Animation, Lights, Results. Every house can have distinctive meet & greets, like Mulan posing with an outsized storyboard panel within the Tale division, or Rapunzel surrounded through a atmosphere impressed through the vintage multiplane digicam within the Structure division.
There can also be a whole lot of persona encounters right through the new-look land, and puts to discover, play and create within the Walt Disney Studios Lot when this mini-land reopens in Summer season 2026.
The Walt Disney Studios Lot Main points
The reimagining of Animation Courtyard will prolong past the partitions of “The Magic of Disney Animation.” The Walt Disney Studios Lot will draw inspiration from a number of structures discovered at the Disney campuses in Burbank, California.
Whilst exploring the studio grounds and courtyard space, households can take a destroy to play, loosen up, or snack on tasty treats below lush bushes. You’ll want to go searching, too. You by no means know who you could see taking part in within the branches, absorbing the solar or digging within the grass.
Disney Animation artists and Walt Disney Imagineers are operating hand-in-hand to deliver the sweetness and nostalgia of WDAS movies to the entire courtyard in new and amusing techniques households will love.
We’re truly taking a look ahead to the Walt Disney Studios Lot. This new-look space seems absolute best for younger households, and can without a doubt attraction to us greater than anything in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (for now). It’s the park that gives the least to do for children, and this will likely lend a hand treatment that.
The Walt Disney Studios Lot may well be a stopgap, singles and doubles-style mission–but it surely has the prospective to be an enormous development over Animation Courtyard, and a real asset to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Shedding the useless mall vibes of this space is a large win. Gaining an outside house with mature bushes that’s in reality a pleasing, shaded position to spend time must be an enormous win. Similar is going for having a space and sights that kids who’re too younger for Toy Tale Land can revel in.
This has the prospective to be a triple. Perhaps even an inside-the-park house run that restores a definite high quality from Michael Eisner’s opening day determination that’s been lacking for some time: “a mind-set that exists anyplace folks dream and beauty and consider, a spot the place phantasm and truth are fused through technological magic.” The Hollywood that by no means used to be — and all the time will probably be. We will’t watch for the Walt Disney Studios Lot to open in Summer season 2026!
Making plans a Walt Disney International commute? Know about resorts on our Walt Disney International Accommodations Critiques web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney International Eating place Critiques. To save cash on tickets or resolve which kind to shop for, learn our Guidelines for Saving Cash on Walt Disney International Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular take a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney International Trip Guides will lend a hand. For complete recommendation, the most productive position to start out is our Walt Disney International Shuttle Making plans Information for the whole thing you want to understand!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Serious about the ones majestic mature bushes coming to DHS?! Constructive concerning the Summer season 2026 opening timeline? What do you consider Animation Courtyard being reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios Lot? Taking a look ahead to an all-new ‘The Magic of Disney Animation’ coming to Walt Disney International? Another ideas or remark so as to add? Any questions we will be able to let you solution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!
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