Set Element Installation Underway for Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios

Disney Files New Permits as Magic of Disney Animation Moves Into Show Mode at Hollywood Studios

Things are sketching up nicely over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as Walt Disney Imagineering has filed four new permits tied to the transformation of The Magic of Disney Animation building in the former Animation Courtyard. The Notices of Commencement cover set installation and electrical work inside the building, plus additional work at the former gateway arch location that was recently demolished.

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When you see “install set elements” and “electrical work” on permits like this, that usually means we are past the heavy construction phase and moving into the part where the magic gets plugged in and powered up. Three of the permits resolve directly to The Magic of Disney Animation building, formerly home to Star Wars Launch Bay, while the fourth connects to the old archway entrance site.

Contractors listed include Elite A/V Systems Inc, PCL Construction Services, and Solotech, all familiar names when it comes to Disney show systems and themed builds. In other words, we are talking lighting rigs, audio systems, projection, and all the behind the curtain tech that turns walls into worlds. That lines up perfectly with Disney’s previously announced summer opening timeline.

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When The Magic of Disney Animation debuts, it will feature Olaf Draws!, an Animation Academy experience hosted by an Audio Animatronics Olaf from Frozen, alongside real Disney animators guiding guests step by step. There will also be the Enchanted Art Gallery where characters spring to life, the Once Upon A Studio Theater showing the Emmy Award winning short with enhanced effects, and Drawn to Wonderland Playground inspired by Mary Blair’s whimsical concept art.

Add in multiple character greeting locations and the area’s reimagining into a cohesive Walt Disney Studios themed lot, and this former dead zone could soon be drawing crowds instead of dust. If you have been following along with aerial updates and Olaf reveals, these permits are the clearest sign yet that show installation is officially underway. Summer is coming, and it looks like Hollywood Studios is about to hand guests a pencil and say, “Your move.”

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