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Disney Files New Permit as The Magic of Disney Animation Begins Set Installation at Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting ready to bring some animated magic back to Animation Courtyard, and this latest permit is another big step toward the debut of the reimagined Magic of Disney Animation in 2026.
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Walt Disney Imagineering just filed a new Notice of Commencement for set installation inside 190 Showbiz Blvd — the longtime home of Star Wars: Launch Bay, and once upon a time, the original Magic of Disney Animation attraction. Unlike the summer permits focused on labor, materials, and electrical work, this one is specifically for “install set elements,” meaning interior show build-out is officially underway.
Disney contracted Icarus Exhibits for the job, a frequent collaborator known for work on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s refurbishment, Zootopia: Better Zoogether, and the overhaul of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. With Icarus stepping in, we’re clearly moving from structural prep to creative detail.
When it opens next year, the new Magic of Disney Animation will invite guests of all ages to laugh, draw, dream, and explore a space partially inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ award-winning short Once Upon A Studio. Expect interactive animation-inspired experiences, character meet and greets, and even a Mary Blair-inspired Alice in Wonderland playground that feels straight out of a storybook.
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Outside the building, Animation Courtyard is also in the middle of its glow-up. The famous archway is already gone, crews are repainting facades, and the whole area is being redesigned to resemble the real Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. A brand-new Disney Jr. show will debut alongside the courtyard’s transformation and the reopening of the attraction in 2026.
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