Star Wars Characters Relocate from Closed Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

To say 2025 has been a roller coaster of a year for Walt Disney World fans would be an understatement. We’ve had to say some difficult goodbyes to classic attractions and areas this year. We’ve also had to say some satisfying good riddances to other rides and lands. Today’s news firmly falls into the latter category.

In case you missed it, Animation Courtyard is being reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios Lot at Hollywood Studios. The biggest change is that the Roy E. Disney Animation Building is replacing Star Wars Launch Bay at Hollywood Studios, and will house an all-new family experience, “The Magic of Disney Animation.”

The Walt Disney Studios Lot and “The Magic of Disney Animation” will open sometime in 2026. As Walt Disney World prepares for this transformation, Animation Courtyard, including Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance are now permanently closed as of September 25, 2025.

During this time, guests will still be able to go under the sea with Ariel in “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” and enjoy the exhibits and film presentation at Walt Disney Presents. Other aspects of Animation Courtyard will be relocated elsewhere in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to accommodate the closure.

Here’s a look at the new map for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as of September 25, 2025:

As you can see, Animation Courtyard has vanished as of September 25th, with Disney’s Horticulture Team pulling a Prep & Landing style mission to get in, get out, never be noticed…while planting a thick forest overnight.

Okay, that didn’t actually happen, but there are now walls up behind the iconic Disney-MGM Studios archway that block off the rest of Animation Courtyard aside from the Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.

Eventually, the walls will need to expand to encompass that archway, at which time access to the Little Mermaid will be via the walkway that connects to Toy Story Land.

Star Wars Characters Relocated

The biggest update of this change from a Walt Disney World planning perspective is that the Darth Vader meet & greet has been relocated to Star Tours. Expect to find Vader in the outdoor overflow queue, at the following times:

• 9:00 am
• 9:30 am
• 10:00 am
• 10:30 am
• 11:00 am
• 11:30 am
• 12:00 pm
• 12:30 pm
• 2:00 pm
• 2:30 pm
• 3:00 pm
• 3:30 pm
• 4 pm

Darth Vader appears in the Endor village, amidst tree trunks and under the shade of canopies. This overflow queue is almost never used–the last time we were back here was probably during previews for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue over a decade ago.

Chewbacca also has set times in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge near the Millennium Falcon between 11:50 am and 6:50 pm, but this does not appear to be anything new. Chewbacca has been part of the land since it opened, pulling double-duty in Star Wars Launch Bay.

There is not a separate Disney Visa Cardholder meet & greet in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but there is “exclusive” access to meet Olaf at nearby Celebrity Spotlight. We haven’t done this yet, but it appears to be more or less a Lightning Lane to meet Olaf.

Our expectation is that all of this is an interim solution. That Darth Vader will do meet & greets near Star Tours until Walt Disney World settles on a permanent plan or location for him. That they’ll figure out an actual Disney Visa Cardholder meet & greet, and add more characters to offset the losses. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a great park for meet & greets, and it’d be nice to maintain that status.

Our hope is that this is still on the horizon, with the Mandalorian & Grogu Mission in Millennium Falcon that debuts in May 2026 being part of a soft relaunch for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We’ve love if that included a more flexible storyline, introducing classic characters, iconic music, and more to the land.

As we’ve been saying for a while, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Needs to Break the Rules.  The original concept was an ambitious one, but the rules are too rigid and do not comport with the expectations of average guests. Don’t get us wrong, we love thematic purity, but this is just too much. The land has a lot of squandered potential by virtue of not embracing the full spectrum of Star Wars characters. It could be like Avengers Campus, but with a much better setting.

Another alternative if Imagineering and Lucasfilm still aren’t ready to do that is bringing back Jedi Training Academy.

Frankly, it boggles my mind that this didn’t happen 4 years ago, and that there are seemingly no plans to ever restore it. That experience was so good, making indelible memories for so many kids and their families–and even passersby who enjoyed the fun.

Just bringing back Jedi Training Academy and having Darth Vader meet nearby between performances would be a big win. It seems like a no-brainer, especially as Walt Disney World claims it wants to do more to appeal to young families. It also seems like something that helps sell lightsabers and helps forge Star Wars fans.

If they wanted to take this a step further, something we’d love to see would be a permanent indoor Jedi Training Academy experience featuring technology from Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

There’s the potential for this to be one of the best shows in all of Walt Disney World, and all it really takes is taking a vacant venue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and mixing the indoor version of Jedi Training Academy from Disney Cruise Line with Starcruiser stuff.

Why this hasn’t happened already is perplexing. My best guess is that the pencil pushers are worried that it would cannibalize sales at Savi’s Workshop. Maybe there’s a different explanation. Regardless, it feels so short-sighted. But I digress.

Animation Courtyard Reimagining

In 2026, the current home of Star Wars: Launch Bay will transform into a place where kids and kids at heart can laugh, draw, dream, and explore animated new experiences as part of “The Magic of Disney Animation.” Topping the building will be Mickey’s iconic Sorcerer Hat, which is just like the real building in California.

The story of this newly reimagined “The Magic of Disney Animation” begins as the animators have temporarily stepped away, but the building is still buzzing with activity as the characters have come to life and they’re ready to play.

Inside, guests will interact with and explore silly takes on the iconic Disney Animation headquarters, including the many different studio departments. Only this time, some of our favorite pals have taken over to create the fun adventures.

The playful and interactive moments will be around every corner. You’ll see portraits come to life before your eyes just like they did in “Once Upon A Studio.” You’ll find inspiration with a short film (with a twist, of course). You’ll even pencil in some time to learn how to draw your very own character sketch.

Young animators-to-be can explore the “Drawn to Wonderland” playground filled with an oversized flower garden with musical instruments, a Mad Tea Party playset and a Tulgey Wood exploration area, all inspired by the original “Alice in Wonderland” concept art from Disney Legend Mary Blair. It’ll be the perfect whimsical indoor play area for little ones to grow “curiouser and curiouser!”

There will also be lots of character meet & greet experiences, and places to explore and create in the newly-reimagined Walt Disney Studios Lot. The whole family will be drawn to all the creative ways to play together when this mini-land reopens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios next year.

From Walt Disney World’s announcement, this sounds very similar to the temporary experiences over the last several months during “Cool Kid Summer.” That event was likely a proof of concept, and this is that type of experience realized in fuller form with permanent venues and actual high-quality Imagineering and placemaking.

The reimagining of Animation Courtyard will extend far beyond the walls of “The Magic of Disney Animation.” What’s currently the Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into The Walt Disney Studios Lot. The new-look land will draw inspiration from several buildings found on the Disney campuses in Burbank, California.

This special nod to the legendary Walt Disney Studios Lot includes the Florida version of the Studio Theater, which will continue to house “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.” Over at the soundstage, you’ll find a fresh Disney Jr. show.

While exploring the studio grounds and courtyard area, families can take a break to play, relax, or snack on tasty treats under lush trees. And make sure to look around, too. You never know who you might see playing in the branches, soaking up the sun or digging in the grass.

Disney Animation artists and Walt Disney Imagineers are working hand-in-hand to bring the wonder and nostalgia of Disney Animation films to the whole courtyard in new and immersive ways families will love.

“The Magic of Disney Animation” and the Walt Disney Studios Lot will open in 2026.

Walt Disney World has not provided a specific opening date or even a season. One thing to note is that they have announced Cool Kid Summer will return in 2026. Given that, it’s possible there’s a sense of urgency to have this project finished by Memorial Day 2026.

It’s very difficult to say whether that’s possible. We don’t have visibility into the scale and scope of this project. It sounds like a lot of placemaking, planting of trees, painting, and so forth in the courtyard. Plus the installation of the Sorcerers Hat. How long that takes really depends on the degree to which Disney plans on tearing up and redoing what’s there.

Then there’s the “Magic of Disney Animation.” This is an attraction that already existed before; the space inside the building was lightly retrofit for Star Wars Launch Bay, so it’s possible they could go in there pretty quickly and restore the old experience. Or they might have much more ambitious plans, recognizing that what’s there now is dated and needs a top-to-bottom overhaul.

This is the type of project with a wide range of possibilities. It might be an incredibly ambitious plan to breathe new life into Animation Courtyard for decades to come or a “low dough” project aimed as offering a stop-gap until bigger picture plans for this area are ready to be initiated in the 2030s.

This project might be finished by Spring 2026, or it might struggle to be done by Christmas 2026. No one has any clue at this point, so it’s silly to try to predict anything.

One thing we know for certain is that this placemaking project will have a faster turnaround time than World Celebration in EPCOT. I’m also fairly confident from the concept art and the general goals of the project that the end result will be an actual improvement over Animation Courtyard. And that’s something that I’m not sure can be said for World Celebration, despite dumping a ton of time and money into that project.

If anything, my hope is that Imagineering is given enough time and money to do the reimagining of Animation Courtyard right. I’d rather have this open in Spring 2027 if that’s what it takes, especially if this area will be around for a decade or longer. It’d be nice to have it back for Cool Kid Summer in 2026, but we’re playing the long game and would much rather have things done right than quickly. (Looking at you, DreamWorks Land in Universal Studios Florida.)

This might be a stopgap, singles and doubles-style project–but it has the potential to be a massive improvement over Animation Courtyard, and a true asset to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Losing the dead mall vibes of this area is a huge win. Gaining an outdoor space that’s actually a pleasant, shaded place to spend time would be a massive win. The Walt Disney Studios Lot has the potential to be a triple. Maybe even an inside-the-park home run.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on Darth Vader being relocated to Star Tours? What about a potential return of Jedi Training Academy or soft reboot of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? What do you think about Animation Courtyard being reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios Lot? Looking forward to an all-new ‘The Magic of Disney Animation’ coming to Walt Disney World? Excited for this reimagined land? Any other thoughts or commentary to add? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!