Inside Disney World’s Historic Backstage Building That Might’ve Doomed MuppetVision.
Walt Disney World has pulled back the curtain for a rare look inside Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida at Hollywood Studios, which you’ve probably never seen since it’s a backstage building located between Toy Story Land and Animation Courtyard. This shares photos inside that special place that was a staple of the bygone Disney-MGM Studios, plus commentary about why it’s still standing, what could replace it and more.
Let’s start with the title, as the “might’ve doomed MuppetVision” part is sure to have ruffled some feathers. I probably don’t need to recap the saga of Monstropolis in full, but the nutshell version is that the announcement at last year’s D23 Expo was accompanied by Disney releasing two pieces of competing concept art for Monstropolis. One showed the land seemingly replacing Animation Courtyard, and the other placed it in Grand Avenue or Muppets Courtyard.
There were compelling reasons for either Animation Courtyard and Grand Avenue to be the target for Monstropolis. We explained the reasons for and against each location in What Will Walt Disney World Sacrifice for Monstropolis? That’s a lengthy rundown, and I’m not going to rehash all of that here. It’s nevertheless our understanding that, at the time the announcement was made, Disney had not landed on a location for Monstropolis.
Among most Walt Disney World fans and authors of this blog, Animation Courtyard was the obvious candidate because it offers a massive amount of underutilized capacity and has dead mall vibes. I’m sure there would be some fans who would mourn the loss of this corner of the park–at least, as it once existed decades ago–but there were also some who did the same for Camp Minnie-Mickey and will for Dino-Rama. It’s the nature of the beast.
However, Monstropolis replacing Animation Courtyard would’ve been the costlier and more time-consuming project. It would’ve involved relocating a lot of backstage facilities and offices, including those now located in Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida. In fact, this is one of the reasons why fans speculate that Monstropolis is instead replacing Grand Avenue–because powerful people didn’t want to leave their nice and convenient on-site offices.
To be clear, I do not think this is an accurate explanation (more on that in a minute). But it’s one of those persistent “rumors” that dogs projects like this. I’ve lost track of how many Magic Kingdom projects have been “killed” over the years–from proper arcades to the Main Street Theater–because executives supposedly fought hard not to lose their precious parking lot. I don’t doubt that there’s been internal grumbling about the loss of offices or parking spaces, but I also do not believe this to be outcome-determinative. D’Amaro and Iger aren’t basing these consequential decisions on passionate pleas on Slack from Grace and Grayson in Digital Integration.
In reality, Monstropolis is one of the D23 announcements intended to have a faster turnaround time, and Walt Disney World wants it done quickly. (“Quickly” by Disney standards. I’m sure someone else could build a ~90 second coaster in under 3 years.) In any case, the path of least resistance was repurposing Grand Avenue and Muppet Courtyard facades, and plopping a gravity building in a Cast Member parking lot. That’s not the only reason for preserving Animation Courtyard, which we’ll discuss in the “Our Commentary” section after the look inside Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida.
Rare Look Inside Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida
Walt Disney Feature Animation established a Florida outpost to help produce animated classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” (1989) “Beauty and the Beast,” (1991) “Aladdin,” (1992) and “The Lion King” (1994).
In these early years, the work was sketched and inked under the watchful eyes of curious guests touring through The Magic of Disney Animation (now Star Wars Launch Bay, the downgrade of the century). The tour opened with the park in 1989, winding groups of guests behind the desks of the animators.
Nine years later, just before the release of “Mulan” (1998), an additional four-story Feature Animation building was added next to the Magic of Disney Animation to accommodate the growing animation team.
The grand opening ceremony of the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida building was held on the afternoon of April 22, 1998. It was held by Roy E. Disney (nephew of Walt Disney and then vice chairman of the company) and former CEO Michael Eisner, who were fresh from opening Disney’s Animal Kingdom that same morning.
A blustery storm threatened the grand opening of the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida building. Roy E. Disney, Michael Eisner, and Peter Schneider (then president of Walt Disney Feature Animation) presented from a temporary stage. Roy started to compare the overcast day to the time his uncle Walt orchestrated the 1960 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies.
Roy said of the snowstorm that nearly canceled the 1960 Opening Ceremonies, “The sky opened up, the sun shone down on the ceremony, and it was perfect.” The wind picked up at Feature Animation, almost too loud to hear him continue, “And ever since then, it was known as ‘Walt’s Miracle.’ We all believe to this day that if Walt likes stuff we do, he brings the good weather …”
As if on cue, the wind at Feature Animation stopped and the sun came out over the crowd. Roy smiled and finished, “And he loves it!” Amid cheers, Feature Animation Florida was open.
The landscape at Hollywood Studios has changed a lot over the years, but inside Feature Animation, much has been preserved from when “Lilo & Stitch” was animated (the full article contains a lot about the animation of Lilo & Stitch–that’s the primary angle of the piece).
The entrance features ‘Sneezy,’ one of the log-shaped ride vehicles from Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and ‘Winky,’ a blue car from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. On the left side of the lobby is the Screening Room, where animators previewed the films they created here, including “Lilo & Stitch.”
Down the main hallway, a display case takes up most of the left wall. Inside are over 50 background prints and sketches from Disney Animation films including, “Meet the Robinsons,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Hercules.” A set of aqua porthole window double doors slide open to reveal huge blue pencil sketch murals of Stitch, Simba and Mushu on the walls.
There’s a staircase that spirals up the grand atrium at Feature Animation to the second through fourth floors above. A skylight apex pours sunlight over four stories of balconies, bridges, and glass block panels. Interplay between the floors is a running theme throughout the architecture that adds to its cartoonish spirit; it’s easy to find seemingly random bridges, overlooks and keyhole openings to floors below.
In the bright atrium, Cast Members can eat lunch near tropical foliage where a Dumbo ride vehicle poses in mid-flight amid the fronds. Preserved retro ‘90s architecture mixes with timeless Art Deco style: Patterned carpeting, chrome, and shades of aquamarine and coral are diffused throughout the Feature Animation Florida building.
Each floor of Feature Animation is themed to a film that was worked on by the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida team. Meeting rooms are named after characters, sweeping murals demonstrate animation methods, and the building is a veritable museum of framed original sketches, storyboards, and character studies.
The first floor is themed after “Brother Bear” (2003) with conference rooms named Denahi and Sitka. Frosted windows on the first floor are a remnant of the spot where guests could watch animators at work and just around the corner, and in this area, the grand lighting emulates the Art Deco style of the Hollywood Studios entrance gate.
The second floor is “Mulan” themed, offering paint swatches in the color study for the “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” scene or the Grandmother Fa sketch collection. Nearby, a full mural of “Mulan” characters stretches down the hall.
Arriving on the third floor, which is inspired by “Lilo & Stitch,” there’s a mounted Elvis Presley “Blue Hawaii” record, kicking off a “Lilo & Stitch” mural that stretches towards Cast Member offices. Tucked away on the third floor, one of the hulking animation desks sits with its light box still shining bright next to a collection of film editing equipment.
The fourth floor is themed to “The Lion King,” and includes Timon and Nala conference rooms. About 20 minutes of the film, including the “I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ musical sequence, was animated by the Florida team.
Here are more photos from inside Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, before we dig into our commentary:
Our Commentary
I’ve been in the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida a number of times in recent years, but never beyond the first floor, so this rare tour inside the building was likewise interesting to me. It’s nice to see that the entire space is not simply themed to Brother Bear, as I previously suspected!
Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida gives me Burbank vibes. I’m actually embarrassed to admit that I don’t know who the original architect was of the building at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (and Google results haven’t been fruitful), but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it was Michael Graves, Arata Isozaki, Robert A.M. Stern, or any of the other “starchitect” that Michael Eisner was obsessed with using back in the 1990s.
Suffice to say, Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida is very on-theme for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as it would fit right in the landscape in Burbank, California at Disney’s corporate headquarters. It’s a great building with interesting and engaging architecture, and a distinct SoCal sensibility. It’s a shame the space is not open to guests, as it’s nicer than several of the buildings that are actually inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s a special and historic place, especially now that the movies that were made here are seemingly gaining greater appreciation.
Along those lines, this tour of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida got me thinking–why not bring back this building’s original purpose of completing animation in Orlando? This building’s use as a working studio was incredibly short-lived, with Disney shuttering its Florida Feature Animation program in 2004.
There were several reasons for that, from the shift to CGI to cutting costs by consolidating the operation in California. I’m sure there were other motivations of which I’m unaware. But I can’t help but think–do those still exist today?
The world has changed a lot in the last two decades, to the point that Imagineering proposed a move of its core creative campus to Lake Nona, Florida. That was abandoned for several reasons, but the shift has nevertheless happened, with Florida now having its highest WDI presence, ever. I’m not suggesting that the company move its WDAS headquarters to Florida–but maybe it makes sense to establish a presence in Orlando?
Taking that a step further, maybe that Orlando presence could be used to revive Animation Courtyard with a new-look Magic of Disney Animation and tours of this building?! I don’t actually think this will happen–and it seems far-fetched to even suggest that the studios park return to being a studios park–but I’d love to see it happen. And I think the circumstances have changed such that it’s at least plausible and worth discussing.
As for what I actually think will happen–Animation Courtyard is destined to become a massive land that materially grows the footprint of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and makes the park easier to navigate. It’s not a question of if, but when. Barring a major recession, my guess is sometime in the 2030s.
What the company has announced thus far is essentially the 5-Year Plan for Walt Disney World, and leadership previously stated that spending would be “backloaded” into the second half of the decade (so 2030-2035). If you think about it, this makes sense. Tropical Americas is a reimagining plus one major new ride that’ll land somewhere between the Little Mermaid dark ride and Mystic Manor in terms of ambitiousness.
Monstropolis is a reimagining, plus dusting off the decades-old plans for the Monsters Doors Coaster. As discussed above, it should be efficient in repurposing Grand Avenue. The jury is still out on the Piston Peak Cars Land, which is more accurately a subsection of Frontierland and will feature a major attraction along with a flat ride. Then there’s Villains Land, which should have a blockbuster budget…but might be part of the second half of the 10-year plan.
There are a ton of rumors swirling for what’s next, all with varying degrees of veracity. The only one I’ve heard credibly from multiple sources is that Animation Courtyard is on the chopping block. Even without credible sources, you probably could’ve guessed that. Animation Courtyard is like the wing of a mall where Sears went out of business in 1998. It’s been prime for redevelopment for over a decade.
Less reliably, I’ve also heard that Animation Courtyard’s replacement is an ambitious concept and has already been greenlit internally. I’ve hinted at this in other posts, suggesting that it’s a land once floated for Animal Kingdom expansion that would also work (or rather, would only actually work) in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Honestly, I’m not sure I buy the “already greenlit” part of this. That’s because it’s also my understanding that there aren’t any major announcements coming in 2025. That Disney shot its shot at the last D23 Expo, and the next major event will be the 2026 D23 Expo, more or less skipping Destination D23. And honestly, this might be premature even for 2026, as literally nothing from the last slate will have opened by then.
Longtime Disney fans will tell you that no announcement is certain if it’s multiple years into the future. The most consistent thing about unannounced ‘second phase’ projects is that they get quietly cancelled. Or that something better comes along to take their place. Heck, I’m skeptical of projects that are officially announced but have a time horizon 3+ years into the future!
The easiest example of this is Frozen. There was a lot in development and on the precipice of announcement (including the mythical Journey into Imagination 4.0) that got put on hold when Frozen Fever swept the globe. Say what you will about that movie and its omnipresence, but Frozen Fever sure beat COVID.
Fast-forward 12 years, and we have a decade-old replacement of Maelstrom, along with one standalone land (featuring a modernized version of that reimagined ride) and another full Frozen land on the way, plus Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea–and that was almost Scandinavia. Suffice to say, we are one Frozen-level smash hit away from whatever is planned for Animation Courtyard changing completely. That is, assuming Disney is still capable of creating original smash successes, and the jury is out on that one!
(While I was writing this, Disney announced “Lilo & Stitch 2.” It would be a fitting full-circle moment if Feature Animation Florida is replaced by a land based on that franchise.)
Much more plausible is that the Walt Disney Company has a leadership change in between now and whenever the Animation Courtyard replacement gets announced. Bob Iger has already announced he’s retiring in late 2026, and his successor will be named by the beginning of next year.
New CEOs and Parks Chairman love to make their mark by changing things up, which is one reason why I’m not completely convinced the officially announced Pandora ‘experience’ in Disney California Adventure is going to happen. While I’m confident that Walt Disney World’s announced projects are set in stone, I definitely don’t feel that way about the rumored-but-unannounced ones.
If Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar has a huge hit around the time Josh D’Amaro becomes CEO, it is very easy to see him changing the Animation Courtyard plan to that. Here’s hoping Imagineers are already working on Gatto-land, and we’re treated to our first immersive area at Walt Disney World featuring feral cats. Be sure to book your Lightning Lane Single Pass for the rabies shot activation.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Did you enjoy this rare look at Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida? What do you think will happen to this building backstage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Will this still be standing in another decade? Would you like to see the Florida studio revived and the Magic of Disney Animation return? Or would you prefer a blockbuster new land that connects Toy Story Land to Sunset Boulevard? 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!
The inside of the building is just gorgeous!! I want to tour it so bad now that I’ve seen these photos. (I’ve always loved the archway at the entrance!) They should turn the entire building into a museum with screening rooms, shops, and a cafeteria. They could even have drawing classes like Animal Kingdom. (The retro look is coming back!!) Plus it would be an excellent way to escape the summer heat/ rain and re-energize so you don’t want to leave halfway through the day. 😀
I attended a Disney Institute leadership summit at WDW a few years ago, and one of the field excursions was to HS. Our bus broke down on the way to collect us, and while we waited backstage on another one, we were granted access to this building to escape the heat and use the facilities. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I’m glad I got to see it!
I used to work in Feature Animation only a few years ago right through the door next to the Elvis photo. It’s such an amazing building with history and character, I’d be devastated if they demolished it. You can hear Tower of Terror screams or Toy Story Land depending on what side of the building you’re in.
Out of curiosity, what was the premise for giving this extended tour of the facility? I love Disney but I’m not naive enough to believe there was no purpose to this in depth view. Or is this just a Seinfeld-esque “Stickin’ It” to those of us with no such access?
It would be a tragedy to lose this building to more theme park crap. Period. And I have friends who have offices in it. There is no sense of history in this company (please, don’t tell me about the D23 opium for the fans events). And they destroy things that realistically can never be brought back, like FW for a giant timeshare tower or Frontierland for Cars and Villains.
I don’t get the company, but I haven’t since Iger took over and he’s never leaving.
Oh, and, no, Wakanda isn’t replacing the FAF facility if/when it goes. That’s just a fun cast rumor.
I learned long ago that both Disney Parks & Universal Parks aren’t interested in preserving history but always building new things that replace old things. Same goes for the city of Las Vegas. A lot of what we loved about that city when visiting around the turn of the millennium is gone now or overshadowed by new developments.
Disney’s disdainful attitude towards preserving history could be seen in a tongue in cheek way on the now ironically extinct Streets of America at Hollywood Studios. Part of the New York street had signs up from a fictional historical society that said, “Making your tax dollars history!” as though Disney thought preserving history a useless waste of money.
I hope you’re wrong about the CEO
I used to work at Hollywood Studios for many years. The rumor I heard from legitimate higher ups is that they were talking about a Pixar Pier clone put beside Rock’n Roller Coaster and it would have an entrance and or partially be done in Animation Courtyard. With the Muppets being put in now I see the writing is on the wall. That space back there is going to be moved on more quickly to make a land back there. The only issue is that they have a lot of logistical buildings back there. And not that far back they also have a huge cooling plant. So there is a reality that the 4 story building will not be torn down. But the animation building and the huge Cast break room behind the Brown Derby will be torn down to open up the space. The issue there too is the Brown Derby building has three uses. The restaurant, the Disney kids show, and Club 33 all share the same building. Now the show stage portion could partially be torn down. But it raises a lot of concerns. Either way there are plans on what to do back there. And they involve the cast break room going away and opening up the Hollywood side of the park up even more and not just having it be one long stretch of walking path.
I loved the old Animation Courtyard! It was so interactive. We got to sit at desks and learn how to draw a character from a real animator!
Sorcerer Mickey roamed around and interacted with you. Some new characters had meet and greets there.
It would be amazing to bring that back. I also think bringing a true animation studio back to Florida would be great! My youngest daughter wants to be a Disney animator one day and dreams to be in Florida not California.
Sometimes the good old stuff lets you connect deeper with your family on a trip and have a deeper appreciation for all of the people who make the magic happen
Chris
While I’d be the first to say this park is desperate for more family rides, I wish Disney would also bring back opportunities for kids to have those “ah, so that’s how they did that” moments. A core memory for me at around age 6, circa 1982, was being antsy to see the Jungle Cruise animals I had loved so much on a trip two years earlier. I was giddy as the ride started, but then jolted in shock and embarrassment at suddenly realizing that the animals weren’t real! That momentary dismay shifted instantly to a need to know, “HOW DO THEY DO THAT???” Epcot’s edutainment was a dream come true for a kid like me, and the studios tour met that need in a totally different way. They had me hooked, not only because WDW was fun, but because I felt more worldly, more connected to grown up ideas and possibilities while I was there. I genuinely believe that engaging our brains in different ways inspires a deeper loyalty than merely providing physical thrills. (An gross oversimplification of the current park experience, I know, but just go with me here!)
I feel like your comment summed up something I couldn’t! Totally agree that the behind the scenes stuff at MGM studios and the edutainment at Epcot really scratched certain itches in my growing brain as a kid. It’s sad all of that stuff is gone.
Amen!
We were at WDW the year Disney-MGM opened. It was MAGICAL! It had heart and soul with the Backlot Tours Ride, The Great Movie Ride, Indiana Jones, the sound effects show, and the behind the scenes look at not just the animators, but the costumers and tv sound stages as well. It was our favorite park because it embodied (and showed) how the magic of Disney began. That’s the problem with HS now. There’s no heart. There’s nothing that ties it all together. It’s just a bunch of pockets dedicated to different movie franchises. Yeah, there are a couple of cool rides, but there’s no cohesion or overarching vision like in the beginning. That’s what they need to fix.
100% agree with you!
I really wish the Magic of Disney Animation would return to Hollywood Studios! As someone who’s always been super fascinated about what goes on behind the scenes of movies/TV shows, my 90s memories of Disney-MGM Studios (and Nickelodeon Studios at Universal!) are pure magic, even if a lot of it was ultimately fake. I understand that the park never really worked as a functioning studio, but they’ve gotten so far away from where they started. (Which maybe would be fine, if they renamed it and the entire park weren’t designed to look like old Hollywood.) A tour of a working animation studio along with a dark ride through the history of Disney’s movies (both animated and major live action films like Mary Poppins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, etc) a la Great Movie Ride would be so fitting and so much fun for all ages. I feel like imagineers could dream up some great, interesting things pertaining to Disney animation and history, and those attractions would be timeless. But instead I’m sure we’ll get another land based on a single movie/franchise that may or may not age well.
The thing that really sucks about whole chunks of the parks devoted to certain movies/franchises is that so much real estate and budget is devoted to something that doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone. We don’t hate Toy Story, Star Wars, or Monsters Inc, but man, I wish those three things didn’t take up half the park.
“The Magic of Disney Animation” was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, attraction in the history of Walt Disney World. The side-splitting hilarity of the opening movie with Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite, being able to watch animators at work, and the final feature film montage were absolutely mesmerizing. There’s been nothing like it before or since.
I remember that film, & being pleased that me & my parents were able to recognize Robin Williams when his back was still to the camera. They had a lot of odd team-ups in their behind-the-scenes tours back then, though the only other one I remember was Mel Gibson & PeeWee Herman. But after Aladdin came out, the animation studios tour’s intro film became embarrassing because it was all about Robin getting to become an animated character, in this case one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, & that was made obsolete both by him voicing Genie in Aladdin & also playing Peter Pan in “Hook”. I remember on one visit wanting to skip that section of the tour & just see the montage movie, which was emotionally intense & could move anyone to tears, but the cast member wouldn’t let me so I just skipped the whole attraction.
I remember the animation studio as one of the highlights of my early visits to Disney MGM Studios and watching the artists sketch the images and the ink and painters paint the cels fascinated me. The gift shop it had was one of the best in all DW; it contained unique and one-of-a-kind art and items not found anywhere else. I looked forward to time spent there and merchandise bought in that shop. So, loss of that took some of the magic out of that park for me. That said, I think animation deserves a presence in the park since animation is what made all of it possible. And it’s one of the few purely Disney elements in the park but perfectly included in a Hollywood park since that is Disney’s place in Hollywood. So I got one would love to see a revitalization of the animation attraction other so-called Animation Courtyard. What form that could take is open to development, but this would add a major element the park had but squandered. A dark ride through all the Disney animated films or through the process of creating animated films using Disney characters could be a possibility, but this ought to be something Disney can imagineer.
The fate of Animation Courtyard is like Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. They can’t just bring themselves to fix it. I remembered walking through the halls when it was still Disney/MGM in the studio’s backstage tour. Despite all the great or not great memories, they need to just completely demolish it and start over, but not like EPCOT central plaza, Rivers of America, and DCA’s Hollywood Backlot. Can’t they make the right decision? Not likely lately.
I won’t venture a guess on what’s going to happen as I was thoroughly wrong on anything Monstropolis. I just despise dead mall spaces. Especially in a park that is claimed to be short on space. Leaving AC for studio tours would be cool – if there was an actual studio to tour. Not so much touring a dusty museum and left-over Milton in storage room B. What is there now just seems depressing and should make way for something else. Can’t get much worse.
This all comes down to a simple set of questions someone (anyone) in leadership should have asked–are the replacement plans better, more compelling, and more exciting than what they replace. If the answer is dubious, it should lead to a no-go decision. Also, someone needs to look at the time horizon and ask the question–will these changes lead to a significantly degraded experience and value across all parks for our “friends” (customers for the average human being, not something akin to having cast members call us all comrade). It’s like the dept of transportation working on every road–simultaneously–in an area that will deliver the maximum impact and inconvenience, leaving no alternative paths around the construction. It certainly seems like someone said–well, if we’re going to do all these projects, let’s blow it all up and get it over with–delivering the maximum impact to the comrades (sorry, “friends”) cost and experience of a DW vacation.
Except that what DW has delivered over the last few years has been abysmal. I can’t help walking past what used to be the fountains in EPCOT and asking (rhetorically, of course), what were the thinking? Someone actually thought: wow, this is so much better than what it replaced!?
Eh, if you add up all of the construction projects that will be underway by late 2025, I still don’t think that even approaches the negative guest impact of just the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit.
I also think that the answer to your first questions, at least among the average guest, would be a fairly unequivocal yes. Different answer among diehard fans, at least with regard to the MK and DHS projects, but we’re not always the target demo.
Definitely agree about World Celebration/CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT. A lateral move at best, and one that took embarrassingly long (and way too much money) to complete.
Back in the day they used to film TV shows there. Silly things like You Asked For It Again.
Yes! I watched a filming of Let’s Make a Deal there as a teenager sometime around 1990.
It is a great building, and backstage areas are needed, but HS has a ton of backstage areas that are not park related, with all of it being able to be moved into the area on and around the Starcruiser failure. Animation Courtyard is not a dead-end; but the inevitable entrance to a greatly expanded HS, with the park needing that expansion more than any other. When Star Wars land was being built, I felt that they were making a mistake in not expanding the park into the parking area between it and the canal, and I feel that they’ve done the same mistake with Monstropolis, where that rough crescent, from the end of the cast services building to where Cypresss Drive enters the parking lot, screams “EXPAND HERE!”
Ditto much of the office space in the backlot area. Theoretically, you could move all of that to the Starcruiser land strip, but realistically, the non-park offices could be moved to a different campus. When it was a studio park, those offices made sense, but it’s not that kind of park anymore.
None of what I discuss is going to happen soon, but despite all the work that’s been done on Hollywood Studios, it remains the park with the most work to do, the park most in need of expansion and elbow room. At some point, someone is going to take the plunge, rework the cast parking and support areas and ditch the offices not needed to run the park, or move those to the Starcruiser area. It should have been done with the Star Wars rework and Monstropolis was another opportunity missed. Of course, it’s not my money, but with the billions scheduled to come, it’s a good time to work on future plans for the southern and Northern areas to expand HS.
I think there’s a very good chance that everything you’re describing happens within the next decade. Again, barring a recession or other catastrophic world event.
IIRC Disney has until 2028 to develop the Lake Nona land. That was to be a creative campus not just for WDI, but for other positions in Parks & Resorts. It’ll probably make sense to revive that within the next couple of years. And it wouldn’t be as controversial this time, as Disney has already staffed-up organically, as opposed to a forced relocation.
I think you’re spot on Paul.
Just got to google map and view Studios with a satellite view. It painfully obvious how the Animation Courtyard is the entrance you speak of. It becomes hard not to see and get excited about all that backstage space becoming park lands and connecting Sunset Boulevard and/or the RNR Courtyard. It’s clearly a massive undertaking and why I’m not upset they chose to put Monsters where they did. That gravity building would have entirely closed off the Animation Courtyard connection to the rest of the backstage areas yet to be developed.
As someone who once wanted to be an animator, I fondly remember watching the artists work on Mulan during my first Disney World trip in the 90s. I can’t imagine that use for the building being revived, as cool as it would be.
As for Animation Courtyard’s eventual replacement, I kind of hope it isn’t what is rumored/suggested by strategic photo placements in this post. Or if that is what they go with, it is not a direct clone of the existing land; adding 1 E-ticket with no supporting attractions is not going to solve Hollywood Studios’ top-heavy ride problem.
Sorry if I missed this, but it seems like the article suggests they don’t animate feature films in the Feature Animation building anymore, and you’re suggesting they should do so. Is that right? Is it just random operations office space now? Or is it basically an empty museum?