Disney’s Hollywood Studios is about to look noticeably different, and guests only have a few more weeks to wait before one of the park’s biggest transformations officially makes its debut.After years of closures, replacements, construction walls, and questions about what Disney planned to do with Animation Courtyard, the company has finally put a date on the next major chapter for this section of the park.Credit: Ken Lund, FlickrThe Magic of Disney Animation is scheduled to officially open on September 14, 2026.That means we are now less than a month away from Disney changing a section of Hollywood Studios that has been part of the park for decades.Disney’s own Walt Disney World listing confirms both the September 14 opening date and that the experience will be located in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney describes the new destination as a place where its characters and stories will surround guests while celebrating the history of Disney animation.For longtime Hollywood Studios visitors, however, this is about more than adding another attraction.It represents another major shift in what this theme park is supposed to be.September 14 Will Bring a Major Change to Hollywood StudiosHollywood Studios has gone through more identity changes than perhaps any other Walt Disney World theme park.The park that longtime visitors remember was heavily tied to the idea of stepping behind the scenes of movies and television. Over the years, that concept gradually disappeared as Disney moved toward immersive lands and attractions based on individual franchises.Animation Courtyard was one of the remaining pieces of that older identity.Now, Disney is changing it again.Credit: DisneyThe reimagined area takes inspiration from the Walt Disney Animation Studios campus in Burbank, California. Rather than simply giving the existing courtyard a cosmetic refresh, Disney is building the area around the idea of stepping onto an animation studio lot.The previous report on the project notes that the reimagined courtyard draws inspiration from Once Upon a Studio (2023), the Disney short that brought characters together inside the real animation studio. The new Florida area incorporates elements inspired by the Burbank campus while creating a more relaxed, family-oriented setting.The centerpiece of that transformation arrives September 14.The Magic of Disney Animation Is Almost HereThe Magic of Disney Animation will give Hollywood Studios something it has been missing in recent years: a large indoor destination built around several different experiences rather than one traditional ride.The building itself takes inspiration from the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in California. Disney is also bringing back one of the most recognizable visual symbols associated with Hollywood Studios history: the Sorcerer Hat.However, this is not simply a recreation of the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat that once stood near the center of the park.Credit: DisneyThe new hat is part of the animation building’s design, mirroring the architectural feature found at the real Walt Disney Animation Studios campus.Once guests step inside, they will find several experiences centered around Disney animation.That includes drawing activities, character interactions, an indoor playground, and a theater experience.For families visiting Hollywood Studios, that could make this building especially important. Much of the park’s current attraction lineup leans toward rides, shows, or experiences with defined start and finish times. The Magic of Disney Animation gives families another place where they can spend time at their own pace.Olaf Will Teach Guests How to DrawOne of the more unusual additions is Olaf Draws.Disney describes the experience as an opportunity for guests to learn how to sketch Disney characters while Olaf serves as a fellow “animator-in-training.” Guests will use pencil and paper while receiving guidance designed around the process of drawing a Disney animated character.But this isn’t just Olaf appearing on a screen.Credit: DisneyThe experience features an Audio-Animatronics Olaf positioned at an animator’s desk.Recorded instruction from Disney Animation artists will guide guests through different characters. The previously announced lineup includes Mickey Mouse with director Dan Abraham, Genie with animator Eric Goldberg, Moana with story artist Samantha Vilfort, and Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde with director Byron Howard. Josh Gad also recorded new Olaf dialogue for the attraction.It is a modern spin on something that has deep roots at Hollywood Studios.Drawing Disney characters was once an important part of the park’s animation experiences, and its return gives longtime visitors another connection to what this area represented years ago.Disney Characters Are Getting a New HomeCharacter meet-and-greets will also play a significant role in the new space.Off the Page! will place Disney characters inside environments themed around different parts of the animation process.Rather than having characters simply stand in individual themed rooms, Disney is using the meet-and-greets to introduce guests to different stages of creating an animated production.Credit: DisneyPreviously announced examples include Mulan appearing in a Story setting, Rapunzel surrounded by a Layout environment, Chip ‘n’ Dale representing Hand-Drawn Animation, Donald and Daisy connected to Computer Animation, Goofy in Lighting, and Stitch in Effects.Disney’s official description says each space will focus on a specific portion of the animation process while also providing photo opportunities with Disney characters.That makes the character component more than a collection of meet-and-greets. It ties directly into Disney’s larger plan for the building.Drawn to Wonderland Gives Younger Guests Somewhere to PlayDisney is also making a major investment in younger visitors.Drawn to Wonderland will be an indoor playground inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair’s concept artwork for Alice in Wonderland (1951).Disney’s official description specifically points to Blair’s artwork as the inspiration for the playground.The previously revealed plans go further, describing areas based around the Mad Tea Party, Mad Hatter’s house, Queen of Hearts’ rose garden, and Cheshire Cat’s Tulgey Wood.The indoor location could also make it particularly useful at Walt Disney World, where families regularly need somewhere to escape Florida’s heat and afternoon rain.It also gives Hollywood Studios another experience specifically designed for children who may not meet the height requirements for some of the park’s larger attractions.Disney Is Bringing More Than 100 Years of Animation Into the AreaAnother piece of the September 14 opening will be the Disney Once Upon a Studio Theater.Disney says the theater will screen a short film featuring Mickey Mouse and other characters celebrating more than 100 years of Disney animation.Credit: DisneyThe experience connects directly with the larger theme Disney is creating throughout the area.Instead of treating animation as one small piece of Hollywood Studios, Disney is once again giving it a dedicated destination.That feels particularly significant considering how much Hollywood Studios has changed.Hollywood Studios Has Been Reinvented Again and AgainWhen the park originally opened in 1989, it was Disney-MGM Studios.The original concept was dramatically different from the Hollywood Studios guests visit today. Production facilities and behind-the-scenes entertainment were central to its identity.Over the following decades, Disney gradually moved away from that model.Eventually, Disney-MGM Studios became Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Major sections of the park disappeared or transformed, while entirely new destinations such as Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge changed what guests expected from a day there.Animation Courtyard has now become part of that continuing evolution.Some pieces of the transformed area are already operating. The nearby theater hosts The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, while Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! occupies another soundstage.September 14 brings the centerpiece into the picture.The Countdown Is Officially OnFor guests with Walt Disney World trips planned for late August or early September, timing could make a major difference.Visit before September 14, and The Magic of Disney Animation is not scheduled to be part of your Hollywood Studios day.Visit beginning September 14, and Disney currently plans to have the new destination open.Of course, opening dates at theme parks can always be affected by operational circumstances. But as things stand, Disney itself is advertising September 14 as the official opening date.Credit: rickpilot_2000, FlickrAnd this isn’t a temporary seasonal offering.Disney is permanently reshaping a longstanding section of Hollywood Studios around its animation history.After decades of Hollywood Studios evolving away from the park guests once knew, Disney is taking one piece of its past and rebuilding it for a new generation.In just a few weeks, we’ll finally get to see whether The Magic of Disney Animation can bring some of that animation identity back to Hollywood Studios — while pushing the park into its next era at the same time.The post Confirmed: Disney Will Change “Hollywood Studios” Theme Park After Multiple Decades appeared first on Inside the Magic.