Animation Courtyard is one of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ most important legacy areas, even though its identity has changed dramatically over the years. Located just off Hollywood Boulevard, the area was originally tied to the park’s founding idea as a working movie and animation studio. When Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989, this corner of the park helped sell the promise that guests were not simply watching Disney entertainment, but stepping behind the scenes to see how it was made.
For many longtime visitors, Animation Courtyard is most strongly associated with The Magic of Disney Animation and the former Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida operation. That was the era when real Disney animators worked at the park, contributing to films such as *Mulan*, *Lilo & Stitch*, and *Brother Bear*. The attraction gave guests a look at the animation process, character design, voice work, story development, and the craft behind Disney’s animated films. It was one of the purest expressions of the park’s original mission.
Over time, the area shifted away from actual production and toward character-based entertainment. The Magic of Disney Animation eventually closed, Star Wars Launch Bay moved into the former animation building, and Disney Junior shows helped make the courtyard a major destination for families with younger children. Nearby, Voyage of the Little Mermaid gave the area another long-running stage-show anchor, blending puppetry, live performance, music, and theatrical effects in a compact retelling of the animated film.
That history makes the area’s current transformation especially meaningful. Rather than treating Animation Courtyard as a leftover production-space corridor, Disney has reworked it around the look and spirit of Walt Disney Animation Studios itself. The updated area draws inspiration from the Burbank studio lot, with playful character details, a more relaxed outdoor setting, and new animation-focused experiences designed to reconnect the park with the art form that helped define Disney.
Today, Animation Courtyard’s notoriety comes from both nostalgia and renewal. It represents the original creative promise of Disney-MGM Studios, the later family-entertainment era of Hollywood Studios, and now a return to Disney animation as a physical place guests can explore. In a park increasingly defined by Star Wars, Toy Story, thrill rides, and large franchise lands, Animation Courtyard remains important because it speaks to something more foundational: the artists, characters, and animated stories at the heart of the Disney brand.
Your complete guide to each of the rides, attractions, restaurants and shows, past and present in Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ Animation Courtyard area.
Below is a rundown of everything you can find in this land. click on a listing to find out a ton more details about it.
Disney Junior – Live on Stage! was an interactive children’s show presented inside Soundstage 5 in the Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Designed primarily for preschool-age guests, the approximately 22-minute production combined live hosting, music, sing-alongs, dancing, colorful puppets, and simple theatrical effects. Most families sat together on the floor rather than in traditional … Read more
Disney Junior Dance Party! was an interactive stage show created for the youngest visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Presented inside Soundstage 5 in Animation Courtyard, the attraction traded traditional theater seating for an open dance floor, allowing preschool-age guests to stand, move, sing, and play along with familiar television characters. Parents could sit on the … Read more
Doug Live! was a live stage show that used to take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park (formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios). The show was based on the popular animated TV series “Doug,” which aired on Nickelodeon and later on Disney’s One Saturday Morning programming block. The show debuted in 1999 and was performed … Read more
Here Come the Muppets was a short-lived but historically important live stage show at Disney-MGM Studios. Presented in the theater that later became home to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the attraction brought Jim Henson’s characters into a Disney theme park setting through a combination of full-size walk-around costumes, pre-recorded dialogue, musical performances, and the … Read more
Soundstage Restaurant was an opening-day dining location at Disney-MGM Studios, located in the park’s Animation Courtyard area during the era when the park still leaned heavily into the idea of a working movie and television production facility. It opened on May 1, 1989, and its concept fit perfectly with the park’s original identity: guests were … Read more
Star Wars Launch Bay was a walk-through attraction and character destination in Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Animation Courtyard. Opening on December 1, 2015, it arrived alongside the renewed excitement surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens and gave Walt Disney World a substantial new Star Wars presence while the far more ambitious Galaxy’s Edge was still years … Read more
The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is a live stage show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, located in the former Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater in Animation Courtyard. Officially opened on May 27, 2025, the production is a fully reimagined theatrical retelling of Disney’s 1989 animated classic, replacing the long-running Voyage of the Little … Read more
The Magic of Disney Animation was a beloved attraction located in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that celebrated the artistry and history of Walt Disney Feature Animation. Opening with the park in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, the attraction originally functioned as both a guest experience and a working animation facility, giving visitors a rare … Read more
Voyage of the Little Mermaid was a live stage show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Animation Courtyard, opening on January 7, 1992, when the park was still Disney-MGM Studios. Replacing Here Come the Muppets, the production translated Disney’s 1989 animated hit The Little Mermaid into a compact theatrical experience using live performers, puppetry, animation clips, lasers, … Read more
Walt Disney Presents is a captivating attraction located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This immersive experience takes guests on a journey through the extraordinary life and visionary legacy of Walt Disney himself, offering a unique insight into the man behind the magic. As guests enter the attraction, they are transported back in time to the early … Read more