Iconic arch at Disney’s Hollywood Studios demolished
The arch in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been demolished and removed as Imagineers transform the Animation Courtyard area of the park. Photos by @bioreconstruct on X offer a closer look to the ongoing demolition as the site prepares for its 2026 makeover.
The previously announced Animation Courtyard overhaul sparked conversation earlier this year when an iconic archway was missing from the concept art. Now, the Disney’s Hollywood Studios archway is no more as it has since been demolished.
Just a week prior, the site of the former Star Wars Launch Bay and “Disney Junior Play and Dance!” was surrounded by construction walls preparing for the reimagining of the space.
All that remains is leftover footers used for the arch, in favor of a more open-air entrance when the space reopens next year.
The demolition doesn’t stop at the arch. Signage from Star Wars Launch Bay has been removed and the space of the former courtyard is taken up by dumpsters filled with rubble. Signage on the “Disney Junior Play and Dance!” entrance and show building remains for now.
A new area dubbed “The Walt Disney Studios” will replace the current Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla., in 2026. The area’s architecture will resemble the real Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif.
Artwork courtesy of Disney
The now-removed arch opened with the park in 1989. It previously displayed signage reading “Disney-MGM Studios” and was overhauled in recent years to reflect the park’s name change to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
When the park opened, the archway divided the working studio facilities from the fantasy version of Hollywood that “never was and will always be” (as stated by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner when dedicating the park).
The archway was then changed to reflect the park’s name change. Through the archway, you can see the former “The Magic of Disney Animation” building, which is now coming back to its former home to replace Star Wars Launch Bay (which permanently closed Sept. 25, 2025).
Photo by Matt Roseboom
In 2019, the archway was stripped of all of its character and received a new paint job when the park’s logo changed for its 30th anniversary.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
Concept art released in July 2025 shows what the reimagined area will look like. The entrance to “The Walt Disney Studios” area is in the same spot as the former entrance to Animation Courtyard, with the archway missing. The new open-air entrance looks like it will allow for higher guest traffic.
Artwork courtesy of Disney
Looking closer, it seems the new area at Hollywood Studios will also have a replica of Pluto’s Corner, an intersection at the real Walt Disney Studios in Burbank featuring a fire hydrant for Pluto and a directional sign for Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive.
Photo by Blake Taylor
Back when Mickey Avenue was an area of Hollywood Studios (the theme park), a similar sign existed, but substituted Minnie for Dopey. (“Minnie Lane” simply led backstage.)
The new Walt Disney Studios area, sans archway, is set to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2026. Are you looking forward to this change? Stay tuned to Attractions Magazine for more news on what’s coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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