The Magic of Disney Animation will operate on a much shorter day beginning Monday, September 28. Walt Disney World has posted daily hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from that date, down from the 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule the building is running right now. That is a loss of four hours a day, and it lands exactly two weeks after the experience opens to the public.
The Current Hours Belong To A Preview Window
The building at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been in soft opening ahead of its official September 14 debut, with posted hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those hours hold through September 27, with one wrinkle: September 18 and 19 are currently posted with an 8:30 a.m. start, half an hour earlier than the rest of the run.
Disney has not given a reason for the change. There has been no announcement explaining the adjustment, and no indication yet whether the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. window is permanent or seasonal.
What Is Inside The Building
The Magic of Disney Animation is not a single attraction but a set of experiences under one roof, in the space that most recently housed Star Wars: Launch Bay. At Olaf Draws, guests sketch Disney animated characters alongside an Audio-Animatronics figure of Olaf, working through recorded lessons from Walt Disney Animation Studios artists with pencil and paper.
Off the Page places character meet and greets inside recreations of specific animation departments, with the photo opportunity built around each setting. Drawn to Wonderland is an indoor playground for younger guests, built from Mary Blair’s original concept art for Alice in Wonderland. The Disney Once Upon a Studio Theater houses the short film that inspired the whole project, in which Mickey Mouse reunites with characters from across the studio’s history.
Drawing classes and department meet and greets are slower experiences than a ride queue, so a shorter day changes how much of it a family can work through. It also means the building will now open later than the park does and close well before it, so the first and last stretches of a day at Hollywood Studios have to be spent elsewhere.
A Long Road Back To This Corner Of The Park
The original Magic of Disney Animation opened on May 1, 1989, as a working animation studio guests could walk through, and it closed on July 12, 2015. Star Wars: Launch Bay took over the building that December. Animation Courtyard itself was permanently closed on September 25, 2025 to begin the transformation that produced the current version, and Disney confirmed the September 14 opening date in July 2026 alongside first looks at Drawn to Wonderland, Off the Page and Olaf Draws.
Cast member previews began inside the building in early September, and the experience began welcoming guests three days ahead of its announced date, so it has already had a week of real traffic through it before the official opening.
What To Expect
Through September 27, the posted hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the earlier 8:30 a.m. start on those two September dates. From September 28, plan on 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours at Walt Disney World are subject to change, and this one has already moved once.
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