Hollywood Studios Just Became Disney's Most Exciting Park Overnight

Hollywood Studios Unleashes Its Biggest Week in Years

Something remarkable is happening at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In the span of a single week, the park is opening a new land, debuting a reimagined headliner coaster, and launching an upgraded Smugglers Run mission that introduces technology no Disney attraction has used before. Any one of these would be a headline. All three arriving together makes this the most consequential stretch for Hollywood Studios since Galaxy's Edge opened in 2019.

The Walt Disney Studios Lot, which replaces the former Animation Courtyard, soft opened on May 20 with its courtyard area now accessible to guests. BlogMickey reports that the new mini-land takes its design cues directly from the real Walt Disney Studios campus in Burbank, California. Existing buildings have been repainted and dressed with architectural details inspired by their real-world counterparts. The building housing The Little Mermaid now carries Studio Theater branding, and the courtyard features a recreation of Pluto's Corner, the beloved intersection of Mickey Ave and Dopey Drive from the actual lot. According to BlogMickey, character handprints, footprints, and pawprints are embedded in the pavement in front of The Magic of Disney Animation building, a nod to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. A Silly Symphony mural graces the area as well, referencing the series of 75 Disney animated shorts that began with The Skeleton Dance in 1929.

MickeyBlog captured what happens to the space after dark. The Sorcerer Mickey hat atop the Animation Building illuminates with twinkling lights at sunset, creating a visual anchor for the courtyard that transforms the area into something genuinely atmospheric in the evening hours.

Disney Parks Blog confirms the broader plan. Opening May 26, the courtyard officially becomes "The Walt Disney Studios," with Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! debuting the same day in the soundstage that previously housed Disney Jr. Play and Dance!. The bigger reveal is what comes later. In late summer 2026, the former Star Wars: Launch Bay space will become The Magic of Disney Animation, an experience where, as Disney Parks Blog describes it, "the animators have temporarily stepped away… but the building is still buzzing with activity as the characters have come to life and they're ready to play." The building will feature a Sorcerer Hat topper modeled after the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank.

Then there is Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, which WDW News Today confirms has officially taken over from the Aerosmith version at Hollywood Studios. MickeyBlog attended a special preview event that included a live performance by The Electric Mayhem, appearances from Kermit, Pepe, Bean Bunny, Rizzo, and Scooter, and a surprise cameo from John Stamos. The attraction's official public debut is May 26, aligning with the Walt Disney Studios Lot opening for a coordinated one-two punch.

And the Smugglers Run overhaul, which we will get to below, ties the entire week to the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22. Hollywood Studios is executing a strategy that treats the park itself as a storytelling platform synchronized with Disney's biggest film release of the summer. Such coordination between Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and park operations is rare.

The Parks

The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run update deserves its own spotlight because of how fundamentally it changes the attraction. Disney Experiences published a detailed look at the creative process, and the scope is larger than a simple overlay. Asa Kalama, Executive of Creative and Interactive Experiences at Walt Disney Imagineering, explained that the team upgraded the core technology from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, along with new compute hardware and the latest Nvidia graphics cards. The result is a visual fidelity leap that enabled Imagineering to rethink how the adventure unfolds.

Three new missions have been added starring Din Djarin and Grogu. Disney Food Blog details one mission that takes guests to Tatooine to capture a pirate and two imperial officers. But the structural change is more significant than the narrative one. Engineers, long the least engaging crew position, now have a Grogu cam for real-time communication with the character and get to choose the Falcon's destination. Disney Food Blog notes that potential destinations include Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor, and the newly announced city-planet Coruscant. That crew-choice mechanic is new to the attraction and, as Kalama told Disney Experiences, reflects a deliberate push to "really increase" the sense of agency for every seat in the cockpit.

AllEars confirmed it rode the updated version at Disneyland, and Disney Experiences notes the update is rolling out at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Kalama emphasized that conversations began early with director Jon Favreau and Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni. "For the first time ever, we're allowing people the opportunity to on the same day, go to the movie and then later come down to the park and actually go on an adventure ride alongside them," Kalama said. That day-and-date synchronization between a theatrical release and an attraction update is unprecedented at this scale in park history.

Elsewhere in the parks, WDW News Today reports that Walt Disney World has updated its complimentary hotel amenities for families with young children. The same outlet notes that a new loading procedure at Expedition Everest has made the single rider wait time significantly longer than it used to be. And at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tropical Americas construction continues with more entrance structure steel and steady progress, per WDW News Today.

Planning your Disney trip? Download Lightning Brain from the App Store or visit lightningbrain.app to optimize every minute of your park day.

Over at Disneyland, several projects are in motion. WDW News Today reports that construction walls have gone up at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree and around Plaza Inn. A covered sign and bronze spires have been added to a mystery structure near Edelweiss Snacks. And a complimentary Youngling Saber Building Expo is coming to Savi's Workshop at Disneyland, alongside a complimentary Mickey's Park Rangers Activity Book for summer 2026. The DisInsider reports that Disneyland has revealed its "Ultimate Summer" plans for 2026, which include discounted tickets, hotel deals, late-night entertainment, and character experiences.

Disney Tourist Blog highlights that Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin has received a significant recharge at Walt Disney World, arguing it now makes a case as the resort's top interactive dark ride.

On the water, Disney Cruise Line is refreshing entertainment across its fleet for summer. Lightning Brain's cruise digest reports that Alaska sailings aboard the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic will receive dedicated Frozen-themed enhancements, while a new Pirates in the Caribbean experience updates the beloved Pirate Night tradition with new music, refreshed choreography, and potentially new character interactions.

The Screen

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opens in theaters and IMAX on May 22, and D23 published an extensive behind-the-scenes feature that frames the film's ambitions. Director Jon Favreau describes it as a standalone adventure designed to welcome new audiences while honoring longtime fans. Pedro Pascal notes that the father-son dynamic between Mando and Grogu has deepened considerably. "Through their incredible adventures, they have become deeply bonded to one another," Pascal told D23. "Mando has now placed his focus on protecting his son and preparing him for the future." The film also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White, with music by Ludwig Goransson.

Favreau connects the story to something personal. "As a dad, it taps into the sense of the hero as a protector," he told D23. "You're trying to create a safe world that you're leaving behind for the next generation." Dave Filoni adds that the apprenticeship dynamic, one generation teaching the next, is the film's emotional spine.

The Mandalorian and Grogu's cross-platform footprint extends well beyond theaters and theme parks. The Walt Disney Company announced a collaboration with Epic Games to bring the story into Fortnite. The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island is now live in the game, offering a 10-minute sneak peek of the film, quests, and interactions with characters like Marshall IG-11. Lucasfilm and Epic also introduced the official Star Wars Toolkit, described as the largest IP toolset in Fortnite, enabling creators to build original Star Wars experiences for the first time. An exclusive Q&A with Favreau, answering questions submitted by the Fortnite community, goes live on May 26.

Meanwhile, WDW News Today reports that Toy Story 4 is getting a primetime ABC airing ahead of Toy Story 5, and new character posters for Toy Story 5 introduce a character named Lilypad alongside Woody, Jessie, and Buzz.

The Vault

The Walt Disney Studios Lot at Hollywood Studios is worth pausing on from an Imagineering philosophy standpoint. BlogMickey notes that the former Animation Courtyard dated back to the park's original 1989 opening. The Hollywood Studios archway that had long welcomed guests into the area was demolished as part of the transformation, removing a meaningful piece of park history in service of a new creative direction.

The replacement concept, a recreation of the Burbank studio lot, is an unusual move for a theme park. Most Disney lands transport guests to fictional worlds or historical fantasias, but this one transports them to a real place where real artists make the films guests love. The Reluctant Dragon, the 1941 film that sent Robert Benchley on a self-guided tour of the Burbank studio, is specifically referenced in the Pluto's Corner installation, according to BlogMickey. This deep archival pull is the kind of detail that separates Imagineering's work from generic themed entertainment.

WDW News Today reports that former Disney CEO Bob Iger was honored with a New York arts and culture award. And in a smaller but charming note, WDW News Today mentions that Pinocchio and Geppetto, Meeko, and other characters made rare appearances at Hollywood Studios, a reminder that the park's character program continues to rotate in surprises that reward guests who pay attention.

The Smugglers Run technology upgrade also deserves a place in the Imagineering record book. Moving an operating attraction from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, with new Nvidia hardware, while simultaneously adding branching narrative paths and crew-choice mechanics, is a fundamental rearchitecting of how a marquee attraction works, performed on a live ride system at two resorts simultaneously. Asa Kalama told Disney Experiences that the team spent extensive time in early conversations with Favreau and Filoni doing "narrative work to understand how all these things connect, and how they all feel like they're a part of one broad cohesive story." That approach, story first, technology in service of story, is the oldest principle in the Imagineering playbook, now running on the newest hardware money can buy.

Sources

BlogMickey · MickeyBlog · MickeyBlog · Disney Parks Blog · WDW News Today · Disney Experiences · Disney Food Blog · AllEars · D23 · Walt Disney Company · Disney Tourist Blog · Lightning Brain · The DisInsider