Credit: Lee (myfrozenlife), FlickrGuests should pay close attention to the Walt Disney World Resort theme park calendars this summer and fall.
Disney Prohibits Public Access to Hollywood Studios This Month
Guests planning a trip to Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday, August 16, 2025, should be aware of a major schedule adjustment. On that date, the park will close its gates significantly earlier than usual—at 6:00 p.m., a full three hours ahead of the typical 9:00 p.m. close.
As part of this early shutdown, the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! will not be performed, leaving a noticeable gap in the evening entertainment lineup. According to the revised operating hours, Early Entry will run from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with regular park access and Park Hopper availability from 8:30 a.m. until the 6:00 p.m. closure.
While Disney has not provided an official reason for the early exit, similar changes in the past have typically aligned with private events or large-scale buyouts, often tied to corporate functions or exclusive productions. In 2024, Maroon 5 played at the park for a corporate event.
Arriving early is strongly recommended for guests still planning to visit that day, especially for those hoping to make the most of major attractions before the park winds down.
Since Fantasmic! will not be offered, any evening plans relying on the show should be adjusted accordingly. Alternative entertainment, either at another park or at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, may be the best bet for extending the magic into the night.
This early closure is just one piece of a much larger transformation at Hollywood Studios. With major refurbishments and new experiences on the horizon, the park is gradually reshaping its identity as it heads into a new era across 2025 and 2026.
Changes to Park Hours Announced
Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World offer a unique after-dark experience exclusively for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villa Resorts, and select other hotels such as the Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve.
Unlike Early Theme Park Entry, which opens the gates 30 minutes early to all onsite guests, Extended Evening Hours give deluxe-level guests the chance to enjoy up to two extra hours in the parks after regular closing time, with far fewer crowds.
While Magic Kingdom and EPCOT are the most common hosts for these nighttime offerings, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom have also begun participating on select dates, expanding the experience across all four theme parks.
Guests can take advantage of shorter wait times and access to top-tier attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, depending on the night’s park schedule.
Interestingly, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is carrying a lot of the Extended Evening Hours weight this summer and fall, with new dates announced following the news of the August 16 closure. Hollywood Studios will now welcome Extended Evening Hours guests on October 15 from 9 p.m. through 11 p.m. The October 15 date becomes the sixth consecutive Wednesday Hollywood Studios will host the perk after September 10, 17, 24, and October 1 and 8.
Dates and participating parks rotate and are listed on Disney’s official calendar, making it worth planning your itinerary around these extra hours if you’re staying in eligible accommodations.
Hollywood Studios Fails To Exist as Fans Know It
Big changes are coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios this fall, with several long-standing areas closing to make room for new experiences. As part of an overall transformation happening across Walt Disney World Resort, the park as it stands today is about to look very different.
On July 22, Disney Experiences announced that Animation Courtyard, which includes Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance, will close permanently on September 25, 2025. In its place will be The Magic of Disney Animation, a new experience that celebrates the studio’s legacy in storytelling and character creation.
Inspired by the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, the upcoming space will include a short film, animation workshops, character meet-and-greets, and a new indoor play area designed for kids.
As Disney Parks Blog described, “The playful and interactive moments will be around every corner. You’ll see portraits come to life before your eyes just like they did in Once Upon A Studio; you’ll find inspiration with a short film (with a twist, of course); and you’ll even pencil in some time to learn how to draw your very own character sketch.”
To mark the occasion, a familiar symbol is also returning. The sorcerer’s hat once featured as the icon of Hollywood Studios will come back, standing at the entrance to the new animation experience.
The closure of Animation Courtyard is one of several shifts underway at the park. Earlier this year, Disney Experiences closed Grand Avenue, including attractions like Muppet*Vision 3D and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. That space is being transformed into Monstropolis, a new land themed after Monsters, Inc. featuring a suspended roller coaster that recreates the film’s memorable door sequence.
As for the Muppets, their presence at the park will continue in a new location. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is slated for a retheme featuring Jim Henson’s characters. While no exact closure date has been given for the attraction, Disney has shared plans to open the updated experience in 2026.
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro previously stated that “dirt was moving” on projects revealed during D23 Expo 2024, and that’s proving true across the resort. From one park to the next, the landscape is shifting to bring in new characters and stories.
At Hollywood Studios, the pace of change means that by the time 2026 arrives, the park will feel completely refreshed. With Grand Avenue already behind construction walls, the closure of Animation Courtyard this fall, and the upcoming Muppets retheme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, the current version of the park is entering its final season.
These transitions will likely shift more guests toward Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, increasing demand for attractions like Slinky Dog Dash and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
What are you most looking forward to as these changes take shape at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below.