Credit: DisneyHollywood Studios’ theme for the next couple of years shouldn’t be the movies; instead, Disney should change the park’s theme to construction walls. Much like EPCOT in the years leading up to the opening of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, Hollywood Studios will be overtaken by construction walls for the next few years as the park undergoes a significant transformation.
When it’s complete, the new Hollywood Studios will look nothing like the park did at the start of the year before these construction projects began, but of all the Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios was the most in need of an upgrade.
Earlier this year, Muppet Courtyard and Muppet Vision 3D were shut down to make way for the new Monsters, Inc. Land, known as Monstropolis. The construction has already started on that project, but Disney has yet to announce a completion date.
The Muppets will be making their way across the park to take over the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster from Aerosmith. The band’s final show will be later this year, and the Muppet takeover will be complete by Summer 2026.
Animation Courtyard and Star Wars: Launch Bay closed at the end of September to make way for the new Magic of Disney Animation. That transformation will be complete in 2026.
Now, we have another unannounced closure that will be adding to the construction theme around the park. The live-action Ariel meet-and-greet will close at Walt Disney Presents and move to Echo Lake later this month. On its website, Disney said that the Ariel meet-and-greet will be “temporarily unavailable” within Walt Disney Presents starting October 28.
Disney did not say how long this move would last or if Ariel would eventually return to Walt Disney Presents. That space had previously been occupied by Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc., who would presumably return to the park in Monstropolis.
The animated version of The Little Mermaid has its own show within Hollywood Studios, which makes it seem odd that the park would also have a meet-and-greet with the live-action Ariel, too. Perhaps this is only a temporary move, and Ariel will return to her spot within Walt Disney Presents once the work is complete.
What character would you like to have a meet-and-greet with in Walt Disney Presents? Let us know in the comments.