Credit: gardener41, FlickrDisney’s Hollywood Studios is in the middle of some major changes, but not every project involves a brand-new attraction or an entire land.
Sometimes, Disney changes a familiar corner of the park that guests have walked past for decades.
That’s exactly what’s happening near The Hollywood Brown Derby, where construction is transforming an outdoor area connected to one of Hollywood Studios’ most recognizable restaurants.
After operating in various forms since the park’s earliest years, the space is getting a noticeably different setup. Construction has now reached a point where guests can see one of the biggest additions taking shape.
Disney Is Changing the Area Outside The Hollywood Brown Derby
The Hollywood Brown Derby has been part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios since the park opened as Disney-MGM Studios in 1989.
Designed as a tribute to Hollywood’s famous Brown Derby restaurants, the Disney location has remained one of the park’s signature table-service dining destinations through decades of changes around it.
Now, the restaurant’s exterior is receiving some attention of its own.
Work has continued on the exterior refurbishment, and new framing has been installed for a canopy over the outdoor lounge area.
The framing stretches along the side of the building above the Brown Derby Lounge and extends outward toward the nearby walkway.
That means this isn’t simply a fresh coat of paint or a few minor cosmetic adjustments. Disney is physically changing how this outdoor space will look and function once construction wraps up.
Rolling hedge planters currently prevent guests from entering the construction zone while crews continue working.
A New Canopy Is Taking Over the Outdoor Space
The biggest change is all about something Disney World guests know can be incredibly valuable: shade.
Once finished, the new canopy will cover the outdoor lounge space beside The Hollywood Brown Derby’s main dining room.
That’s a fairly significant improvement for an outdoor dining area in Central Florida.
Canopies removed for the The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge. Part of the exterior refurbishment. pic.twitter.com/C7H1RqUY76
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) July 11, 2026
Hollywood Studios doesn’t have an abundance of comfortable shaded areas, particularly when crowds are heavy and temperatures climb. Creating a more permanently covered lounge space could make this corner of the park much more comfortable throughout the year.
It will also give the exterior a different appearance than guests have grown accustomed to seeing.
For longtime Disney World visitors, that’s another visual change inside a park that already looks dramatically different than it did when Disney-MGM Studios opened 37 years ago.
The Hollywood Brown Derby Is Still Open
Fortunately, guests don’t have to completely say goodbye to The Hollywood Brown Derby while Disney completes the project.
The restaurant’s main dining room remains open for lunch and dinner throughout construction.
Disney has also found a temporary solution for the affected patio.
The patio operation has moved into the former Starring Rolls Bakery space while the refurbishment continues. Guests can currently find a walk-up bar and shaded tables there.
That temporary setup carries some nostalgia of its own.
Starring Rolls Bakery was once a familiar Hollywood Studios stop, and longtime visitors may immediately recognize the location. Disney utilizing that space again, even temporarily, is another example of how older corners of Hollywood Studios continue finding new purposes.
Hollywood Studios Continues To Change
The timing of this refurbishment is particularly interesting because Hollywood Studios is already undergoing a larger period of transformation, with Monstropolis’s opening on the horizon and The Magic of Disney Animation opening in September.
The park has changed enormously since 1989, and Disney continues looking for ways to update existing areas alongside its bigger expansion projects.
The Hollywood Brown Derby remains one of the strongest connections to the park’s original identity. Unlike so many attractions, restaurants, stores, and entertainment offerings that have disappeared over the years, the restaurant continues serving guests nearly four decades later.
That’s what makes changes around it particularly noticeable.
Disney isn’t replacing The Hollywood Brown Derby itself. Instead, the company is replacing the familiar outdoor setup with something designed to offer considerably more coverage and shade.
For guests who spend plenty of time at Hollywood Studios, it could ultimately prove to be a welcome upgrade.
Disney Hasn’t Announced When Construction Will End
For now, guests will continue seeing construction barriers and hedge planters around the lounge while work progresses.
Disney has not announced a completion date for the project.
With the canopy framing already visible, however, guests can finally get a clearer idea of what Disney is creating in the space.
Once construction ends, one of Hollywood Studios’ longest-standing dining areas will have a refreshed exterior and a newly covered outdoor lounge.
The Hollywood Brown Derby may still carry the old-school Hollywood atmosphere that has defined it since 1989, but the area surrounding it isn’t staying frozen in time.
After 37 years, another familiar piece of Hollywood Studios is officially getting a new look.
