Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios

Animation Courtyard is a short cul-de-sac to the right of the Chinese Theatre, built around the old animation studio building. For its first fifteen years there was a working animation department behind the glass here, and several Disney features were partly produced in this building. That ended in 2004 and the tour closed in 2015.

What operates now are three indoor experiences that almost nobody queues for. Walt Disney Presents is a museum corridor of original artifacts, park models and artwork ending in a small theater; it is the best free thirty minutes at Hollywood Studios for anyone over about twelve and there is never a wait. Star Wars Launch Bay is a prop hall with queued character greetings, and it is the reliable alternative when the roaming encounters in Galaxy's Edge do not materialize. Disney Junior Play and Dance is a participatory show for preschoolers in an air-conditioned room.

There is no dining in this land at all, which is worth planning around. The nearest food is on Hollywood Boulevard or at Sunset Ranch Market, both a few minutes away.

Treat Animation Courtyard as the park's release valve. When a headliner goes down, when the heat becomes a problem, or when a small child needs to sit somewhere cool, this is where you go, and you will not queue to do it.

Do not miss

Walt Disney Presents, with original artifacts and a theater that runs continuously
Star Wars Launch Bay, the queued alternative for guaranteed character photos
Disney Junior Play and Dance, one of the few attractions here for children under 32 inches
The shortest waits anywhere in the park, at any hour

Animation Courtyard tips

The theater at the end of Walt Disney Presents is air conditioned, has real seats and runs on a loop; nobody counts how long you stay.
There is no food in this land. Eat before you come in or plan to walk back out to Sunset Ranch Market.
When a headliner goes down and the app shows every wait spiking, this is the corner of the park that does not change.
Repeat visitors: the display cases in Walt Disney Presents are rotated as items go out for conservation, so it is not the same exhibition you saw five years ago.

Attractions in Animation Courtyard

Walt Disney Presents

Any height

Walkthrough · 30 min

A self-paced museum of Walt Disney's career with original artifacts, park models and a short film, and the quietest room in the park.

This is a walk-through exhibition covering Walt Disney's life and the company's history, running from early animation through the theme parks. It contains genuinely significant objects: original artwork, awards, a scale model of a Disneyland attraction, letters, and the desk-and-office material that most Disney fans have only seen photographed.

Tips for Walt Disney Presents

There is never a wait. This is the reliable fallback when a ride goes down and you need somewhere to be for thirty minutes.
The theater at the end is air conditioned with real seats and runs continuously, which makes it the best free sit-down in the park.
The preview area near the front changes and is not the point. Walk past it if the current preview does not interest you; the permanent exhibition is behind it.
Do not bring a child under eight expecting them to engage. Pair this with the Disney Junior show next door and split the party.
Repeat visitors: the display cases are rotated periodically as items go out on loan or into conservation, so a case you remember may hold something different now.

Full guide to Walt Disney Presents →

Disney Junior Play and Dance!

Any height

Stage show · 20 min · Multi Pass

A 20-minute interactive dance party for preschoolers with Disney Junior characters, in an air-conditioned theater with an open floor.

This is a live show built for children roughly two to seven: a host leads dancing and games, Disney Junior characters appear, bubbles and streamers come out, and the whole room is encouraged to move. There is no seating in the traditional sense; families sit or stand on an open floor and children go to the front.

Tips for Disney Junior Play and Dance!

Send children forward and stand at the back. The room is designed for that split and the sightlines work from anywhere.
It is genuinely one of the few Hollywood Studios attractions for a child under 32 inches, which makes it a scheduling anchor rather than a filler.
The character lineup rotates and is not published far in advance, so check the app the morning of if a specific character matters.
There is no seating. If standing for twenty minutes is a problem, sit on the floor with everyone else or use a wheelchair space at the side.
Repeat visitors: this show has been restaged more than once under different names in the same theater, so the format you remember from a previous trip may not be the current one.

Full guide to Disney Junior Play and Dance! →

Star Wars Launch Bay

Any height

Walkthrough · 20 min

An indoor Star Wars exhibition hall with film props, replicas and queued character greetings, and almost always the shortest line in the park.

Launch Bay opened in 2015 in the old animation building and it has been quietly useful ever since. It is a large, cool, dim hall containing film props and replicas, a screening room, and separate rooms where you queue to meet Star Wars characters with a PhotoPass photographer.

Tips for Star Wars Launch Bay

This is where you go if a child specifically wants a guaranteed photo with a named Star Wars character. Galaxy's Edge encounters are better but entirely unpredictable.
The character lineup rotates. Check the app the morning of if a particular character is the point of the visit.
The prop hall is genuinely worth ten minutes on its own, and it is empty most of the day while every ride queue nearby runs over an hour.
Repeat visitors: the exhibition contents have been revised several times since 2015 as new films arrived, so the props you saw on a previous trip are unlikely to all still be there.

Nearby

Disney's Hollywood Studios map See where this land sits All attractions Every ride in Disney's Hollywood Studios Hollywood Boulevard The entrance street, running from the turnstiles to a full-scale replica of the Chinese Theatre at the far end. Echo Lake A small lake ringed by 1940s roadside architecture, holding two of the park's three best live shows.