After 10 years, Star Wars: Launch Bay in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now permanently closed to be replaced by The Magic of Disney Animation. The surrounding Animation Courtyard and Disney Jr. theater have also closed to be reimagined into a Walt Disney Studios area featuring a new Disney Jr. show. Take a last look at the courtyard, including its iconic archway and attractions.
Last Look at Animation Courtyard
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Archway
With the reimagining of Animation Courtyard, the Disney’s Hollywood Studios archway leading into the courtyard will be demolished. The squared archway had one large entrance and two smaller side entrances with bas-relief panels. It was repainted in 2019 and adorned with the modern Disney’s Hollywood Studios wordmark.
The archway was previously orange-brown and dark teal green. When the park opened, the green tiling created a full archway shape on the front. It later was changed to just be wrapped around the two large columns of the main archway. In 2008, when the park was renamed, the Disney-MGM Studios logo was replaced with a Disney’s Hollywood Studios logo featuring Mickey with a clapboard.
The modern wordmark is just text with sans serif lettering. The archway became light beige and dark blue. But the retro light fixtures and bas-reliefs have remained.
The bas-relief panels depict elements of classic Hollywood. The designs on the sides of each entryway are the same but they have different scenes on top.
Animation Courtyard
After the archway, a walkway on the left lead past The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure to Walt Disney Presents. Both will stay open during the courtyard’s reimagining. However, the former’s theater will be renamed the Studio Theater.
Down the center of the courtyard were red lines in gray pavement. Rows of palm trees led to Star Wars: Launch Bay. The billboards on The Little Mermaid building were periodically changed to advertise different movies and TV shows. Same with the banners on the lampposts, although they more recently related to Get Animated offerings.
The Disney Jr. theater was located on the right. It featured Disney Jr. Mickey and Minnie billboards. From the park’s opening to 1998, this building was the Soundstage Restaurant featuring sets from Disney films.
The last day of performances for Disney Jr. Play and Dance! was May 24, 2025. It was temporarily replaced by the Get Animated! dance party. Disney’s original announcements implied Disney Jr. Play and Dance! might reopen, but it never did.
Outside the theater were character meet and greet spaces. These used to have murals and minimal sets related to the Disney Jr. characters who met there: Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, and Pluto. When Get Animated opened, the Nancy, Doc, and Vampirina moved to Echo Lake but also appeared in the dance party.
The meet and greet spaces got new colorful mural backdrops. Max Goof, Daisy Duck, and Chip ‘n’ Dale met in three of the meet and greet spaces.
The fourth space become a craft area where Clarabelle Cow would appear.
There were picnic tables throughout the space (most were removed when Get Animated ended) and a “Get Animated” mural on the nearby wall of the courtyard.
The Disney Jr. theater exits were kept open for access to the ongoing dance party. The center entrance doors were decorated with paint supply decals.
The Disney Junior Dance Party entrance was covered with Get Animated decorations. The former archway had purple columns with silver bases. A Mickey-shaped element was on top. The name of the show was covered by a “Get Animated with Mickey & Friends” sign and the columns were wrapped with pencil-inspired decals. A ruler and paint squares were put in front of the Lightning Lane tapstiles.
Since the Get Animated dance party was constantly open and didn’t have set showtimes, it didn’t utilize a queue. Picnic tables with umbrellas were added to the queue space instad.
Nearby were a few more picnic tables in front of colorful murals. These were on the windows, doors, and sign of the former Launch Bay Cargo gift shop. A kiosk was set up in the space offering snacks and beverages.
Speaking of shuttered stores, the Studio Store behind The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure had not operated as a shop since 2020. It was sometimes used for special events like Disney Jollywood Nights.
During Get Animated, its windows and doors were also covered in colorful squares.
Restrooms were located next to Star Wars: Launch Bay. The signs had been replaced to match the Star Wars theming, but it still had the retro glass wall outside.
The old Studio Store signage was also still in place.
A Name Works kiosk was in the center of the courtyard. Here, guests could get custom artwork of their name. Name Works also usually appears at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
When the courtyard reopens as Walt Disney Studios, it will have new park space where guests can “play, relax, or snack on tasty treats under lush trees.” Characters will appear in the courtyard.
Disney Jr. Show
Disney Jr. Play and Dance!
The first iteration of the Disney Jr. show was Bear in the Big Blue House – Live on Stage, which ran from June 1999 to August 2001. it was replaced by Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!, later renamed Disney Junior – Live on Stage! These shows featured various Playhouse Disney / Disney Junior characters, the IPs changing every few years.
Disney Junior Dance Party! opened in 2018 and was later renamed Disney Junior Play & Dance! It was hosted by a DJ who played different Disney songs and taught guests dances.
Characters would come out and join the DJ, including Mickey in his Roadster Racers outfit, Doc McStuffins, and Timon from The Lion Guard. Sofia the First appeared in the original version of the show, but she was later replaced by Vampirina.
At the end, all four characters joined the DJ for a final dance.
Get Animated!
The Get Animated dance party was open continuously throughout the day, with a DJ playing music and the same characters from Play and Dance rotating through the space. There were hula hoops and the DJ sometimes led games.
The space itself didn’t change, although different graphics appeared on the screens. The theater had a select few benches at the back of a large carpeted space for young guests to, well, play and dance.
There were circular screens with ears, creating Mickey icons.
A glowing Mickey icon was on the front of the stage. A Mickey disco ball hung above.
The lighting rigs on the ceiling also created a hidden Mickey.
Around the spotlight rigs were glowing rings. There were also strips of light across the tops of the walls.
Curtains to the sides of the stage blocked the backstage area.
Star Wars: Launch Bay
Entrance
September 24, 2025, was the last day guests could explore Star Wars: Launch Bay. The experience was at the back of the courtyard with a large sign over its entrance. A blue and white Resistance flag hung between two columns above the sign.
Next to the entrance, a sign displayed the operating hours and wait times of the character meet and greets inside. Guests could meet Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8. The Launch Bay was usually open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Though previously a queue, the entry area had been converted into stroller parking. It was shaded with ceiling fans.
There were water fountains. Signage throughout Star Wars: Launch Bay, including this maintenance sign, had stylized English lettering and Aurebesh phrases. The Aurebesh on this sign, for example, translates to “Authorized Personnel Only.”
Star Wars posters and concept art hung throughout the stroller parking area. This piece featured characters from the original and prequel trilogy.
The concept art was for several Star Wars projects, including the main films and animated shows. The collection above features artwork for Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars Rebels.
Though Star Wars: Launch Bay opened before The Force Awakens was released in 2015, there was some The Force Awakens concept art, including the above Captain Phasma piece.
This famous concept art by Ralph McQuarrie depicts early designs for R2-D2 and C-3PO.
There was also artwork of an Imperial Viper Droid and sketches of BB-8.
Different ships were represented, like Kylo Ren’s shuttle, an X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Podracers.
This collection depicted various planets: Jakku, Dagobah, Hoth, and Tatooine.
The columns and wall edges had wraps inspired by Star Wars architecture with white rounded shapes against black backgrounds. The far wall had posters for the films.
In order, there were posters for the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy.
These were the classic posters, but there were also a pair of extra posters for A New Hope and Revenge of the Jedi.
A New Hope was just named Star Wars before sequels were released.
After the entry was a small outdoor courtyard. Guests walked through this to reach the rest of Star Wars: Launch Bay. The theater off this courtyard used to play a short behind-the-scenes documentary.
Aurebesh on the trash cans translated to “Waste Please.”
Celebration Gallery
The first gallery was the Celebration Gallery, displaying Ships of the Rebel & Imperial Fleets.
When Star Wars: A New Hope opened on May 25, 1977, the space fantasy launched audiences of all ages into unforgettable journeys across a galaxy far, far away. Since then, we have followed beloved heroes and vile villains, some who continue to travel to exotic worlds beyond our wildest dreams. Their starships have sent our imaginations soaring from the harsh deserts of Tatooine to the icy plains of Hoth and everywhere in between.
In this Gallery, enjoy an up-close look at replicas of starcruisers and starfighters as we celebrate these one-of-a-kind spacecrafts, the heroes and villains that flew aboard them, and their memorable interstellar adventures.
Two unlabeled pieces of concept art depict a completed Death Star and a Death Star under construction.
Two ship models were on display in the center. Podiums for display cases featured Imperial and Resistance logos, and glowing buttons.
One of the model ships was the Slave I, Jango Fett’s ship. Disney no longer uses this name to refer to the ship, but this sign has remained.
Slave I was used by infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett before the Clone Wars. Jango outfitted the craft with laser cannons, projectile launchers and seismic charges. The perfect vehicle for bounty hungers, it was also outfitted with torpedoes mounted with homing beacons and trackers, allowing it to track ships through hyperspace. After Jango’s death during the Battle of Geonosis, his son, Boba Fett, took ownership and used it throughout his own bounty hunting career.
In the other display case was a Droid Tri-Fighter.
On the back wall were two cases dedicated to the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. A glowing Star Wars sign was between them.
Rebel Alliance
Formed from resistance movements that arose during the Clone Wars, the Rebel Alliance worked in secret for decades to overthrow the Emperor and restore democracy to the galaxy. Eventually, armed with the firepower of ships like the X-wing and A-wing, the Rebellion triumphed over the Empire.
The Rebellion ships include a U-Wing Gunship, B-Wing Starfighter, X-Wing Starfighter, A-Wing Starfighter, and Mobquet M-68 Landspeeder.
The largest ship is the Tantive IV, the Alderaan cruiser that Leia was traveling on in the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope.
Galactic Empire
The Galactic Empire ruled for years through fear, intimidation and tyranny. With a mighty military force that included capital warships and Imperial starfighters, Emperor Palpatine’s regime seemed unstoppable and permanent until some dared to strike back.
In the Galactic Empire case are models of Director Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle, the Death Star, and an AT-Hauler. A TIE Fighter pilot’s uniform was also on display.
Guests exited the room and entered the rest of Launch Bay under the words, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”
Guests were met with carpeting featuring its own “opening crawl” for Star Wars Launch Bay.
It is a period of celebration. The Star Wars saga lives on with new adventures set in a galaxy far, far away.
Here at LAUNCH BAY, discover the latest stories of the saga and feel the power of the Force, binding us together.
Our journey begins with an awakening. Welcome to a new era….
In a display case was a Scout Speeder Bike on loan from The Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts.
The Aratech 74-Z speeder bike was the core equipment of an Imperial scout trooper. The small, one-man repulsorlift vehicle was used to perform reconnaissance, perimeter defense, patrol missions in cooperation with AT-ST walkers, and surgical strikes against small enemy forces. The explosively quick speeder bike served as a key weapon for Imperial ground troops who fought to defend the Death Star’s shield generator from Rebels in the Battle of Endor. This is one of six speeder bike props used in Return of the Jedi.
On the wall was concept art of Luke and Storm Troopers on their own Scout Speeder Bikes, schematics, and a small model of the bike.
Launch Bay Interior
This display was on an upper level, with a ramp and stairs leading down to the Darth Vader and Chewbacca meet and greets. To the side was a casino set, leading to the BB-8 meet and greet.
The lamps on the walls framing this entryway had droid faces for shades. Art on the wall depicted a martini glass with Aurebesh translating to, “Bantha Blast.”
The Aurebesh above the doorway read, “Casino.”
The space held various photo ops. A Tatooine mural depicted the planet’s famous binary sunset. The Aurebesh read, “Binary Sunset Drink Specials – Twice The Suns, Half The Price.”
There was a bar with three glasses of Blue Milk. These were attached to the bar and the liquid was fake, so guests could pose like they were hanging out at a cantina.
Behind the bar were various colorful liquids in containers with tubes connecting them.
In an alcove was a Dejarik (holochess) table. Unfortunately, it did not actually operate.
Against one wall was a blue glowing table. The light illuminated Aurebesh on the wall.
The Aurebesh described the game Sabacc. Like Dejarik, this is a popular game in the Star Wars universe.
The walls were adorned with painted symbols and props. There was a bench.
This caged closet was labeled, “Lost and Found.” There were dozens of props inside.
Recognizable items included C-3PO’s arm, a camtono, Luke’s binoculars from A New Hope, and part of Lando’s disguise from Return of the Jedi.
Another staircase next to the BB-8 entrance led downstairs. Both sets of steps were covered in red carpet. There was a Fuel Rod charger station at the bottom of the main staircase.
TV screens displayed Star Wars trivia.
Another long piece of artwork represented all the Star Wars films, including the sequel trilogy, Solo, and Rogue One, plus some of the animated shows and books.
It featured characters from each movie or show in an ombré rainbow design, starting with Anakin and Padme on one end, leading to Rey and Kylo Ren.
Rey and Speeder
A large display case held a replica of Rey’s costume and speeder from The Force Awakens.
Rey and Speeder
Rey, a scavenger from Jakku, is a surviver toughened by life on a harsh desert planet. Her garments protect her from the wind and sun as she pilots an old salvaged speeder that she built from scrap. Rey’s speeder is bigger than an average speeder bike yet smaller than a standard landspeeder. This one-of-a-kind vehicle defies easy classification.
Disney Visa Cardmember Exclusive Character Experience
Disney Visa Cardmembers could access their own exclusive character experience. As implied by the sign, this was with Darth Vader, and theoretically had a shorter wait than the regular Darth Vader encounter.
Darth Vader Meet and Greet
If you weren’t a Disney Visa Cardmember, you could meet Vader on the lower level. A sign featuring Vader’s visage advertised the wait time.
Guests entered through a black archway, then waited in a switchback line before walking through a set of spacey doors. The area was lit with red lights.
Inside the meet and greet space, Darth Vader stood in front of a faux window looking out at the galaxy.
The meet and greets used automatic cameras, and guests could tap their MagicBand or card at this station outside to save their photos.
Chewbacca Meet and Greet
Next to the Vader meet and greet was Chewbacca, with his own wait time signage.
This area resembled a Rebel base and was lit with yellow lights.
The Aurebesh on the walls are the quotes: “Never tell me the odds.” and “This is some rescue!”
Chewbacca met in a stoney room with a faux screen and dashboard behind him.
BB-8 Meet and Greet
BB-8’s meet and greet was down a white hallway with orange paint decorations.
The droid was on a platform so he was raised closer to guest level. He beeped and booped, and moved around slightly to interact with guests.
Cast Members were on hand to help translate what BB-8 was saying.
Collectible Pennies & Medallions
The collectible pressed pennies featured Kylo Ren, BB-8, Rey, a Stormtrooper, Finn, and The Force Awakens logo.
The medallions featured Darth Vader and Stormtroopers, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Chewbacca, and R2-D2, C-3PO, and BB-8.
Walt Disney Studios & The Magic of Disney Animation
The Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios lot, inspired by the real studio lot in Burbank, California. The Magic of Disney Animation will return, replacing Star Wars: Launch Bay, which replaced it in 2015. The Magic of Disney Animation opened with Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney–MGM Studios Theme Park) and offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney Feature Animation studio attached to the park. Guests learned about the animation process with Back to Neverland, a film starring Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite, then got to peek into the studio.
The animation studio closed in 2004, but The Magic of Disney Animation remained open with a show featuring an animator and Mushu, meet and greets, Animation Academy, and an animation showroom.
When The Magic of Disney Animation returns in 2026, it will be a “place where kids and kids at heart can laugh, draw, dream, and explore animated new experiences.” It is inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Emmy Award-winning short film Once Upon A Studio, which honored 100 years of The Walt Disney Company. A poster for The Magic of Disney Animation includes Robin Williams’ Lost Boy character from Back to Neverland. There will be interactive elements, character meet and greets, Animation Academy, and an Alice in Wonderland-inspired playground.
Next door, a new Disney Jr. show will replace Disney Jr. Play and Dance! The courtyard will get a fresh look with park space and characters.
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