Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World is preparing for the next generation of park guests with significant changes across multiple areas of the theme park. Inevitably, to make room for the park’s ambitious slate of new projects, many older attractions closed.
10 attractions became Disney history over the past few years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Keep reading to see them all and learn what’s replacing them. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including all the details about Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom and updates on future Disney rides based on two animated classics.
READ MORE – Disney World Dates to Avoid If You Hate Crowds! – 2026 WORST Times to Visit
Muppet*Vision 3D
One of the oldest attractions in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Muppet*Vision 3D opened in May 1991 and permanently closed in June 2025.
Disney World Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Park Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Guests entered the Muppet Theater, straight out of The Muppet Show, to watch a 3D film with special effects. During the on-brand madcap revue, everything that can go wrong does go wrong, from an incident involving Miss Piggy waterskiing to cannonfire destroying the theater.
Muppet*Vision 3D was the final Muppets project worked on by Jim Henson, who passed away after the attraction was filmed but before it opened to the public. As such, the film was Henson’s final performance of Kermit the Frog, the beloved Muppets figurehead whom Henson originated in 1955.
READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Are Far Better Than The Ones They Replaced
The actual theater where Muppet*Vision 3D resided still stands, and will be home to a future Monsters, Inc. show as part of an upcoming Monstropolis land. Concept art depicts the new name of the theater as “The Glob.” It’s unknown if this future attraction will be a film-based experience like Muppet*Vision 3D, or a live stage production.
The huge Monstropolis project, which also includes a new roller coaster nearby, displaced several other Disney’s Hollywood Studios establishments in addition to Muppet*Vision 3D, which we’ll discuss presently.
As we’ll also see below, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has much more Muppet excitement in its future.
PizzeRizzo
It’s rat pizza! PizzeRizzo was a quick-service restaurant located directly across from Muppet*Vision 3D. Its namesake proprietor was the Muppets’ own Rizzo the Rat.
The restaurant debuted its PizzeRizzo moniker in 2016, but before that, this space was known as Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade, serving the same menu of basic pizzas and salads. Despite its name, Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade didn’t resemble the Pizza Planet restaurant in Pixar’s Toy Story.
Props throughout PizzeRizzo indicated that, within the Muppet universe, the restaurant’s upstairs area was meant to be rentable for special events. One room even featured a dance floor with a disco ball.
Though the interior decorating of PizzeRizzo was unique, the actual food wasn’t. The restaurant served the same quick-service pizzas found at many other locations throughout Walt Disney World, including Pizzafari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Catalina Eddie’s on the other side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Along with other nearby attractions, including Muppet*Vision 3D, PizzeRizzo closed in June 2025 to make room for the upcoming Monstropolis land based on Monsters, Inc. So far in the project’s construction, the PizzeRizzo building has not been destroyed, indicating it will likely be repurposed into a new restaurant as part of Monstropolis.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith opened in 1999 as Walt Disney World’s first coaster to go upside-down. It closed in its current form in March 2026.
The indoor coaster emulated a high-speed limousine ride through Los Angeles on the way to an Aerosmith concert. Riders launched from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds to the sound of Steven Tyler’s screams before zooming through the dark.
This attraction was a favorite of many Disney World guests. Though its original version is now defunct, the attraction will live on as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, opening sometime in summer 2026. Disney hasn’t announced an exact opening date.
In the new version, the main components of the ride itself are expected to remain the same. It will still be a fast, indoor roller coaster, likely with the exact same track as before and the same signature launch, minus Tyler’s shrieks.
The story, though, will now involve riders traveling to a concert performed by the Electric Mayhem, the house band of The Muppet Show, thanks to Muppet Labs technology that turns a typical stretch limousine into a super stretch transport vehicle.
Star Wars Launch Bay
Star Wars Launch Bay opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2015, just prior to the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It permanently closed in September 2025.
This attraction was a de facto Star Wars museum, an interesting concept for a theme park experience. At least, that was the case when Star Wars Launch Bay first opened, featuring a behind-the-scenes film, rotating exhibits, character meet & greets, and a unique gift shop selling upscale Star Wars artifacts.
Star Wars Launch Bay felt like a makeshift solution for Disney to put more Star Wars in the parks in tandem with the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s release, while Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was still under construction. After that land’s 2019 opening, Star Wars Launch Bay not only felt redundant, but was stripped away of many of its components and started to feel like a dying mall.
By the time Star Wars Launch Bay closed in 2025, it was pretty much just a meet & greet space for Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and BB-8. Chewbacca still meets in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Darth Vader was relocated across the park to be near Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.
Star Wars Launch Bay will be replaced by a new version of The Magic of Disney Animation, which itself was what Star Wars Launch Bay originally replaced in 2015. The reimagined attraction will retain this building’s museum-like facilities to feature hands-on activities, including a drawing class hosted by an Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure.
Everything announced for The Magic of Disney Animation sounds like a huge upgrade compared to how Disney was underutilizing this space. The Magic of Disney Animation will open sometime in late summer 2026. Disney has not announced a specific opening date.
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano was a table-service restaurant that opened in 1991. Before that, the restaurant was known as The Studio Pizzeria. Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano permanently closed in May 2025.
This restaurant was a holdover from the Streets of America section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, much of which closed in 2016 to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Located near Muppet*Vision 3D, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano was one of the few entities to survive from Streets of America that wasn’t Muppets-themed.
Along with several other items in this article, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano closed so that Disney could build the Monsters, Inc.-themed Monstropolis land in its place.
Concept art for the Monstropolis land depicts the Harryhausen’s restaurant from Monsters, Inc. in the same location where Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano previously operated. We think it’s likely that Disney will retain the Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano building rather than buzzdoze it, and simply retheme the interior to match the Harryhausen’s aesthetic.
Another Harryhausen’s-inspired restaurant, called Mike & Sulley’s – Flavors of Asia, recently opened on the new Disney Adventure cruise ship, and might provide a glimpse of what to expect from the former Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano building.
It’s a Wonderful Shop
It’s a Wonderful Shop was a small, year-round holiday gift store that opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1992. The shop’s name was an homage to the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life.
Following the pandemic closures of 2020, It’s a Wonderful Shop did not reopen. In the years following, the space was occasionally used during Christmastime as a meet & greet for Santa Claus, and one year for Duffy the Disney Bear dressed as Santa during Disney Jollywood Nights.
It’s a Wonderful Shop was located near Muppet*Vision 3D in an area that closed in its entirety in June 2025 as part of the upcoming Monstropolis land. Since construction crews have not yet demolished It’s a Wonderful Shop, we expect its space will be repurposed rather than destroyed, possibly becoming a store for Monsters, Inc. merchandise.
Two year-round holiday souvenir stores are still open in Walt Disney World: Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Days of Christmas at Disney Springs.
Stage 1 Company Store
Stage 1 Company Store was a large gift shop near Muppet*Vision 3D that originally sold Muppet merchandise, but eventually became more of a generic Disney store.
The interior details and props throughout Stage 1 Company Store were of the same level of fun detail as Muppet*Vision 3D next door, with many of the set pieces featuring visual gags. One corner of the store even recreated the Happiness Hotel from 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper, pictured below.
Like It’s a Wonderful Shop, Stage 1 Company Store never reopened after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. It was occasionally still used for special event merchandise, like the 35th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2024.
Unlike many of the other facilities nearby, Stage 1 Company Store was completely demolished once construction for Monstropolis began. Its absence will create a wider, much-needed pathway leading to an upcoming roller coaster themed to the climactic doors chase from Monsters, Inc.
The roller coaster itself will be located upon space that was formerly a portion of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios cast member parking lot. This new attraction will no doubt be very popular, so Disney was smart to consider ways to alleviate congestion for what will soon be a high-traffic guest area.
Disney Jr. Play and Dance!
One soundstage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has devoted itself to preschool-geared live shows for over two decades. Long ago home to puppet shows featuring Playhouse Disney and then Disney Jr. characters, this soundstage’s most recent production was called Disney Jr. Play and Dance!, which opened in 2017, was updated in 2020, and closed in 2025.
Somewhat of a glorified dance party, the interactive show featured live appearances by Mickey Mouse, Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, and Timon from The Lion King, here representing the Disney Jr. series The Lion Guard. All of the characters appeared as traditional full-body mascot costumes rather than as puppets.
On May 26, 2026, the soundstage venue for the former Disney Jr. Play and Dance! will debut Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!, a stage show featuring Mickey and the gang from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+. This show first opened at Disney California Adventure in 2025.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Voyage of the Little Mermaid opened in 1992 as an indoor stage production telling the story of 1989’s The Little Mermaid. It closed with the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and never reopened.
This show was unique in that Ariel, Eric, and Max the dog were presented in the traditional method of performers in costumes, but the rest of the cast was either depicted as puppets or in clips on a screen. A long-defunct Magic Kingdom attraction, Legend of the Lion King, also approached its story in this method.
After its performance space was closed for five years, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure replaced Voyage of the Little Mermaid in 2025.
On paper, the shows seem identical. Both were/are live performances of The Little Mermaid with characters, puppets, and animation. However, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure completely revamped the production from scratch rather than tweaking a few things here and there. It’s a fresh, modern production compared to the dated feel of its predecessor.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was an indoor show that opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019 and closed in 2024.
The show performed in a venue called Sunset Showcase near Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. The building was constructed in 2015 and was intended to be a flex space for short-term productions and events, but that concept was short-lived.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy involved an Audio-Animatronics figure of Lightning McQueen from Pixar’s Cars, similar, if not identical, to the one from Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure. In the show, Lightning taught guests the ways of the racing world.
The Lighting McQueen Audio-Animatronics figure has always been impressive, and it was neat to have an opportunity to observe it for the length of an entire show rather than just a few seconds on a ride. That being said, there wasn’t much more to Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy beyond the figure.
The show had no live performers, and its racing “simulator” didn’t involve any motion. All the theater’s seats remained in place.
Replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After opened in Sunset Showcase in 2025 as a new stage show starring Maleficent, Cruella De Vil, and Captain Hook. Much in the same way Star Wars Launch Bay felt like a placeholder for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After feels like a quick way to include Disney Villains into the parks while Villains Land is still under construction at Magic Kingdom.
We expect the Lightning McQueen Audio-Animatronics figure may be in safekeeping for now, waiting to be upgraded and reinstalled for one of the two new Cars rides coming to Magic Kingdom as part of Piston Peak National Park.
Older Defunct Attractions of Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The recent closures of all the attractions listed in this article came not long after another significant period of transformation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from 2014 to 2019. During that time, many even older attractions closed to make room for Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Among the casualties of this era were the Studio Backlot Tour; the seasonal Obsorne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights; the giant Sorcerer’s Hat; Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show; Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure; and The Great Movie Ride.
While we’re discussing days of Disney’s Hollywood Studios past, we’d be remiss to not also mention the Citizens of Hollywood, a troupe of improv performers who previously roamed the park’s Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. Their pandemic-related removal, however, had nothing to do with big-picture construction projects, and their former performance spaces, the streets themselves, are still very much intact. The Citizens of Hollywood were the soul of the park, and we’d love to see them return.
Take a deeper dive into the future attractions coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
