A major Walt Disney World attraction is undergoing a multi-month update, and this will change offerings to Lightning Lane at Hollywood Studios. We break down the Lightning Lane change.
Let’s get into this change and what you need to know to prepare ahead of the busy spring break season. At Mickey Visit, we report on recent Disney news, like all the ride closures for March at both Disneyland and Disney World, and the menu released for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. Disney also just announced a new Disney World discount.
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Hollywood Studios Reducing Lightning Lane Option
The available Lightning Lane selections for March and onward will now look different at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the closure of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith on March 2. The last day of operation for this attraction is March 1. Shifts like this impact Lightning Lane offerings and how you should use expect demand around the service as we detail below.
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As for the changes coming soon to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, this transformation will switch the ride to a Muppets theme featuring The Electric Mayhem Muppets. The opening date for this new Muppets-themed version has not been released, but we know it’s set to open in summer 2026.
So, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster attraction will not be available between March and whenever the new version of the ride opens this summer. The change comes as the crowds increase at Walt Disney World ahead of spring break. See our Mickey Visit Disney World Crowd calendar for ratings of all dates.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is one of the top selections for Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Hollywood Studios. This is the current list of Lightning Lane attractions:
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (closing March 2 until summer 2026)
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Toy Story Mania!
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
But if we look at the list of available selections, the most popular options don’t include the shows that are easy enough to see without Lightning Lane. We had anticipated that there could be a change in the tier of one of the secondary pick 2 experiences attractions, but we haven’t seen that happen yet for the tiers for this park. We have previously predicted that The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ or Toy Story Mania! may move up. No details on this yet. We will be watching once the ride is closed to see if anything shifts here.
So this makes the Lightning Lane selections for spring a bit more competitive, especially for those higher-tier options, which are reducing to three. Since Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is the only other thrill ride in that tier, that means that Slinky Dog Dash might be even more popular. Which is saying something, as that is one of the most popular rides at all of Walt Disney World!
Other Upcoming Hollywood Studios Changes
The storyline is changing soon for the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which will now feature Mandalorian and Grogu, which debuts on May 22. Once this new overlay is available, it will increase the popularity of this ride and for this particular Lightning Lane selection. Or at least, that’s what Disney hopes!
I am sure initially this will be a major draw. Time will tell if these new storylines and ride experience changes create more sustained demand for the attraction. When it comes to Disney World’s version, though, the pathway for Millennium Falcon is in a more central walking space next to Toy Story Land, so its wait times tend to be higher than those of the version located in Disneyland.
As for other changes at Hollywood Studios, the newly reimagined Animation Courtyard will open to guests in late summer when it is reintroduced as The Walt Disney Studios. This new space will include a new Olaf Audio-Animatronic drawing experience and new character interactions, among other offerings.
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And these aren’t the only new projects underway at Hollywood Studios. A new Monsters, Inc. land is also in the works that will bring the iconic door roller coaster to the park. We will have to wait a bit longer for this new land, the earliest we will see this land is 2027 or later.
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