Animal Actors On Location to Close Nov. 2, 2026 at Universal

Animal Actors On Location! at Universal Studios Florida will give its final performance on Nov. 2, 2026, then close permanently after 36 years. Universal Orlando has confirmed the decision. The live show with trained animals, sketches and audience interaction is making way for a new experience Universal has not yet said anything about. For families and longtime park fans, that means the end of one of the last attractions from the park's opening day.

Universal Orlando has officially confirmed the closure and released two statements. In one announcement, it said: "The Animal Actors On Location! show at Universal Studios Florida will permanently close on November 2 to make way for a new experience. The show has been a part of Universal Studios Florida since the park's opening, and we are grateful for the countless memorable moments it has provided our guests over the years. More details about the future development of the space will be shared at a later time." Another statement from the resort reads: "As Universal Orlando Resort continues to evolve, Animal Actors On Location! will take its final bow on November 2, 2026, making way for a future experience. A beloved part of Universal Studios Florida since opening day, the attraction has created lasting memories for Guests and Team Members for 36 years."

Animal Actors On Location! opened on June 7, 1990, as Animal Actors Stage, the same day as Universal Studios Florida. In 2001, the show was renamed Animal Planet Live, and in 2006 it received its current name, Animal Actors On Location! It is one of three opening-day attractions still running at the park. The other two are E.T. Adventure and the Universal Horror Make-Up Show, which is currently undergoing a major overhaul.

The show is an open-air live stage show. Dogs, birds, pigs and other animals perform with their trainers in sketches, specialty acts and interactions with the audience. Some of the animal performers previously appeared in major film productions and then "retired" to Universal Orlando Resort. There are audience-participation gags and occasionally mildly risqué jokes, such as when one of the animals brings a bra onstage. The tone stays mostly silly. Anyone who knows Feathered Friends in Flight at Walt Disney World knows the format, though here it involves more than just birds.

The stage was located for a long time in Woody Woodpecker's KidZone. That area was replaced by DreamWorks Land in 2024. Animal Actors On Location! survived that transformation. Two years later, the run is over. Universal has not said what will take the show's place. An expansion of DreamWorks Land would be as plausible as a connection to Hollywood or to neighboring Springfield. None of that is confirmed. Universal has only announced that further details about the future of the site will be shared later.

Park leadership has a personal tie to the show. Adam Kingsley, Vice President of Park Operations, North Campus, started his career at Universal Orlando 30 years ago as an employee at the Animal Actors attraction.

In Hollywood, the counterpart is already gone. Animal Actors at Universal Studios Hollywood closed several years ago. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift was built in its place. In Florida, what comes next remains unclear. After the final performance on Nov. 2, an empty theater will be left, and Universal can reshape another section of the original Florida park.

Anyone who likes the show should not miss the last performances before Nov. 2. For many guests, Animal Actors On Location! was a fixture of every visit for decades, often as a child and later with their own family. Universal Orlando is also changing other offerings across all of its parks. The Untrainable Dragon at Epic Universe will close for refurbishment Sept. 15-20, 2026, and is expected to reopen Sept. 21, 2026. The dates may change. Universal has not given a reason. The short duration points to a comparatively small project. Le Cirque Arcanus in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic was also down for a week of refurbishment last month and has reopened without noteworthy changes visible to guests.

Universal Volcano Bay begins its scheduled maintenance closure on Oct. 26, 2026. Reopening is now set for April 1, 2027, or earlier. Previously, the date was March 24, 2027, or earlier.

In Islands of Adventure, Lost Continent is being demolished. The former venues of Poseidon's Fury and The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad are already rubble. Universal Orlando announced in the summer that additional parts of Lost Continent will close permanently in stages to make way for a new themed area. Universal has not disclosed what will be built there. As the demolition progresses, Mythos Restaurant is also expected to close permanently in 2027.

As an indirect result of that lost table-service capacity, Thunder Falls Terrace restaurant in Jurassic Park quietly closed at the end of July to be reconceived. It sits directly next to Jurassic Park River Adventure, which itself is down for an extended routine refurbishment. Universal had previously announced it would transform Thunder Falls Terrace into an entirely new dining concept that is slated to open in 2027 as a new full-service restaurant and culinary flagship in Islands of Adventure, likely around the closure of Mythos. The location will no longer carry the Thunder Falls Terrace name after it reopens. Permits point to an opening in early 2027.

Newly announced as well are winter 2027 closures for Fyre Drill and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, two water attractions that often close for routine maintenance in the colder months. The roughly yearlong closure of Jurassic Park River Adventure is expected to end before Thanksgiving 2026. A brief closure is scheduled for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey from Feb. 8-19, 2027. That window includes Presidents' Day, Mid-Winter Break or Ski Week and Mardi Gras.

Hours are tight right now. Epic Universe closes at 8 p.m. most evenings. Universal Studios Florida closes at 5 p.m. most evenings because of Halloween Horror Nights, and at 7 p.m. on regular nights. Islands of Adventure is open only until 8 p.m. most evenings.

After 36 years of Animal Actors On Location!, something new is officially coming. Until Universal says what that is, fans are left mainly with the date. Nov. 2, 2026.