Disney Animation Returns Sept. 14 as Slinky Dog Dash Stays Closed

The Magic of Disney Animation returns to Hollywood Studios on Sept. 14, in the same place Star Wars Launch Bay occupied for more than 10 years. Four experiences under one roof, aimed expressly at younger guests. Slinky Dog Dash is missing. The ride in Toy Story Land did not operate at all on Aug. 31, was still closed at 10 a.m. on Sept. 1 and remained closed at 3 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World has changed this year as dramatically as almost any other park, and it is not finished. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster has reopened with the Muppets. The Mandalorian and Grogu have joined Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. D23 offered a partial timeline for the 2027 opening of Monstropolis. That is a lot of change for one park in a single year, and most of it arrived within a few months. Now comes the last major opening of 2026. It targets a part of the park that has been in limbo for more than a decade.

The Magic of Disney Animation opens Sept. 14 at Hollywood Studios. The attraction replaces Star Wars Launch Bay, which itself replaced the original Magic of Disney Animation more than 10 years ago. A curious circle closes, and guests who have known the park for a long time will appreciate that. This is not a single attraction. Four different experiences sit under one roof. There really is something for every age, and with younger children in particular this will be a big hit. That matters at Hollywood Studios, a park that historically has leaned mainly on fast rides and older guests.

Olaf teaches the drawing class. Guests learn to draw iconic characters from Disney animated films in a room inspired by one of the most memorable Olaf moments from Once Upon a Studio. They sit at an animation desk and discover how much joy there is in drawing. Olaf greets them as a brand-new Audio-Animatronic figure. Josh Gad has returned and recorded original dialogue for the experience. "I'm so thrilled that a whole new generation of kids can dream of becoming animators one day and can actually begin their journey right there on the studio lot," Gad said.

The smartest part of the design is that each class has a different character, so there is a real reason to come back. Each character is paired with a real artist from Disney Animation. Mickey Mouse comes with Dan Abraham, the director of Once Upon a Studio and Baymax! Hyun Min Lee takes Minnie Mouse, an animator on Frozen 2 and The Princess and the Frog. Donald Duck is with Austin Traylor, an animator on Once Upon a Studio and Moana 2, and Genie is drawn by Eric Goldberg, an animator on Aladdin and Hercules. Moana comes with Samantha Vilfort, a story artist on Encanto and Zootopia 2. Stitch is taught by Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and Head of Story of Wish as well as of Raya and the Last Dragon. Olaf is paired with Trent Correy, the director of Once Upon a Studio and Frozen 3. Ursula is drawn by Michael Woodside, an animator on Big Hero 6 and Encanto. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde come with Byron Howard, the director of Zootopia and Zootopia 2.

Putting real artists in front of guests and listing their credits alongside them is what sets this apart from any ordinary drawing class. Eric Goldberg, who animated Genie, is not a footnote. He is the man who made the character move.

Off the Page Character Greetings at Hollywood Studios are character meet-and-greets organized around how animation actually gets made. Guests meet characters in six departments of the animation studio: Story, Layout, Hand-Drawn Animation, Computer Animation, Lighting and Effects. Which characters appear can change. Examples include Mulan in the Story department, posing in front of an oversized storyboard, Rapunzel in Layout in a setting inspired by the classic multiplane camera, Chip 'n' Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation, Donald and Daisy Duck in Computer Animation, Goofy in Lighting and Stitch in Effects.

Chip 'n' Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation and Donald and Daisy in Computer Animation quietly nod to the eras these characters come from. Stitch in Effects is a joke that lands if you know the character. Rapunzel at the multiplane camera stands out. The multiplane camera is a real piece of Disney animation history, and a character greeting built around it explains something without lecturing anyone.

Drawn to Wonderland is the part parents will care about most. The playful indoor play area is meant for the youngest guests, described by Disney as "the youngest animators-to-be." It includes an oversized flower garden with musical instruments, a Mad Tea Party play set and a Tulgey Wood exploration area, all inspired by Mary Blair's original concept art for Alice in Wonderland.

The area is indoors, and that is no small thing. Hollywood Studios has very little covered play space, and the heat in Central Florida in September is no joke. An air-conditioned play area is real relief in a park where families often run out of options in the afternoon. Mary Blair's concept art is a highly distinctive, beautiful style. Building a children's playground from it means parents have something beautiful to look at while their kids tear around. That balance is rare.

The Once Upon A Studio Theater screens the Emmy-winning short film Once Upon a Studio, the foundation the entire attraction rests on. The presentation uses enhanced effects that add a layer to the viewing experience. Characters can appear in the artwork on the theater walls and put guests in the middle of the story, instead of only letting them watch. For anyone who does not know the short yet, it brings generations of Disney animated characters together in one room and plays exceptionally well in front of an audience.

Hollywood Studios is known as a park for thrill-seekers. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash, Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers Run make a strong lineup, and most of them come with height requirements or a hefty dose of intensity. Families with small children have long had fewer options here than at Magic Kingdom or Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The Magic of Disney Animation takes that on directly. Four experiences, no listed height requirements, air conditioning, character greetings, a play area, a theater and an activity children can take home in the form of their own drawing. At the same time, the opening fills out the Walt Disney Studios Lot, which replaced the former Animation Courtyard and has been open for a few months. The Roy E. Disney Animation Building was the missing piece. On Sept. 14, that changes. For a park that has stacked thrills throughout the year, something for the whole family is the right closing note for 2026.

One of the hardest attractions to miss at Disney's Hollywood Studios has suddenly vanished from the operating schedule. Slinky Dog Dash stayed closed for an unusually long stretch. According to reports from the park, the coaster did not run for the entire operating day on Aug. 31. Attractions can go down unexpectedly for all kinds of reasons and often start running again after minutes or hours. A roller coaster that is down for two full operating days and is still sitting idle at 3 p.m. on a third day is a much larger disruption than the short interruptions guests regularly experience at Walt Disney World.

When Disney's Hollywood Studios welcomed guests again on Sept. 1, the situation did not improve right away. At 10 a.m. that Tuesday, Slinky Dog Dash was still closed. At 3 p.m. on Sept. 2 it was still shut, a third consecutive day. Disney has neither said what triggered the pause nor when the attraction might reopen. Reports said there was no push notification in My Disney Experience at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 that would have explained the situation. Employees on site also could not give a timeline for reopening. For guests visiting Hollywood Studios, that uncertainty can noticeably change how they approach the park.

Without an official explanation, it would be premature to speculate about what is happening behind the scenes. Unexpected outages can have many causes, from technical issues to operations to maintenance. The length of this closure still makes it worth watching.

Slinky Dog Dash is not a side attraction. The family coaster ranks among the biggest draws in Toy Story Land and regularly posts some of the longest wait times at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Guests who would otherwise go to Slinky Dog Dash have to go somewhere else. That can put extra pressure on attractions such as Toy Story Mania!, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Slinky Dog Dash opened in 2018 along with Toy Story Land and quickly became one of the most popular coasters at Hollywood Studios. Unlike some of the park's more intense thrill attractions, the ride appeals to a comparatively broad audience and still offers enough speed and excitement to sit at the top of the list for many families. Losing it for an extended stretch can weigh more heavily than its location at the back of Toy Story Land might suggest.

Anyone visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios should look closely in My Disney Experience before making Slinky Dog Dash a fixed part of the plan. That is especially true for guests who want to head straight to Toy Story Land after they enter. Because Disney has not given an estimated reopening time, there is currently no guarantee the coaster will return at a particular time of day. Disney has not announced a planned refurbishment or a longer scheduled closure for Slinky Dog Dash. That leaves it an unexpected operational outage, not a confirmed long-term closure. Three days of downtime, still closed at 3 p.m. on Sept. 2, are significant for an attraction this popular. For now, Slinky Dog Dash remains on the sidelines, and Disney has not publicly explained what triggered the longer outage. Until the coaster is running again, guests who have a ride on Slinky Dog Dash high on their list should plan for flexibility.