The most unique area in Disney’s Hollywood Studios may just be the Animation Courtyard. In keeping with the general theme of the park, you could actually tour the Florida unit of Walt Disney Feature Animation in this area and see actual animators at work. I mentioned the Florida unit of Disney Animation when I wrote my article about the career of Disney animator Mark Henn, who worked there as an animation supervisor for such Disney characters as Belle, Jasmine, Simba and Mulan.

The theme park attraction that took guests into this building was The Magic of Disney Animation, an opening day walk-through attraction that lasted from 1989 to 2015 before being replaced by Star Wars Launch Bay (which I covered previously in my article about Tomorrowland). The Magic of Disney Animation began with the short film Back to Neverland starring television newscaster Walter Cronkite and comedian Robin Williams guiding guests through the process of bringing animated films to life, with Williams turning into an animated character himself at one point during the film.

After this introductory film, guests learned about animation second-hand by witnessing animators at work in the Florida unit. And another short featured Disney animators describing the joy of animation as an art form, followed by a montage finale of key scenes from classic animated Disney films. The animators would even talk to the guests about designing and animating characters and you could also learn how to draw characters yourself at the Animation Academy. Similar attractions based on this area would later appear at Disney California Adventure, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland.

A year before Muppet*Vision 3D opened in the Streets of America, there was another Muppet-themed attraction at the Animation Courtyard known as Here Comes the Muppets featuring all the comedy, music and celebrity cameos you would expect from the Muppets, but that show only lasted until 1991 when it got replaced by another stage show called Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which, like Here Comes the Muppets, featured puppetry and music as well as special effects, and it lasted until 2020 with a new show called The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure scheduled to take its place in 2024.

The Animation Courtyard has actually been the home for a number of stage shows, not only housing shows based on the Muppets and The Little Mermaid but also Bear in the Big Blue House, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley and other Playhouse Disney stars, with some shows being interactive experiences for their young audiences. Today this show is known as Disney Junior Play and Dance!

In 2001, the Walt Disney Presents gallery opened in the Animation Courtyard and featured memorabilia from the Disney archives while celebrating the life and legacy of Walt Disney.

Over the years, the Animation Courtyard has also featured attractions exploring the making of the current Disney films of the day, including The Making of the Haunted Mansion Movie (2003), Journey Into Narnia (2005) and The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow (2012).

In addition to Hollywood Boulevard, Grand Avenue and the Animation Courtyard, one other area that has been a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios ever since opening day is Echo Lake, an oval-shaped lagoon where the Tomorrowland attraction Star Tours, created in collaboration with Star Wars creator George Lucas, made its Florida debut in 1989, later replaced by its sequel attraction Star Tours – The Adventure Continues in 2011, in addition to the other Star Wars-themed attraction Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, which opened in 2007 as an updated version of the Jedi Training Academy.  But Disney also teamed up with George Lucas to create the opening day show Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular based on Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Back to Neverland director Jerry Rees and featuring a ton of awe-inspiring effects as well as audience participation.

Another opening day attraction at Echo Lake was the Monster Sound Show, which explored how sounds were created for films and television. Guests were even allowed to participate in the show by creating their own folly for an original horror comedy short film starring Martin Short and Chevy Chase. The show was later replaced by Sounds Dangerous!, an audio-themed show starring Drew Carey that ran from 1999 to 2012, followed by Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, a 10-minute montage of memorable moments from Star Wars movies that ran from 2015 to 2019 (mostly as a way to promote The Force Awakens), and finally Vacation Fun, a new Mickey Mouse short released in the newly dubbed Mickey Shorts Theater in conjunction with Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in 2020.

In 2009, Echo Lake also became home to the long-running attraction The American Idol Experience, based on the FOX reality competition show and emulating the show’s process for turning ordinary people into stars. Contestants (14 or older) must first sing in front of judges and then a studio audience.

The American Idol Experience lasted until 2014 before being replaced by For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical stage show based on the 2013 animated film Frozen.

In my next and final article about Disney’s Hollywood Studios I will write about the rest of the areas that were added to the park long after its 1989 opening day, including Sunset Boulevard and Toy Story Land.