Though the big news out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019 will be the fall opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, in the the meantime there are some other changes are on the horizon for this park that visitors should know about. From the opening of a new show to some springtime additions and a long-due refurbishment, here are all the changes coming to this park in the near future you need to know about!
1. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror refurbishment starting soon
Image: Disney
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the most beloved rides in all of Walt Disney World, and has been thrilling guests since the mid-1990s. However, though this attraction has continued to wow guests for the last 25 years, like any other ride, it needs a little TLC from time to time. And it looks like Disney is finally ready to give this attraction the attention it deserves (it hasn’t had a major refurbishment since 2010!) in the very near future as a massive refurbishment is planned for this year that will be kicking off in just a few days. The refurbishment will be carried out in phases while the attraction remains open, so expect longer waits and limited FastPass+ availability while this refurbishment is ongoing.
2. Early Morning Magic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios now available for booking through August
Image: Disney
The Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of the Early Morning Magic upcharge event (which offers pre-opening access to Toy Story Land as well as a breakfast buffet) has been extended, and is now available for guests to book for dates from now through the end of August. In addition, Disney has slightly modified this event as well, as the breakfast location has been moved to the Backlot Express quick service restaurant. The event menu, consisting of a continental breakfast buffet and the choice of a main dish remains the same and continues to be available from the beginning of the event until 10:00 AM.
3. Preview of Dumbo coming this week to Walt Disney Presents
Image: Disney
Later this week on March 1st, a sneak peek of Disney’s new live-action version of Dumbo will be presented at the Walt Disney Presents attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This preview will likely be staying all month long, as the film is set to release on March 29, 2019 and Disney’s film previews typically stick around until a week or two after the film comes out.
4. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy to open March 31, 2019
Image: Disney
It was confirmed this earlier this year that the new Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy show will officially debut in the Sunset Showcase Theater (located adjacent to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith) on March 31, 2019
This new attraction will immerse guests in the world of Cars and bring them face to face with racing legend Lightning McQueen. Taking on the role of rookie racer, guests will cruise into the theater and find yourself face-to-face with this character, who will appear “live” on stage in animatronic form, while giant, wraparound screens that are nearly two stories tall and stretch more than 200 feet from end to end, pull guests into into the action.
The show will take place after the events of Cars 3, and feature McQueen going through some of his career highlights while testing out a new racing simulator before, inevitably, things go wrong (as they always do in theme park attractions!)
Pathways that lead to this building are now opening back up (they were behind berms for awhile), and soft openings later this month could be possible if this attraction ends up being ready ahead of schedule.
5. New FastPass+ queue entrance now open at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Disney has been redeveloping parts of Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios over the past few months, and as we inch closer to the opening of the aforementioned Cars attraction, and in an effort to keep traffic flowing freely once this new attraction is open, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FastPass+ queue entrance on the far side of this attraction has been moved towards the center of the ride entrance area, where the old paper FastPass distribution machines used to be.
