The Walt Disney Studios Lot’s courtyard has added a new round of character statues, and Cast Member previews are now underway for The Magic of Disney Animation itself, one of the clearest signs yet that the September 14 opening is on track. The newest additions keep leaning into characters who rarely get park real estate. Bolt is now locked in a tug of war with the 101 Dalmatians puppies over a stick, with one puppy holding onto another’s tail in the process. Bruni, the fire salamander from Frozen 2, has taken up a spot at the base of a post. And Meeko, Pocahontas’s raccoon sidekick, is caught mid-snack, eating popcorn.
Updated: even more characters showed up this morning. Oliver and Dodger with a hot dog from “Oliver & Company” and Little Brother from “Mulan”. See below.
This continues the same beat we’ve followed since the Walt Disney Studios Lot courtyard first opened this year, and again when the Atrium Courtyard entrance was revealed in August, with new characters continuing to turn up around the space in the months since.
Here’s every character statue confirmed in the courtyard so far:
- Abu (Aladdin), perched atop the Studio Store entrance
- The Bluebird Singers (Cinderella), alongside Diablo, Maleficent’s raven (Sleeping Beauty)
- Sir Hiss (Robin Hood)
- Fru Fru (Zootopia)
- Mochi (Big Hero 6)
- Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio), sitting atop a directional sign
- Lucifer (Cinderella), eyeing Zazu nearby
- Zazu (The Lion King), Lucifer’s target
- Pua (Moana) and Thumper (Bambi), sitting together in the landscaping
- Ray (The Princess and the Frog), positioned at the top of a light pole
- Bolt, playing tug of war with the Dalmatian puppies
- 101 Dalmatians puppies, one holding onto another’s tail
- Meeko (Pocahontas), eating a snack of popcorn
- Bruni (Frozen 2), at the base of a post
- Marie (The Aristocats)
That’s on top of a separate, much larger set of characters that appear on the courtyard’s printed map guide rather than as physical statues, well over 100 of them spanning Disney Animation’s entire history. There’s also a separate set of handprint and footprint slabs elsewhere in the courtyard, including Ursula, Yen Sid, Moana, and Maui.
Inside, Cast Member previews for The Magic of Disney Animation began this week, with construction walls down and Cast Members walking through the finished space for the first time. It’s not yet confirmed whether a public soft opening will happen before the official September 14 debut, so the safest bet for guests is still planning around that confirmed date rather than hoping for an earlier look.
Disney has also added new posters to the entrance area beneath the Sorcerer’s Hat. One is a clean, minimal design just reading “The Magic of Disney Animation.” The other is a fully illustrated, lit poster packed with characters marching together toward the camera, mixing classic Disney Animation faces like Mickey, Minnie, and the Seven Dwarfs alongside newer additions like Stitch, Baymax, Moana, and Olaf, all labeled “Disney’s Hollywood Studios” at the bottom.
Pairing Bruni with a lineup like Bolt and Meeko is a nice touch. Most of the courtyard’s earlier statues leaned on older, classic-era characters and deep-cut sidekicks, and slipping in a Frozen 2 character alongside them signals this space isn’t just a nostalgia showcase for Disney Animation’s early decades. It’s meant to represent the whole span of the studio’s output, right up through its most recent work.
