ANIMATION Sign Installed Beneath Sorcerer Hat at Magic of Disney Animation in Hollywood Studios

3 days ago in "The Magic of Disney Animation"

Gallery / 5 Photos
ANIMATION Sign Installation: Magic of Disney Animation Entrance Construction

Posted: Wednesday May 6, 2026 11:39am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Large-format "ANIMATION" lettering is now in place at the entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios, with crews spotted installing the sign earlier today.

ANIMATION Sign Installation: Magic of Disney Animation Entrance Construction

The dimensional letters spell out "ANIMATION" directly beneath the Sorcerer Hat, mounted above the building's entry canopy. The silver lettering sits against the building facade between the two cylindrical towers that flank the entrance, completing the exterior signage for the building.

ANIMATION Sign Installation: Magic of Disney Animation Entrance Construction

With the "ANIMATION" sign now in place, the exterior of The Magic of Disney Animation building is close to complete.

ANIMATION Sign Installation: Magic of Disney Animation Entrance Construction

Disney has confirmed a May 26 opening for the Walt Disney Studios courtyard and Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! No opening date has been announced yet for The Magic of Disney Animation building.

With the May 26 opening now less than three weeks away, work across the courtyard is clearly in its final stages. The Hyperion Studio-inspired vintage mural on the Studio Theater building has been painted, a section of the new courtyard walkway around The Little Mermaid building has opened, and character handprints and signatures are embedded throughout the courtyard pavement.

The Magic of Disney Animation building will house several experiences:

Olaf Draws! — An Animation Academy drawing class hosted by an Audio-Animatronics Olaf
Enchanted Art Gallery — A curated art space where Disney characters spring to life
Once Upon A Studio Theater — A dedicated theater showing the Emmy Award-winning short film
Drawn to Wonderland Playground — An indoor play area inspired by Alice in Wonderland concept art
Character Greetings — Multiple meet-and-greet locations

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lazyboy97o2 days ago

It has to be anchored but that doesn’t require the cylinders.

DisneyHead1232 days ago

This is 100% a guess, but wondering if they need something to anchor the hat in potential hurricane winds.

𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇2 days ago

If the hat’s design were askew similar to the BAH... it would be far less problematic. While that might dilute the concept, it would effectively break up the uniformity that currently causes the three structures to blend into a single unit. At this stage, they might be able to visually recede the pillars with a darker paint or introduce an asymmetrical element, like a 'wand' drop-in, to offset the balance. While it will likely look fine at night, those drums currently dominate the hat’s silhouette and negatively impact its overall presence. The difference between the Burbank bldg and "this" is night and day.

lazyboy97o2 days ago

Exactly, because even on the original the purpose of the Hat is to denote the entrance. So you now have two distinct forms with the same overlapping purpose but no shared design. The original is also just sort of clumsy pro forma Postmodernism. It is also odd if you’re familiar with the original which was not just a flat mural. It was a billboard where Mickey stuck above the top edge and the words were faced with lighting.

Casper Gutman2 days ago

It doesn’t look good, but the “drums” were the decorations designed for the building. The hat is the thing that doesn’t fit and the symbol of a hasty, poorly-conceived overlay.

easyrowrdw2 days ago

That makes sense. I think it just feels off to me because most everything else is big or more 3-dimensional. There’s a giant hat but then a flat painted wall that doesn’t quite fill the wall.

𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇2 days ago

Wow. Yeah that looks terrible. Renders the hat nearly pointless.

celluloid3 days ago

When colored and presented properly, they definitely look more like Art Deco inspired, which is what the Studio area went for, and its kind of trying to get back to.

Marc Davis Fan3 days ago

The "STUDIO THEATER" sign is also up:

etc983 days ago

I wish they had removed them to add the sorcerer’s hat instead of just throwing the hat in front of them

lazyboy97o3 days ago

Ornamental massing to denote the entrance.

JohnD3 days ago

I know it's part of the original building but can someone explain what those "drums" are to either side of the hat? They've always annoyed me. The building would look so better without them.

Marc Davis Fan3 days ago

If the signs attached to buildings that you’re referring to are the billboards (e.g., Phineas and Ferb, Disney Jr.), I think the idea is that those are “now playing” signs while this is a sign representing the purpose of the building/studio itself, so it would make sense for those to be a more “swappable” style and this (along with the painted “STAGE 1” across the way) to be a more “permanent” style. Similarly, the “ANIMATION” and forthcoming “STUDIO THEATER” lettering feel more permanent than the “The Little Mermaid” marquee. That said, I don’t really like the Phineas and Ferb billboards on the Studio Theater. I think it would be preferable to have something that advances to the area’s theme (I know billboards for current and upcoming movies and shows actually are placed on studio lot buildings, but since most people don’t realize this, the billboards on “studio” buildings around DHS don’t really advance the story, and instead may often come across as unthemed/nondiagetic ads).