Walt Disney World has filed two early permits for the entrance area to the soon-to-be-reimagined Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As you may know, Animation Courtyard will be closing this September for a reimagining into the Walt Disney Studios Lot. When it reopens, the Star Wars Launch Bay will be no more, replaced by an experience called The Magic of Disney Animation. Gone too will be the Hollywood Studios archway that acts as the entrance to Animation Courtyard. Here’s the latest.
Permits Filed for Animation Courtyard Entrance Work
Two notice of commencement permits were filed today, both assigned to Walt Disney World’s in-house contracting company, Buena Vista Construction Company. While we normally don’t follow permits contracted to BVCC due to the small-scale nature of their work, it is notable that these are the first permits that we’ve seen that are likely related to the upcoming Animation Courtyard reimagining.
It’s worth noting that there is nothing in the permit to suggest that this particular permit has anything to do with the demolition of the archway. In fact, BVCC very rarely does large-scale demolition like what will occur with the archway. Instead, we imagine that this early work is to prepare the area for crews to come in and demolish the structure later on.
There are two permits, one with an address that resolves directly with the archway (pictured above), and a second permit that resolves to a popcorn kiosk directly outside of the archway. If I had to guess, I would assume that these permits are related to the relocation or removal of the popcorn kiosk and early work on the archway to prepare it for demolition. Hopefully, the bas-relief artwork on the archway is preserved somehow. It’s possible that the BVCC permit could be for the removal of elements that Disney wants to preserve ahead of demolition.
For more on the upcoming Walt Disney Studios Lot, including the retheming of the Star Wars Launch Bay and more, check out our dedicated project page below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
