Disney’s Hollywood Studios just debuted some NEW character meet and greets! With the closure of Animation Courtyard to make way for The Walt Disney Studios, some rare character sightings have popped up in Hollywood Studios.

Bert and Mr. Penguin

You will find these new character meet and greets on Hollywood Boulevard just in front of the entrance to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. We spotted them right around the Central Stage area. We got a chance to meet all the new characters and snap a few quick pics of them!

Animation Courtyard has closed to make way for The Walt Disney Studios. You can still enjoy Walt Disney Presents and The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, but construction walls are now up, and Star Wars Launch Bay, Disney Jr. Play and Dance, and the Disney Junior meet and greets are closed. The good news is that NEW characters have arrived in Hollywood Studios. Let’s see who you can meet!

Construction Walls in Animation Courtyard

First up, you can find Pinocchio hanging out by Center Stage! He was looking great this morning!

It’s Pinocchio!

You can also find Jiminy Cricket! He was looking dapper as always.

Jiminy Cricket

We also spotted Mary Poppins. She was looking wonderful and excited to be in Hollywood Studios.

Hi Mary Poppins!

Finally, we also got to meet Bert and Mr. Penguin. Bert is scheduled to meet in this area according to the app, but Mr. Penguin was an extra surprise.

Bert and Mr. Penguin

You can find all of these character meet and greets in the My Disney Experience app to see when the characters will be meeting. Simply head to the “Characters” section and either view the list or look for the Mickey Mouse icon near Center Stage to view all of their appearance times. Don’t forget, you can also find Chip and Dale right near these character meet and greets. Chip and Dale are just a few steps away closer to The Hollywood Brown Derby and near the light tower.

We love meeting Chip and Dale

Darth Vader has also moved locations with the closure of Star Wars Launch Bay. Currently, you can find Darth Vader meeting near Star Tours. Chewbacca still makes appearances in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but currently you can’t meet BB-8.

Darth Vader at his new meet and greet location

The Walt Disney Studios, which will be replacing Animation Courtyard, is expected to open in 2026. It will feature The Magic of Disney Animation, where you will be able to interact and explore a fun take on the Disney Animation headquarters. The area will also have a Drawn to Wonderland Playground and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! will be getting a makeover. 

©Disney

We are so excited to see some new character meet and greets in Hollywood Studios. Stay tuned to DFB for all your Disney World news!

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What rare character would you want to see at a Disney park? Let us know in the comments!