Vacation Fun to An Original Animated Short with Mickey and Minnie is going dark again at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Specialist reporting says Mickey Shorts Theater closes on August 9, 2026, so the building can become the pickup site for the next Annual Passholder magnet, featuring Kermit the Frog.
Passholders who want the free magnet should plan a Hollywood Studios day between August 11 and September 24, 2026, with a valid pass and photo ID. Guests who only care about the short film need a different animation stop while the theater is offline through later in the year on the published calendar.
- Theater closes: August 9, 2026, at Mickey Shorts Theater in Hollywood Studios.
- Magnet window: August 11 through September 24, 2026, while supplies last.
- What you get: One Kermit the Frog Annual Passholder magnet per Passholder.
- Also offered: Passholder PhotoPass Magic Shot and a limited-time milkshake.
- Show offline: Vacation Fun short is closed for the magnet operation.
What is closing and why
According to WDWMAGIC’s August 4, 2026 report, Mickey Shorts Theater will stop running Vacation Fun so Cast can distribute the Kermit magnet inside the building. Operating hours are removed from August 9 as far as the public calendar currently shows, with Disney framing the closure through later this year.
This is the third time in under a year the theater has closed for another activation, after Disney Jollywood Nights in late 2025 and the Star Wars May the 4th merchandise event earlier in 2026. The pattern matters for families who treat Vacation Fun as a guaranteed air-conditioned break: it is no longer a reliable every-visit stop.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios park pages remain the place to reconfirm show hours on the day you visit. Treat specialist reporting as the dated trigger, then verify the live hours board before you rebuild a morning plan around the short.
Deep Arrival’s Hollywood Studios planning guide is the evergreen map for rebalancing Animation Courtyard time when Mickey Shorts Theater is dark.
How the Kermit magnet pickup works
WDWMAGIC lists the magnet available at Mickey Shorts Theater from park open to park close during the distribution window, while supplies last. Each Passholder receives one magnet after showing a valid Annual Pass, linked MagicBand, MagicBand+, or Disney MagicMobile pass, plus a government-issued photo ID. Reconfirm current Passholder benefit language on Disney’s Walt Disney World passes hub if the app later adjusts dates.
The same report pairs the magnet with a Passholder-exclusive PhotoPass Magic Shot and a limited-time milkshake at Hollywood Studios. Those perks do not require you to watch Vacation Fun; they require you to show Passholder credentials at the listed locations during the window.
Supplies are not guaranteed for the full August 11 to September 24 span. Early mornings in the first week usually see the longest lines, so later weekdays can be a calmer pickup if inventory lasts.
If you are not an Annual Passholder, there is no traveler decision here except to skip the line and enjoy the rest of Hollywood Studios. Day guests should not plan theater time around a magnet they cannot claim.
Cast members typically stage magnet tables near the theater doors rather than running the full show seating cycle. Expect a credentials check line, not a film queue, and keep strollers out of the choke points around Animation Courtyard.
If rain pushes more Passholders indoors, the magnet line can spill into walkways that also serve Runaway Railway. Give yourself an alternate indoor meet point so the family is not stuck in a single bottleneck for an hour.
Parents collecting magnets for multiple Passholder IDs in one party should still bring every person who holds a pass when Disney enforces one magnet per person present. Do not assume one adult can claim for the whole family without each passholder on site.
How to rebuild a Hollywood Studios day
If Vacation Fun was your air-conditioned midday reset, swap in Walt Disney Presents, the Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway preshow, or a sit-down lunch instead. None of those replaces the short film one-for-one, but they keep kids off the pavement during heat.
If the magnet is the only reason you added Hollywood Studios that week, you can make a short park entry just for pickup, then leave for another park if your ticket allows Park Hopper. Confirm hopper rules and residual inventory before you buy an extra day solely for the magnet.
PhotoPass users who want the exclusive Magic Shot should budget a few extra minutes near the published photo location once Disney posts day-of details in the app. Magnets and Magic Shots are separate queues even when they share the same promotion window.
For earlier Hollywood Studios passholder and entertainment chronology that is not this magnet stream, Deep Arrival’s other Studios news remains separate. Do not treat every Animation Courtyard closure as the same Kermit distribution story.
What not to overread from the closure
A theater turned into a magnet desk is not a permanent removal of Vacation Fun from the park map. Prior May the 4th and Jollywood uses of the same room returned the short afterward, and nothing in the August 4 specialist report states that Mickey and Minnie leave Hollywood Studios forever.
Still, three closures inside a year are a planning signal. Guests who need a guaranteed animated short should stop treating Mickey Shorts Theater as always open and should recheck the app the night before any Studios day that relies on it.
| If you are… | What to do |
|---|---|
| An Annual Passholder who wants Kermit | Plan Hollywood Studios between August 11 and September 24 with pass plus photo ID at Mickey Shorts Theater. |
| Visiting only for Vacation Fun | Skip the theater after August 9 and use another indoor show or meal as the rest stop. |
| On a tight multi-park hopper day | Pick the magnet up early, then leave; do not stack long ride lines first if inventory risk matters more. |
| A day guest without an Annual Pass | Ignore the magnet line and keep a normal Hollywood Studios itinerary. |
| Traveling after September 24 | Assume the free magnet window is closed unless Disney extends supplies in a later notice. |
- Show loss: Remove Vacation Fun from August 9 onward plans at Hollywood Studios.
- Passholder stop: Add Mickey Shorts Theater as a credentials stop for Kermit from August 11 to September 24.
- ID check: Bring government photo ID with the pass or MagicMobile device.
- Supply risk: Treat late-window pickups as optional, not guaranteed.
- Repeat pattern: Expect future event pop-ups to close this theater again without long notice.
The clean split is simple: Passholders trade the short film for a free magnet and two side perks, while everyone else rebuilds Animation Courtyard without Vacation Fun. Keep rope drop for headliners first if the magnet is optional for your party. Screenshot the app hours the night before so the closed theater does not surprise you.
When does Mickey Shorts Theater close for the Kermit magnet?
Specialist reporting lists the theater closed starting August 9, 2026, so it can host Annual Passholder magnet distribution.
When can Passholders pick up the Kermit magnet?
The reported window is August 11 through September 24, 2026, from park open to park close while supplies last.
What do I need to show for the magnet?
A valid Annual Pass or linked MagicBand or MagicMobile pass plus a government-issued photo ID, with one magnet per Passholder.
Is Vacation Fun still playing during the magnet window?
No. The short is offline while the theater runs the magnet operation through later this year on the published calendar.
Are day guests eligible for the free magnet?
No. The promotion is for Annual Passholders, though day guests can still use the rest of Hollywood Studios normally.
