Walt Disney World has released first look photos inside the “GoofyCore” takeover of CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT, along with the other new special entertainment and family zones you can experience during “Cool Kid Summer” at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
As a reminder, Walt Disney World will celebrate “Cool Kid Summer” from May 27 through September 1, 2025. The special event will delight kids and kids-at-heart with whimsical entertainment and unforgettable fun that includes DJ-fueled dance parties, surprise character appearances, hands-on activities.
The cornerstones of “Cool Kid Summer” are the new stage shows coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, both of which also debut on May 27, 2025. You can check those out in our separate photo & video previews of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After. The big highlight of summer is Disney Starlight Night Parade, and there’s still no debut date for that, but we may not have to wait much longer for a Starlight opening date…
Frankly, my expectations were pretty low for “Cool Kid Summer,” which has felt like it’s been thrown together pretty quickly as an indirect response to unfavorable reporting about Disney pricing out middle class families. But the more I see of this, the more excited I get. Perhaps that’s bias because we’re squarely the target audience for all of this stuff, so it now appeals to us as the type of ‘young family’ being targeted?
Or maybe it was bias before, when we previously dismissed dance parties (or at least paid them no attention) that were not aimed at us as Disney Adult DINKs? All I know is that my heart melts a bit every time our daughter exclaims “Goof” or “Mip” or “Min” when she sees these characters–this kind of interactivity is right up Megatron’s alley.
Anyway, here’s your first look at what’s coming across Walt Disney World for “Cool Kid Summer” starting on May 27, 2025…
GoofyCore Takeover of CommuniCore Hall
In the GoofyCore takeover of CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT, guests join Goofy for the ultimate summer party and play experience inside. This immersive experience features a DJ-led dance party and beloved kids’ games with thrilling twists, like Loopy Limbo and Parachutes ‘n’ Pipsqueaks––all hosted by Goofy and his crew.
Based on these photos and the video below, it looks like the entirety of CommuniCore Hall has been taken over by GoofyCore. As you can see in some of the photos above, the Farmers Feast food booth window has a curtain pulled down to cover it, and all of the Flower & Garden displays have been removed.
This looks much better than I expected! It looks like they truly transformed the flex space into something fun for families. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind for CommuniCore Hall to become GoofyCore Hall on a permanent basis. This space is woefully undersized as a festival center, so convert the Wonders pavilion back to that and make this a nice escape for families. Win-win!
GoofyCore Hall looks surprisingly good! Maybe this should be permanent and the Wonders pavilion should revert to the festival center? Can’t wait for our daughter to play Parachutes ‘n’ Pipsqueaks with Goof! pic.twitter.com/Eop6SR1sXz
— Disney Tourist Blog (@DisTouristBlog) May 26, 2025
What’s unclear is whether the Goofy-driven dance party takes up the entire space, or if the other half of the room has seating. As much as we’re coming to appreciate a dance party, I also wouldn’t mind some picnic tables or whatever along the far wall for parents to relax. But you better believe I will be “helping” our daughter play Parachutes ‘n’ Pipsqueaks (not sure what that is, but I’m a sucker for parachute games).
As a reminder, CommuniCore Plaza and the Mickey & Friends meet & greet remain open as usual. Additionally, the walk-up Florida Fresh window on the exterior of CommuniCore Hall remains open, and is now also serving the Farmers Feast menu. That makes sense, as both booths use the same kitchen. The loss of cool indoor seating as the summer heats up is the real consideration (our advice: take your food over to Connections Cafe for indoor seating).
Now let’s head over to Storybook Circus in Magic Kingdom for a first look at the “Cool Kid Summer” station there…
Big Top Bash at Storybook Circus
As part of Big Top Bash at Storybook Circus, guests can join the DJ Ringmaster for a summertime dance party, pop-up silliness with Pluto and kid-friendly midway-style games with even more hands-on activities inside Big Top Souvenirs.
This reminds me a lot of the play areas that were added to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, featuring some of the same performers, but with a summer circus theme instead of a Halloween or holiday atmosphere. I just hope the bootleg Coca-Cola polar bears make an appearance–nothing cooler than polar bears!
Finally, let’s take a look at Animation Courtyard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios…
Get Animated at Animation Courtyard
Animation Courtyard comes alive with energetic performances by magicians and jump rope performers, along with fun games and crafts for little ones while families can “Get Animated” with Mickey Mouse, beloved Disney Junior friends, and more at an indoor DJ dance party.
Get Animated at Animation Courtyard will be a huge hit with our family so long as the “Hot Dog Song” (and ideally, only the “Hot Dog Song”) is performed at the dance party. Our daughter knows nothing of its origins, but that is far and away her favorite piece of music. I’m really gaining a newfound appreciation for dance parties in the parks.
Aside from my personal feelings, it’ll be nice to see Animation Courtyard feel alive again. It’s had a dead mall vibe for a long time now, and even injecting entertainment for Jollywood Nights couldn’t fix that. Maybe “Cool Kid Summer” will finally fix that, and it’ll have a dying mall vibe instead. Progress!
The real progress would be bringing Bluey to Animation Courtyard. As covered recently in When Will Bluey Come to Walt Disney World?, it’s been a while since Disney announced the characters would be coming soon, and it’s been radio silence since. Having a big Bluey offering at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for “Cool Kid Summer” would be fantastic–and it feels like a huge missed opportunity that it hasn’t happened.
To make a visit to Walt Disney World during “Cool Kid Summer” even easier, there are several special offers aimed at young families:
- 50% Off on Kids Tickets: You can purchase a 3-day or longer kids (ages 3-9) standard ticket for 50% off. This deal is available for visits beginning May 27 through September 20, 2025.
- 3-Day, 3-Park Ticket: Get a 3-day, 3-park ticket starting at $89 per day ($267 total, plus tax) for visits starting on April 6 through September 22, 2025. This ticket is for admission to EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (one theme park per day, not valid for admission to Magic Kingdom).
- Disney Resort Room Deals: Save up to 30% on select Disney Resort hotel rooms when you stay longer for visits beginning August 1 through October 11, 2025. Special deals on rooms are also available for Florida Residents and Annual Passholders.
- Huge Streaming Special Offer: Disney+ subscribers can save on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels – starting from $99 per night at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort – when staying two nights or longer most nights from June 29 to July 31, 2025.
All told, Walt Disney World has unprecedented discounts that essentially offer 2019 pricing. That post explains how to leverage the various deals to save the most money on a Summer 2025 vacation.
At least for now, the insanely-good summer discounts have largely answered the question, Is Walt Disney World Pricing Out the Middle Class? Longer-term, it seems like competition from Universal will help, as will cooling consumer spending.
Honestly, that is what “Cool Kid Summer” is all about from my perspective–improving the value proposition of Walt Disney World, especially for young families. Well that, and Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away. I am anxiously awaiting the return of a night parade to Magic Kingdom, and cannot wait for that to finally roll down Main Street.
Ultimately, it feels to me like “Cool Kid Summer” is the marketing package put together to tie those discounts into something bigger picture that also ties together with the new stage shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and night parade at Magic Kingdom. The character experiences, dance parties, and various activities should all be nice plussings or value-adds.
Between all of that and the deals, “Cool Kid Summer” should demonstrate to young families that Walt Disney World does care about them. That it’s not all about new bars & lounges and catering to the more lucrative Disney Adult DINKs. From my perspective, “Cool Kid Summer” is more important for what it symbolizes–Walt Disney World getting back to its roots and recognizing its bread and butter audience–than the substantive slate of special entertainment.
I really hope this seasonal event is a success, and Walt Disney World does a future iteration of “Cool Kid Summer” that puts more emphasis on the cool part of the promo, and offer ways to beat the heat. For years, Tokyo Disney Resort has done summer celebrations that lean heavily on water, with entertainment that involves dumping buckets of water on guests and fire hoses, cooling stations, and “get wet” versions of popular rides. That type of thing, along with more indoor activities, is the right idea. The GoofyCore takeover of CommuniCore Hall is a good start, as are some of the other entertainment offerings during “Cool Kid Summer.” We can’t wait to experience it all, but especially the parachute games and (hopefully) the “Hot Dog Song.”
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the “Cool Kid Summer” special event? Will you be taking advantage of the deals during this seasonal offering? Thoughts on the new character experiences/encounters at the parks & resorts this summer? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!