Animal Actors on Location at Universal Studios Florida closes for good after Nov. 2, and the Hogwarts Express shuts down for one day on Nov. 4. Here’s every Universal closure on the calendar.
Universal Orlando is about to lose one of its oldest shows. Animal Actors on Location! at Universal Studios Florida plays its last day on Monday, Nov. 2.
Universal’s website says the show will be “permanently closed on November 3rd, 2026 to make way for a new experience.” Universal hasn’t said what that new experience is.
The Hogwarts Express takes a day off right after. Universal says the train closes Wednesday, Nov. 4, and plans to reopen Thursday, Nov. 5.
When is the last Animal Actors on Location show?
Monday, Nov. 2. Universal announced the closure on Sept. 2, giving fans about two months to see it one more time.
The show mixes trained animals with video clips, live skits and plenty of audience participation. Universal bills the cast as animal actors “from movies and television,” and its description promises birds, pups, “agile cats and more.” Pigs have been regulars, too.
Universal confirmed to Orlando’s WESH that the closure “will make way for a brand-new attraction,” with details coming later. Nothing has been announced for the space yet.
How old is Animal Actors at Universal Studios Florida?
As old as the park. It opened on June 7, 1990, the day Universal Studios Florida opened, under the name Animal Actors Stage, Disney Tourist Blog reported.
It used to sit in Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone, which Universal replaced with DreamWorks Land about two years ago.
Alicia Stella of OrlandoParkStop told WESH the show was “very popular in the ‘90s,” but crowds have shrunk in recent years. She also pointed out that the resort has only a few live shows left, all of them at Universal Studios Florida.
Universal Studios Hollywood already said goodbye to its version. That park closed its Animal Actors show on Jan. 8, 2023, along with its Special Effects show, to clear space for a future attraction, Attractions Magazine reported at the time.
What opening-day attractions are left at Universal Studios Florida?
Once Animal Actors closes, E.T. Adventure is the only 1990 original still running every day.
The Universal Horror Make-Up Show is another opening-day holdover, but it’s been closed since May 12. Universal announced on Oct. 9 that it’s coming back this winter as the Universal Horror Make-Up Show featuring Blumhouse, the studio behind a lot of modern horror hits.
Is the Hogwarts Express closed at Universal Orlando?
Only for one day. Universal’s attraction page says the train “will be temporarily closed on November 4th, 2026,” and that it plans to reopen to guests the next day.
The closure covers both stations, King’s Cross in Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure, according to Undercover Tourist’s closure calendar. Some headlines called it an indefinite closure, but Universal’s own page lists the Nov. 5 return.
If you’re visiting Nov. 4 with a park-to-park ticket, plan on walking between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The train normally connects the two Wizarding Worlds, and a park-to-park ticket is required to ride it.
The Hogwarts Express has linked the two lands since Diagon Alley opened in July 2014, so a full day without it is rare.
What other Universal Orlando closures are coming?
A few, and some of them are long. Here’s what’s on the calendar right now, according to Undercover Tourist and Disney Tourist Blog:
Volcano Bay: seasonal closure starting Oct. 26, with a reopening planned on or before April 1, 2027
Po Live! in DreamWorks Land: closed since Oct. 3, with no reopening date
Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges: closed Jan. 4 to Feb. 2, 2027
Fyre Drill at Epic Universe: closed Jan. 25 to Feb. 4, 2027
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: closed Feb. 8 to 19, 2027
Universal’s dates can shift, so check the park hours calendar before you go.
Animal Actors’ final day lands on a Monday, which makes Halloween weekend, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the last weekend to catch the dogs, birds and pigs in action.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Universal Orlando (attraction pages read Oct. 14, 2026), the Animal Actors and Hogwarts Express dates
Disney Tourist Blog, Tom Bricker (Sept. 2, 2026), the show’s history and other closures
WESH via WKRC (Sept. 3, 2026), Universal’s comment and Alicia Stella
Undercover Tourist (Oct. 12, 2026), the closure calendar and both train stations
Attractions Magazine, Samantha Davis-Friedman (Nov. 9, 2022), the Hollywood closure
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