The Magic of Disney Animation opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on September 14, and it is built for fans who like to look closely. The experience folds in references to all 64 Walt Disney Animation Studios films, plus the upcoming feature Hexed, and packs each room with small touches worth slowing down for. Here is a look at some of the details you can find as you move through the space.
A Reception Inspired by the Real Animation Building
The experience begins in the Reception area, which draws its look from the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Anaheim. A wall of tiles forms a rainbow of movie scenes, giving you a quick visual tour of Disney animation before you go any further.
Look up and you will see a chandelier made of jars of paint that glow in shifting colors. Those colors sync with the lighting in Off the Page, which you can see through the Reception’s windows. Tucked among the jars are paintbrushes labeled with the names of animators’ favorite colors, a small nod to the people behind the films.
The Lost & Found Shelf
Above the Reception area sits a Lost & Found shelf filled with items Disney characters have misplaced. Figaro naps on top of a box with his tail flicking back and forth, and several other objects will feel familiar if you know your films.
You can spot the Sundrop Flower and a glowing lantern from Tangled, along with the title object from The Black Cauldron. The Map Sphere from Treasure Planet is here, as is the journal from Atlantis. Rounding out the collection are Eeyore’s tail and a vase showing Hercules in his fight with the Hydra. It is a tidy way to reference a wide range of movies in a single display.
Character Sketches Along the Way
As you continue through the space, keep an eye out for pencil sketches of characters worked into the surroundings. These include Oliver from Oliver and Company, Mr. Toad from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Tod and Copper from The Fox and the Hound.
The sketches carry through the theming and reward guests who take their time.
Once Upon a Studio Theater
In the lobby for the Once Upon a Studio Theater, images from films come to life and characters interact across the artwork. One picture shows Pegasus and Star playing jump rope with Kronk. If you have a MagicBand+, you can interact with some of the larger images, including one featuring Baymax.
Inside the theater, character sketches cover the carpet. Walt Disney Imagineering teamed with Walt Disney Animation Studios to create new animated portraits near the screen. These show characters coming to life and heading to the big screen for the group photo that closes out Once Upon a Studio.
Drawn to Wonderland Playground
The Drawn to Wonderland playground represents the studio’s Visual Development department. Mary Blair artwork lines the wall, and one piece spills outward to form the playground itself.
The design aims to make you feel like you are standing inside a collage of art. One clever example is the bread and butterflies, which appear first as flat hand-drawn images, then as partially dimensional pieces popping out of the wall, and finally as full 3D sculptures hanging from the ceiling. At the tea party set, younger guests can move bubbles from pots to cups, spin the cups, and trigger sound effects. The Dormouse hides in the biggest pot.
Easter Eggs Inside Off the Page
The Off the Page meet and greet spaces are inspired by different animation departments, and they hold several references. In the 2D hand-drawn animation section, where you meet Chip and Dale, a sticky note reads “Pencil test review with J.A. @ 3.” Those initials point to James Algar, director of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment of Fantasia. The giant desk in this space displays magic brooms from that same segment.
Next door is the CG animation space, home to Donald and Daisy, where a drawing board recreates the magic broom sequence using CG technology. A sketchbook in the corner shows a string of letters that stand for reference films developed at the former Feature Animation studio in this building: M for Mulan, LS for Lilo and Stitch, BB for Brother Bear, and MP for My Peoples, a film that was ultimately scrapped. Look around and you can also find maquettes of a young Tarzan on a tree trunk and Taffyta Muttonfudge from Wreck-It Ralph.
Olaf Draws at the Animation Academy
The Animation Academy hosts Olaf Draws, where the Frozen snowman teaches guests to draw with help from real Disney animators in pre-recorded segments. Outside the academy, an Olaf Draws sign reads “Behold, the backside of sign!” on its reverse, a wink at the Jungle Cruise.
Nearby, a still from Frozen shows Anna, Kristoff, and Sven at a summer picnic. Olaf is missing from the portrait, with a swirl of snow trailing through a nearby door to suggest he jumped out of the image and ran into the academy.
Inside, adults can draw at Kem Weber-style animation desks, named for the chief designer of the Wal Disney Studios in Burbank in 1939. Children get sleigh-inspired desks, each with a color scheme tied to a Frozen character, set atop the same sketch-covered carpet from the Once Upon a Studio Theater.
At the front of the room, Olaf sits at a desk based on a moment from Once Upon a Studio, perched on a copy of The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
Treasures Untold Gallery
The Treasures Untold gallery gathers keepsakes and artifacts from across the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Here you can find Jiminy Cricket’s suit and gold star pin, along with a box of Kanine Krunchies from One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Other items include Lilo’s doll Scrump, the Aristocats’ collars, and Kuzco’s crown and earrings. You will also see Quasimodo’s wooden dolls from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, while Cinderella’s glass slipper rests on a velvet cushion in the center of the gallery.
The Animator’s Office
The Animator’s Office is designed to feel like a real animator has just stepped away from their desk. The animation desk here is preserved from the original Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios, which ties the new space to the park’s animation history.
Look closely and you might spot a Moana cap, a miniature Walt Disney Animation Studios maquette, and dozens of other keepsakes, pieces of artwork, and personal touches scattered around the room. It is one of the most detail-heavy corners of the experience, and Imagineers have shared even more about the objects hidden across the desk.
Final Thoughts
The Magic of Disney Animation rewards guests who explore at their own pace, with references stretching from early classics to films still on the way. Between the Lost & Found shelf, the scattered character sketches, and the layered details of the Animator’s Office, there is a lot to take in during a single visit. When the experience opens on September 14, give yourself time to wander so you can catch as many of these touches as possible.
Written by
Rachel Van Norman
Contributing Writer
Rachel fell deeply in love with all things Disney as a little girl. Now as a wife and a mother herself, she shares this Disney obsession with her son and everyone around her. From her love of princesses to eating all the Disney food, Rachel spends her time radiating Disney magic and keeping everyone up to date on Disney news.
