What’s Inside The Magic of Disney Animation When it Opens on Sept. 14

Now we know that The Magic of Disney Animation is opening on Sept. 14 at Hollywood Studios, let’s take a look inside as to what exactly is coming.

The idea of this revamped areas is to revive the spirit of the park’s early days, when it functioned as an active production space. For those who don’t remember, from its opening on May 1, 1989, until Jan. 12, 2004, the space where this revamped attraction operated was production site for Walt Disney Feature Animation. You were able to look through glass windows and watch artists work. During this 15-year run, the studio contributed to Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, and served as the primary production house for Mulan (1998), Lilo & Stitch (2002), and Brother Bear (2003).

“Back when this was a working animation studio, it inspired so many people to become animators,” Dan Abraham, Walt Disney Animation Studios Director and co-director of the Once Upon a Studio short film, said on The Disney Parks Blog. “Hopefully, this new version will do the same.”

The centerpiece of the reimagined Animation Courtyard is a replica of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, capped with Mickey Mouse’s Sorcerer Hat. The Magic of Disney Animation land will break down the complex, multi-layered process of animation into interactive environments hosted by classic and modern characters:

• “Olaf Draws!”: Headlined by an all-new Audio-Animatronics figure of the Frozen snowman, the attraction features original dialogue recorded by actor Josh Gad. Guests sit at an animator’s desk and receive step-by-step sketching tutorials from prominent Disney artists, learning to draw characters like Genie, Moana, and Mickey Mouse. Gad noted he is “thrilled that a whole new generation of kids can dream of becoming animators one day and can actually begin their journey right there on the studio lot.”

• “Off the Page!”: A collaborative installation between Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios. It places parkgoers inside specific studio departments alongside characters representing those creative stages, such as Mulan in the Story department, Rapunzel using a multiplane camera setup in Layout, and Stitch causing trouble in the Effects department.

• “Drawn to Wonderland”: An active indoor playground designed for younger children. The area is heavily styled after the bold, whimsical mid-century concept art created by Disney Legend Mary Blair for the original Alice in Wonderland film.

• Once Upon A Studio Theater: A dedicated screening room for the Emmy Award-winning short film, upgraded with special environmental effects that cause characters to appear inside the artwork on the theater walls.