I can’t fully explain my reaction to Hollywood Studios’ new Magic of Disney Animation building without talking about what it replaced. Fortunately it’s easy to describe what Star Wars Launch Bay was like because words such as “underwhelming” and “disappointing” exist. The space was decidedly un-Disney, mundane rather than magical. The signature half of Launch Bay featured three character photo ops in an uninspired building with far fewer props, models, and decor from the galaxy far, far away than you’d expect. The other half, consisting of covered outdoor walls adorned with movie posters and artwork, was downright dank. The area was the easiest skip in the park, so it was very welcome news when Disney announced last year Star Wars Launch Bay was giving way to an attraction inspired by and named for what original stood there on opening day.
You don’t have to know or have visited any previous incarnation of that space in Animation Courtyard to enjoy what’s there now. I needed you to understand what occupied the spot just one year ago to understand what I’m about to say: the new Magic of Disney Animation might be the greatest upgrade in Walt Disney World History.
Last week Walt Disney World hosted my family and I. During our visit we were among the first people outside the company to experience the finished Magic of Disney Animation building. I first visited the space in May when it was an active construction site. (At the time all I could think was, “They really think this will be ready by the end of summer?”) The space is the final and biggest aspect of the refurbished Animation Courtyard. The family-focused land, which added some needed open space to the park, was already a much needed upgrade to Hollywood Studios. But Magic of Disney Animation (MODA) was always meant to be the crown jewel in the project. It is exactly that.
The space—based on both The Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank and Dan Abraham and Trent Correy’s Emmy winning short Once Upon a Studio—is stunning. It’s vibrant, colorful, and energetic. The venue is essentially an interactive art museum. It invites you to look and explore just as much as it invites you participate. MODA is a celebration of all 64 and counting Disney animated films. Each movie, no matter how obscure or unloved, is represented in some way. More popular and important films and characters are obviously much more present.
It’s hard to capture in words just how much art there really is in this building. Everywhere you look, from the decorated walls and halls to the ceiling and carpets, is a celebration of art and creativity. There are paintings, sketches, drawings, storyboards, and animation cels that come to life. You’ll also find sculptures, recreated props, and entire spaces that pay tribute to different elements of animation. I could (and plan to) spend hours in there just wandering around finding details and touches I don’t even know I missed. Guests and media alike will need years to find all of the Easter eggs.
The overall effect is a building that feels intentionally timeless yet wholly timely. Whether intended or not, Magic of Disney Animation serves as repudiation of AI and the barons who want to replace actual artists with soulless plagiarism machines. It’s impossible not to feel the humanity of the venue, both for the 90 years of animation it celebrates and for the Imagineers and interior designers who brought this space to life. This is a place made by talented people to honor the talented people who inspired them.
It’s also a place to have some fun, especially with youngsters. Magic of Disney Animation begins when you walk under a giant Mickey’s Sorcerer hat. It’s a recreation of the Roy O. Disney Building in Burbank. It’s also a replacement for a former divisive part of Hollywood Studios. That won’t be the case this time. The new sorcerer’s hat fits in a way that many thought the old one never did.
The entrance leads to the “Open House” courtyard. It offers a nice photo op but little else. The opening clearly seems to be an intentional understatement meant to serve as contrast to what awaits inside the two-level space. That’s where the color and vitality of MODA is immediately apparent.
To the left is the “Once Upon A Studio Theater” where a special version of the short screens. Inside the theater large framed animated images come to life and interact with the film itself.
The theater’s lobby is just as fun. It looks like an gallery of pictures with three large interactive screens that let you play with either Baymax, Tangled‘s Maximus, or Kakamora before getting a photo. But those smaller framed pictures aren’t static. Without warning, collections of photos will start visiting and playing with one another. Combined with the couch in the center and places to plug in your phone charger, it’s an amazing spot to rest, cool off, and catch some unexpected mini shows.
From there you can head down to the lower floor where Hollywood Studios’ finally has a much-needed kids playground, the whimsical Alice in Wonderland-themed “Drawn to Wonderland.” It’s darker but still full of color. It features paintings, sculptures, a miniature tea party table, an Alice diorama, and custom lights/lighting (make sure to lift the big teapot for a very fun surprise). The whole area is a truly terrific tribute to the legendary Mary Blair as much as it is to the iconic film. One side is designed for very young kids/babies under two. The other side, meant for kids 2-5, is much bigger with more spaces to climb. It’s also where the tea party takes places and littles can go down a rolling slide. When they do the Cheshire cat sitting above in Tulgey Wood chimes in with commentary.
My kiddo who just turned five and loves Alice in Wonderland didn’t want to leave. He just kept running up the ramp and into the tree house with his new friends who were just as delighted. Under normal circumstances I would have happily let him stay longer, especially since the play area is full of cushioned benches with power outlets below. Like so many of Walt Disney World’s upgraded attractions, MODA was designed with overheated/exhausted families visiting with little ones in mind.
I’m obviously biased as a dad who got to see his son enjoy “Drawn to Wonderland,” but I was in there earlier in the day without him and loved it all the same. It’s pretty to look at, like walking through an interactive love letter to Mary Blair. This was the part of Magic of Disney Animation I was most excited about after my site visit in May and it still exceeded my expectations.
What I couldn’t even come close to appreciating in the spring was the photo op section that takes up the majority of the lower level. Star Wars Launch Bay felt like meeting characters in an Imperial dungeon. The new “Off the Page!” feels like meeting characters inside a coloring book. Each of the six photo op spots celebrates a different aspect of animation. Mulan’s space is dedicated to “story,” Rapunzel “layout”, Chip n’ Dale ”hand-drawn animation,” Donald and Daisy ”computer animation,” Goofy ”lighting,” and Stitch ”effects.” Signage points this out, but some guests will probably miss the specific differences. What they won’t miss is each spot looks very different.
On one end Mulan and Rapunzel, whose performers were both so playful with my son, meet visitors in booths behind hidden behind walls. This might sound bad, but it makes the actual meet-and-greet feel intimate and personal. Meanwhile the costumed characters are all out in the open, with Goofy’s space being the smallest and least developed. (It’s mostly just a nice photo and not much else.) Stitch has a much more massive wall with a beach scene on the far end. It is easy to miss because it’s around a bend. In between are big set-like spaces for the duos. And above all of them are beautifully lit walls full of drawings that give “Off the Page” the feeling of existing on a painter’s palette.
Overlooking the area is a brightly colored and decorated space with big glass windows as well as tables and cheers. Imagineers call it the Fish Bowl, an ode to the old viewing area when the building was an actual Disney animation studio outpost. It’s where guests could watch animators working on feature animated films like Mulan. The Fish Bowl now serves as a beautiful spot to admire “Off the Page!” for guests who might not be comfortable with the loud and boisterous activity below. That allows kids and adults who want to avoid the meet-and greets to still partake in a way that is comfortable for them. It’s one of the best touches in a venue that has so many great elements I can hardly keep track of them all.
One spot I could never forget is the full-sized model of an old Animator’s Office that sits between the two floors. It features Stitch spinning around the empty office chair while Mushu and Cri-Kee play Fix-It-Felix Jr. arcade game. The rest of the space, which had adults gawking and geeking out like kids, is full of old ’90s VHS tapes, hidden characters (watch the trash barrel), stuffed animals, posters, a genie lamp that sometimes fills the room with smoke, and so, so, so much more.
It’s also loaded with references to the artists who had their offices there in the original Magic of Disney Animation building. Opposite is also a wall with storyboard art from three major films. But every room and hallway is covered in different kind of artwork.
Above the path between the Fish Bowl and Animator’s Office is a lost and found where an animatronic Figaro sleeps among missing items from Disney movies. It’s easy to miss. I know because despite someone telling me to look for it I missed it originally. (Fortunately I did not later that night.) The fun collection features a full-sized Black Cauldron, Eeyore’s tail, and lots more.
Before we get to my favorite spot, it’s worth taking a walk through the “Galleries.” The first room has small movie posters for every Disney animated film, Once Upon a Studio‘s Emmy, and an installation with displayed artwork for the next Disney animated film. Right now, that is Hexed. That gallery will obviously change when a new animated featured is on the horizon and Hexed gets incorporated into the space permanently.
Past that is a room full of “props.” You’ll find items like Winnie the Pooh’s honey pot, Jiminy Cricket’s Conscience Badge, and Maui’s massive hook. There’s also Cinderella’s glass slipper and Beast’s enchanted rose.
I am sorry to say that room leads to one of the nicest merch stores in all of Walt Disney World. It’s themed, bright, colorful, and there’s already some great custom MODA items to buy. (The good news for me is that we weren’t allowed to purchase anything during the media event. The only thing that will hold you back is your self-control. Good luck!)
The Fish Bowl also lead to “Olaf Draws!,” the final room in Magic of Disney Animation. It’s my favorite. It’s also proving to be the most debated aspect, though not by anyone I spoke with who also got to experience it. The area features an animatronic Olaf who can’t draw. Instead, the class is led by one of nine famous Disney animators, each of whom teaches you how to draw a different iconic Disney character via a pre-taped video. These classes double as shows. The artists interact with Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) with unique scripts and banter that made me laugh in all four of the classes I got to try.
It’s so good. So, so good. Each lesson is genuinely funny and engaging, both because of how hilarious Olaf is and because the animators share personal stories about their own Disney history and their work for the company.
The attraction is based on Disney California Adventure’s Animation Academy, and that’s why some aren’t happy with Walt Disney World’s version. DCA’s features an in-person artist who leads the class. Some Disney fans are upset the company replaced people with an animatronic and pre-taped lessons. In a vacuum I get it, I really do. But Olaf Draws! does not exist in a vacuum. It’s one aspect of a large space that celebrates artists. It also employs far more cast members than Star Wars Launch Bay ever did.
The presence of Olaf also works to pull in kids in a way a grownup often can’t. As much as my son loves me, I promise if Olaf came to our house he’d listen to the snowman before he listened to me. Olaf holds their attention while also easing the tension of trying to draw a picture.
Some people won’t care how wonderful the experience is, they’d still prefer a human. That’s totally fair. But all I can say is that I loved it. I loved all four classes I got to do and I can’t wait to do the other five. I also want to redo the four I experienced. Next time I don’t even need to draw to have fun. I’d be happy to simply go in and watch Eric Goldberg’s lesson without participating. It’s surreal watching the man who drew Aladdin‘s Genie talk about drawing the Genie while he does exactly that. (Imagineers said Goldberg improv’d with Olaf while recording his lesson. Knowing that makes the whole thing even better.) “Olaf Draws!” is one of the best stage shows at all of Walt Disney World. The fact it also doubles as an actual drawing class is why it’s incredible.
I can see how it will also lead to a potential complaint about Magic of Disney Animation. The overall space certainly isn’t small, but outside of “Off the Page,” each space is. On busy days to get a spot in a class for “Olaf Draws,” guests will need to sign up for an in-person virtual queue. It’s something WDW sometimes employs for new, popular non-ride attractions. That could make nabbing a spot in a class both difficult and annoying. (Imagine getting your call back during a seated meal?) And even if you do get in, there are a limited number of the small Frozen-inspired kids sleigh tables in the front. Same with the single bench behind them where grownups can draw while also keeping an eye on children. Everyone else has their own mini animator’s desk with a lamp in the otherwise darkly lit room.
The atmosphere of the room is both whimsical and surprisingly cool, but it won’t feel that way if your kid is upset they’re not at a sleigh. Same with the intimacy of Olaf Draws! The smaller room helps make the experience feel special, but if not for the limits of the pre-existing space it seems certain Disney would have at least added another row or two.
One of the best aspects of Magic of Disney Animation will also be the cause of another headache. It will lose a little magic when it’s near or at capacity. It definitely wasn’t during the event I attended. But because it invites you to linger, a lot of people will do that. And anyone who spends time in art galleries knows that it’s a lot nicer to have a quiet room with space to meander than it is to be packed in with a mob.
Of course, that’s true of everything at Disney. The nearby Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios is a lot more fun the rare times it’s not absolutely slammed. (Though being stuck in a packed MODA with be a heck of a lot easier thanks to air conditioning.)
That also brings me to maybe the biggest compliment I can give Magic of Disney Animation: it’s a non-ride attraction worth rope-dropping. It’s so wonderful, so gorgeous, so vibrant, so full of art and experiences to seek out, that it’s worth getting inside the space before the crowds arrive. I know, that seems absurd. You’re going to rush to an interactive gallery when Slinky Dog will instantly be 90 minutes all day? Yes. Seriously. Because while you might wait a long time to get on Rise of the Resistance later, the ride itself will remain the same until close. You’ll always escape the First Order in a prison transport with seven other people. Walking around MODA with ease won’t be something you can always do. Especially now that it’s officially open. Every day more and more people are going discover just how much there is to discover.
Considering everything this refurbished space is and everything Star Wars Launch Bay wasn’t, is that enough to make Magic of Disney Animation the biggest upgrade in Walt Disney World history? Yeah, maybe. I know that might sound like hyperbole, but the worst part of Hollywood Studios is now among the park’s best. It went from mundane and forgettable to magical and memorable.
Obviously, there’s no way to actually answer the question of what is truly WDW’s greatest upgrade ever. But it’s enough that Magic of Disney Animation is worthy of being considered for that title. And that’s true because it’s worthy of the art and artist it celebrates.