Disney’s Hollywood Studios has had a multitude of upgrades over the past few years, from new and improved stage shows like The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and upgraded attractions like Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. But one of the most exciting new additions to the Walt Disney World park is actually a throwback to a popular attraction from the 90s. Yes, The Magic of Disney Animation has returned home in Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios.
The former attraction of the same name operated from 1989 until 2015, when it closed to make way for the now-defunct Star Wars Launch Bay. But starting Monday, September 14, 2026, The Magic of Disney Animation is reopening, welcoming guests inside for the first time in forever (yes, that’s a Frozen pun for all you Disney fans out there). But what’s beyond the towering blue sorcerer’s hat that welcomes you into the experience? Keep reading to find out.
Outside at Animation Courtyard
The fun of The Magic of Disney Animation actually begins outside in Animation Courtyard. The redesigned space takes inspiration from Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California. The welcoming green space is filled with benches and grass to sit on, plus plenty of little details and character statues. One of my favorite things is Pluto’s Corner and a themed directional sign, reminiscent of a sister spot at the actual Walt Disney Studios Lot.
MAKE MEMORIES: America’s best family vacation spots, vetted by real travelers and families: FamilyVacationist’s 2026 guide
This is also where roaming characters may come out to play throughout the day. While the official list of characters has not been announced as of publication, throughout summer, families have been able to play games with Rapunzel, Stitch, Goofy, Mulan, and more. Those characters will all have a special meet-and-greet inside The Magic of Disney Animation, so I’m excited to see who is coming out to the courtyard next.
Inside The Magic of Disney Animation
If The Magic of Disney Animation looks familiar, it’s because the facade is inspired by the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at Disney’s Burbank lot. After walking under Mickey’s iconic sorcerer hat, you’re welcomed into a space with multiple experiences, all themed around the wonderful Once Upon A Studio short. The backstory is that the characters from our favorite Disney movies have come to life while the animators have stepped away, and Mickey and the entire gang are welcoming you into an open house.
BEST TRIP EVER: Where to go in 2026: From cruises to theme parks, experts pick the best family vacation ideas for the year ahead
The Magic of Disney Animation is divided up into a handful of smaller experiences suitable for the entire family. The biggest ones are the Once Upon A Studio Theater, Drawn to Wonderland, Olaf Draws, and Off the Page, though there are a few smaller spaces like galleries and a store to explore too.
Once Upon A Studio Theater
While the entire venue is pretty free-flowing and you can enjoy it all at your leisure, I suggest stopping in to see Once Upon A Studio in a theater near the attraction’s entrance before you really dive into the rest of the space. It really sets up the story nicely. While you wait for the next showing, the attached gallery features moving portraits and interactive games. I love that the games also include Disney PhotoPass opportunities, where characters like Baymax from Big Hero 6 and Pascal and Maximus from Tangled hop into your photos virtually. If you don’t have Disney PhotoPass as part of your vacation package, you can still play the games since they simply require a park ticket to activate.
Drawn to Wonderland
Kids have their own indoor playground with Drawn to Wonderland. The Alice in Wonderland-themed play space is inspired by concept art by Mary Blair, including a tea party and rose garden. The playground is designed for kids ages 6 months to 5 years old. One highlight is the roller slide, which is much faster than I was expecting. And don’t forget to go through the hedge maze.
SUN AND SAND: Escape to paradise at these 11 kid-friendly all-inclusive beach resorts around the world
Adults will find this a nice area to enjoy too. There is plenty of bench-style seating and charging ports to plug in any devices that need a mid-day boost.
Olaf Draws
I loved taking the animation classes at the former version of The Magic of Disney Animation, so when Disney announced they were coming back, but with a twist, I was very excited. The new classes are now called Olaf Draws, where your family can join the lovable snowman from Frozen in a drawing class. Olaf is joined (virtually) by a rotating cast of Disney animators, who teach the class how to draw one of nine different characters. The full list includes:
- Mickey Mouse, with Dan Abraham, director (Once Upon A Studio, Baymax!)
- Minnie Mouse, with Hyun Min Lee, animator (Frozen 2, The Princess and the Frog)
- Donald Duck, with Austin Traylor, animator (Once Upon A Studio, Moana 2)
- Genie, with Eric Goldberg, animator (Aladdin, Hercules)
- Moana, with Samantha Vilfort, story artist (Encanto, Zootopia 2)
- Stitch, with Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and head of story (Wish, Raya and the Last Dragon)
- Olaf, with Trent Correy, director (Once Upon A Studio, Frozen 3)
- Ursula, with Michael Woodside, animator (Big Hero 6, Encanto)
- Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, with Byron Howard, director (Zootopia, Zootopia 2)
During a preview of the experience, I learned how to draw Mickey Mouse, Genie, Olaf, and Stitch. Some characters are harder than others (looking at you, Genie), and the sessions can be pretty quick. Little artists may need help from an adult to keep up with the lesson.
KID-FRIENDLY: 25 best family resorts and hotels in the U.S.
Pro-tip: If you’re a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World, consider bringing a small drawing pad to the park. Then use this as your paper for Olaf Draws so you can keep all of your drawings and see how far you’ve progressed with each character.
Off the Page
The biggest part of The Magic of Disney Animation is Off the Page. The area is divided into six distinct spaces inspired by the departments of the animation studio: story, layout, hand-drawn animation, computer animation, lighting, and effects. Here, families can meet some of their favorite Disney characters. The list includes Mulan, Rapunzel, Chip ’n’ Dale, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Stitch.
Other experiences inside The Magic of Disney Animation
There’s so much to see inside The Magic of Disney Animation that it may take a few trips to see it all. In fact, there are nods to all 64 animated feature films inside. One of my favorite areas is the animators’ office, which has been taken over by Stitch and a few sidekicks. There are so many little Easter eggs and details inside the office that I stood at the window for about 30 minutes taking it all in. The desk inside is also one of the original desks from the original Animation Academy attraction. Additionally, there is a tribute to the former Star Wars Launch Bay here.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY: 11 cheap family vacations that are super fun
Another one of my favorite areas to walk through is Treasures Untold. This gallery is filled with real-life recreations of animated props and costumes. I particularly love the “Official Conscience” pin Jiminy Cricket wears in Pinocchio and the Scrump doll from Lilo & Stitch.
The Studio Store is the attraction’s gift shop. It’s accessible from within The Magic of Disney Animation and from the outside courtyard. Inside, you’ll find basic Disney merchandise like stuffed animals, T-shirts, and ear headbands. There’s also a decent-sized collection of notebooks, pens, and coloring books. But the real highlight is the Studio Store-specific merchandise, which is all themed around artist sketches and the animation process.
FamilyVacationist’s theme park editor’s take on The Magic of Disney Animation
What truly makes The Magic of Disney Animation stand out among the numerous new and refreshed attractions at Walt Disney World is that it harkens back to the golden age of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For me, it’s all about slowing down your park day, enjoying time with your family, and making memories in a space that once helped shape the magic of Disney movies and storytelling. None of what we experience at a Disney theme park around the world is possible without the animators who came through Walt Disney Animation Studios and brought characters like Genie from Aladdin, Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, and Judy Hopps from Zootopia to life. The Magic of Disney Animation is a well-deserved ode to those people.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was once home to a real working animation studio. Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear were all primarily animated and produced right at the park. The new Magic of Disney Animation brings the story full circle, with spaces devoted to Disney history, meet-and-greets with characters that were brought to life through animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and drawing classes with real animators that may inspire the next generation of Disney artists.
More from FamilyVacationist:
PakarPBN
A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.
In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.
The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.
