First Look Inside The Magic of Disney Animation: Olaf Teaches Drawing, Stitch Takes the Animator's Chair

The Magic of Disney Animation opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios on September 14, 2026 – reviving an attraction that was core to the park at its 1989 opening and closed in 2015. Cast member previews began over the weekend, putting the first interior images into public view.

What's inside

The space is laid out as a walk-through across several rooms:

• Once Upon a Studio Theater – screening the short Once Upon a Studio, with classic Disney film imagery coming to life on the walls
• Olaf Draws! – a drawing class hosted by an animatronic Olaf, with pre-recorded segments from working animators
• Drawn to Wonderland – a play area built from Mary Blair's Alice in Wonderland artwork
• Off the Page! – character meets staged against backdrops representing different animation departments; Mulan is among the characters appearing
• Animator's Office – a recreated office with interactive elements and props, including an animatronic Stitch in an animator's chair

Alongside these are galleries featuring characters such as Baymax, film props, and branded drawing paper referencing the Roy E. Disney Animation Building. The entrance is dressed with Disney character statues holding an "Open House" banner.

Why it matters for this park

Hollywood Studios has had a documented capacity problem for years: plenty of guests, few offerings that work without a long wait. The Magic of Disney Animation is precisely that – indoors, air-conditioned and largely walk-up, with a drawing class, a play area and exhibition space.

Together with the return of "Vacation Fun" on September 27, the park gains two indoor offerings inside a fortnight – in a month when Central Florida routinely runs past 30°C.

What's still unknown

Disney has not said whether the Off the Page! character meets will use Lightning Lane, a virtual queue or a standard standby line. There is also no word on how long the walk-through runs or what capacity the drawing class holds.