Walt Disney Imagineering has released a full behind-the-scenes tour of The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios, walking through the Easter eggs, hidden details, and design decisions that make up the new experience.
The video, embedded below, is presented by the WDI team and covers the building from reception to Olaf Draws!, revealing details that most guests would miss on a first visit.
The Reception Area
The entrance hall is based directly on the Walt Disney Animation Studios lobby in Burbank, California, including a large tile color wheel mural. The centerpiece is a paint chandelier whose colors shift with the lighting, reflecting different hues across the surrounding mural.
The paint brushes on the chandelier carry colors chosen by the ink and paint department from films they've worked on — including "Simba 103," which gives away its orange tone without needing explanation.
A lost and found shelf runs along one wall, stocked with items lost by characters from Disney films. Highlights include the Black Cauldron lost by the Horned King, the Shepherd's Journal from Atlantis, and Figaro taking a catnap on top of the lost and found box.
Once Upon A Studio Theater
The theater lobby features characters woven into the carpet in sketch form — referencing the animator's process where everything begins with a pencil drawing. Characters visible in the lobby include Timon and Pumbaa, Lilo and Stitch, Pegasus and Stargaze jumping rope with Kron, and Baymax.
The theater itself features brand new hand-drawn and CG animation created in partnership directly with Walt Disney Animation Studios — exclusive to this location — showing characters jumping out of their portraits to make it to the group photo from the Once Upon A Studio short.
Drawn to Wonderland
The playground sits within the Visual Development department, introduced by a piece of Mary Blair artwork that appears to bloom out of its frame, allowing guests to step into the world she created for Alice in Wonderland.
Key design details inside the playground include:
- Butterflies that begin as flat wall graphics but physically pop off the surface in three dimensions as they appear to fly around the room
- A play floor lit with pink and purple light to match Mary Blair's color palette for Alice in Wonderland — colors that couldn't be achieved with floor paint alone
- A Mad Tea Party table with interactive elements including spinning pieces, sounds, and light triggers — all inspired by Mary Blair's original artwork rather than the film or the theme park ride
Off the Page!
The character greeting area is divided into sections reflecting different stages of the animation process — Story, Layout, Hand-Drawn Animation, CG Animation, Lighting, and Effects.
The Hand-Drawn Animation section contains a reference to James Algar, director of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. A sketchbook in the CG Animation area references films including Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, Brother Bear, and My People — a film that was actually in development in this very building when it was an active Disney Animation studio.
Olaf Draws!
The drawing class space features Chouinard-style animator desks for adult guests, with Arendelle sleighs brought in for younger kids to sit closer to the stage. Each sleigh is themed to a different Frozen character's color palette.
On stage, Olaf is seated on a copy of The Illusion of Life — the animation textbook by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston — the same book Olaf is shown sitting on in the Once Upon A Studio short. The stage is dressed with maquettes from animated films, VHS tapes from the 1990s, toys, and props designed to feel like a working animator's loft.
WDWMAGIC Intelligence
Answers from our archive, with sources
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