First Look Inside Magic of Disney Animation: Olaf and More

We finally have real footage. Cast Members who attended the early previews have started sharing video from inside The Magic of Disney Animation, and the first look inside Magic of Disney Animation covers the areas everyone has been asking about: the Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure, the Drawn to Wonderland playground, and the Once Upon A Studio Theater.

Fair warning if you want to walk in cold on September 14. These videos show a lot. If you would rather be surprised, this is your exit.

For everyone else, here is what the footage reveals about each experience, plus the specific details that had not been confirmed until now.

Quick Summary

• Cast Members have shared video from inside the building following early previews
• The footage covers the Olaf Animatronic, Drawn to Wonderland, and the Once Upon A Studio Theater
• Olaf Draws! classes rotate through nine characters including Mickey Mouse, Genie, Moana, Stitch, and Ursula
• Drawn to Wonderland includes the Mad Tea Party, the Queen of Hearts’ rose garden, and Tulgey Wood
• The Once Upon A Studio Theater features characters appearing within artwork along the walls
• The Magic of Disney Animation opens Monday, September 14 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Olaf Draws! — The Animatronic Is the Story

The headline from the footage is the all-new Audio-Animatronics Olaf, and he is the centerpiece of the drawing classes.

The format pairs Olaf with real Disney Animation artists for step-by-step instruction. What the videos confirm is the character rotation: classes cycle through nine characters, including Mickey Mouse, Genie, Moana, Stitch, and Ursula.

Nine rotating characters is the detail that changes how you plan this. It means repeat visits give you a different class rather than the same one, and it gives the experience real replay value for anyone who visits Hollywood Studios more than once a year.

That also means Olaf Draws! will likely carry the longest waits in the building. A timed class with a set capacity and an animatronic host is exactly the kind of thing guests queue for.

Drawn to Wonderland — More Detailed Than Expected

The indoor playground is aimed at children ages 6 months to 5 years and draws on Mary Blair’s original Alice in Wonderland concept art.

The footage confirms three distinct areas inside: the Mad Tea Party, the Queen of Hearts’ rose garden, and Tulgey Wood.

Using Mary Blair’s concept art rather than the finished film’s look is the choice worth appreciating here. Her Alice work is flatter, bolder, and more graphic than what ended up on screen, and building a physical space from it gives the playground a distinct visual identity rather than a generic movie tie-in.

Practically speaking, this is the most valuable thing in the building for parents of toddlers. Walt Disney World is short on indoor, air-conditioned spaces where very young kids can move around freely.

Once Upon A Studio Theater — Watch the Walls

The theater shows the Emmy Award-winning Once Upon A Studio short film with enhanced in-theater effects.

The specific effect the videos reveal: characters appear within the artwork along the walls during the presentation. That turns the room itself into part of the show rather than a standard screening space.

If you go, do not spend the whole runtime looking at the screen. The wall effects are the reason this is an attraction rather than a video.

The Rest of the Building

Two more experiences round out the slate.

Off the Page! offers character meet-and-greet spaces themed around different stages of the animation process, featuring Mulan, Rapunzel, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Donald and Daisy, Goofy, and Stitch. Themed around the animation process is the interesting part — these are not generic meet spaces.

Enchanted Art Gallery presents curated Disney Animation artwork that springs to life with exclusive animations.

Taken together with the animator’s office Imagineering detailed earlier, where real artifacts from Disney Animation history sit on a desk saved from the original Animation Academy, the level of specificity throughout this building is unusually high.

How to Plan Your Visit

Press and influencer previews are still happening this week, so expect more interior looks before opening day. If these Cast Member videos were too much for you, the next few days will be worse.

For September 14 and after:

Do Olaf Draws! first. It is the timed experience with real capacity limits. Everything else is walk-through.

Give the theater your full attention. Wall effects are easy to miss if you are only watching the screen.

Bring toddlers on a weekday. Drawn to Wonderland is built for a specific age range, and that group does best when the room is not packed.

Budget more time than you think. Five experiences is a lot, and previews are already underway with strong internal attention behind this opening.

The Bottom Line

The first look inside Magic of Disney Animation delivers on what was promised. An Olaf animatronic hosting drawing classes across nine characters, a Mary Blair-inspired playground with three themed areas, and a theater where the walls are part of the show.

The Magic of Disney Animation opens Monday, September 14 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

If you want anything left to discover, stop watching videos now. If you would rather walk in knowing exactly where to go first, the footage is out there and more is coming this week.

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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop

I’m a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since ’92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I’ve graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I’m your guy!