The Magic of Disney Animation at Hollywood Studios is finally complete! I was already there for a preview, and wanted to talk about the Easter Eggs inside! Here’s what I saw, what surprised me, and what you should hunt for when you go. It’s a lot!
I’ll be honest, when Disney announced they were bringing animation back to Hollywood Studios, I was super curious as to how they were going to do so. It’s been missed! But walking through The Magic of Disney Animation? It blew me away. This is the love letter true Disney fans have been waiting for, and the Imagineers hid details everywhere. Here’s my room by room guide from my visit. Hang on to your mouse ears, there’s so much to see! Let’s go!
Reception Area: Look Up First
The first thing that hits you is the space itself, it’s modeled on the actual Walt Disney Animation Studios lobby in Burbank, and you feel it immediately. But do what I did, stop and look up! The paintbrush chandelier is stunning in person, and the colors shift as the lighting changes around it. Here’s the detail that got me, each brush was individually named by members of Disney’s Ink and Paint Department, with colors pulled from films they actually worked on.
Then find the Lost and Found Department. It’s a shelf of items “lost” by Disney characters, and I stood there way too long. Yes, they included some Tangled pieces, I was happy! From my visit, I spotted:
• The Black Cauldron
• The Shepherd’s Journal from Atlantis: The Lost Empire
• The Map Sphere from Treasure Planet
• Eeyore’s tail, I actually laughed out loud but poor Eeyore!
• A vase showing Hercules’ fight with the Hydra
• The Magic Flower and Lantern from Tangled
And asleep on top of the whole display is Figaro, who occasionally flicks his tail like he owns the place. I watched for a while, he’s so cute!
The Animator’s Office:
Stitch moved in and I’m loving it! This room caught my eye immediately! It’s set up as an animator’s office, and Stitch is right there in the middle of it, spinning in the office chair. I could have stayed here for an hour, I just kept going back to look! The desk itself is a piece of history, it was salvaged from the original Animation Academy that used to be at Hollywood Studios. Around it, the Imagineers packed in so many movie nods:
• Genie’s lamp on a bookshelf, puffing smoke every so often (I saw it a few times!)
• A Donald Duck mirror with Huey, Dewey, and Louie that reportedly belonged to Once Upon a Studio director Dan Abraham
• A copy of Rabbit Rabbit, the studio’s internal magazine
• A book of caricatures the animators drew of each other
• A Moana cap and Hercules jacket on the coat rack
• Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet from Make Mine Music on the hat stand
• Figures everywhere: Elsa, Anna, baby Dumbo, Baymax, llama Kuzco, Sorcerer Mickey on a glass wave
• The dancing mushroom salt and pepper shakers from Fantasia
• A “hunny” pot planter
• Pascal from Tangled sitting on the lamp, wrapped in red rubber bands (love it)
• A photo of Robert Zemeckis with Roger Rabbit
• Footprints crossing a graph marked “1923”
• A plaque that reads “If you can dream it, you can do it”
My personal favorite are the old Disney VHS tapes on the shelves. Pure nostalgia hit, it reminded of my childhood! Oh, and Pascal was great too, of course!
Once Upon a Studio Theater: Check the Floor
Before you sit down, look at the carpet in the lobby. The characters are drawn into it as pencil sketches, such a perfect touch, since that’s where every animated film begins.
Inside, the theater shows new animation made exclusively for this spot, characters jumping out of their portraits to get to the group photo from the Once Upon a Studio short. It was made in direct partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios, and it shows. I wish I had a better photo of it, this was from the panel on media day. Outside the theater, there are pictures that move, but you have to pay close attention. Also a few portraits that are actually games you can play.
Off the Page!
You’ll be busy meeting characters here, but pull your eyes away for a second and look at the maquettes, the little sculptures animators use to study characters from all angles. I found a young Tarzan on a tree trunk and Taffyta Muttonfudge from Wreck-It Ralph hiding in plain sight. The character backgrounds are great too, there are a lot of fabulous shots to be had!
Drawn to Wonderland: Walking Into a Mary Blair Painting
This area celebrates Mary Blair’s visual development work on Alice in Wonderland, and it’s gorgeous. You step right into her artwork, colorful butterflies, interactive spots, and a Mad Tea Party play area based on her original designs. This area has a lot of benches for parents to sit while their kids have fun! There’s a Cheshire Cat perched above the rolling slide. The slide is fun, don’t ask me how I know! As a longtime Mary Blair fan, this section meant a lot to me. Her style is so distinctive, and seeing it made into a physical space you can walk through is something special. Just beautiful and whimsical! (Try the slide)
My Tips for Your Visit
• Go slow. This isn’t a place to rush through. I can’t stress enough on how much there is to see!
• Look up. The chandelier, the lost and found, the ceilings, half the good stuff is overhead.
• Bring kids if you can. Little ones spot things at their eye level that adults walk right past. Us big kids will surely spot a lot too!
• Talk to the cast members! They love sharing their favorite hidden details.
• Take photos of the small stuff. You’ll notice things in your pictures later that you missed in person. I did! Especially in the writers desk spot. I went back three times and noticed something new on each visit. I think this was my favorite thing!
Final Thoughts
I walked in The Magic of Disney Animation curious, and I walked out truly wowed! This is the kind of thing Hollywood Studios has needed, something made for the people who grew up on these films and never really grew out of them. If you’re a true Disney fan, go. And when you spot an egg I missed, come back and tell me in the comments. I can’t wait to go back and see what else I can find!
Also, don’t forget to visit Olaf Draws while you’re there! It’s a good time for sure!
See Stitch spinning at the writers desk here!
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