It seems like we’re constantly writing about changes coming to Disney World these days, and top among them are some serious shifts happening in Hollywood Studios.
©Disney
Not only is the park getting Monstropolis where Muppets Courtyard used to be and a Muppet overlay at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, but Animation Courtyard is in the middle of a major overhaul. The area is going back to its animation roots, and Disney just revealed some details about what will be included there. However, the announcement included a controversial decision.
As part of the transformation of Animation Courtyard, the former home of Star Wars: Launch Bay is being turned into The Magic of Disney Animation. Here, you’ll walk under the iconic Sorcerer Mickey hat into a building where you can watch a short film, view portraits of Disney characters coming to life, and learn to draw Disney characters!
©Disney
What is this new drawing class? It’s called Olaf Draws! and it’s inspired by the Disney100 short film, Once Upon a Studio. In the short film, portraits of Disney characters come to life, and there’s a moment where we find Olaf sitting at an animator’s desk inside Walt Disney Studios. Now, the new drawing class will feature an animatronic of Olaf on stage, teaching you how to draw various Disney characters.
©Disney
But the change that fans are worried about here? There’s no live animator! Instead of a Cast Member or animator guiding you through the process live, you’ll be watching a pre-recorded video of someone drawing a Disney character. This is different from the animation experiences Disney World and Disneyland Resort have offered in the past.
The former Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park recently closed, but it was hosted by a Cast Member teaching you how to drive characters live in person. This allowed for a lot of flexibility with which characters you might learn to draw — they would sometimes offer seasonal themes, like when a new movie was released.
Animation Experience
At Disney California Adventure, the Animation Academy is run by a live animator as well. Each day, they put out a sign announcing all the characters that will be offered for the different class times, and they offer a LOT of variety with plenty of rare characters.
©Disney
The live animator-hosted classes allow Disney to interject personality and relatability into the experience, and they offer more variety in terms of characters — meaning people are more likely to come back and do the class again and again. Even though the Olaf animatronic fits with the theme of the short film, some Disney fans are expressing their disappointment that we won’t get the “personal” experience of doing a class with an animator.
Alternatively, the addition of Olaf may draw in more children and Frozen fans to this experience. We’ll just have to wait and see! Hopefully, Disney will continue to record more animation videos and there will be a decent variety in the characters offered for this class in the future. Disney has revealed the following character list for the pre-recorded videos:
- 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)
©Disney
All these offerings will be opening in late summer 2026, and we’ll be there to share all the updates.
Stay tuned to DFB for more Hollywood Studios news by subscribing to our newsletter and YouTube channel.
The 6 Things You’ll Do in Disney World in 2026 for the Last Time
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you planning on checking out this new attraction? Let us know in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
It’s Disney cutting corners again. They don’t want to pay an employee to create a more personal experience.
Loss of the “personal” experience is a bummer. But the benefits make sense: It’s far more cost efficient than paying a live cast member; Disney can provide more consistent “show” times; there are no last minute scheduling changes or cancellations due to the artist being unavailable; and guests will be exposed to some animation legends that we otherwise may not see (Ummm…Eric Goldberg?? Yes please!!)
Don’t worry Disney will probably bring back a live animator during some of the afterhours or for other special up-charge events.