BREAKING: NEW Details Revealed for Magic of Disney Animation Coming to Hollywood Studios

We’ve got BIG news for fans of Disney animation! A brand new area is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios: get ready to step into The Walt Disney Studios when it opens in the latter part of Summer 2026!

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In July 2025, Disney announced that the area currently known as Animation Courtyard will be reimagined into The Walt Disney Studios as a “special nod to the legendary Walt Disney Studios Lot” in Burbank, California. We’ve been keeping an eye on updates for this new land, and now we have even more details — including a drawing class taught by… Olaf?! Let’s get into it!

Disney Animation characters will “leap off the screen and into our world” in this new land. It will retain two of Animation Courtyard’s signature attractions while introducing brand-new experiences inspired by beloved Disney characters, as well as the “Once Upon a Studio” short film! Disney just announced even more details about two new experiences coming to this land.

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“Off the Page!” will allow parkgoers to meet some of their favorite animated friends from Walt Disney Animation Studios stories. You can meet Mulan in the Story department, posing in front of an oversized storyboard panel. Or step into the Layout department where Rapunzel waits in a setting inspired by the classic multiplane camera, where you’ll see layers of backgrounds and painted cells come together like magic.

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These spaces will highlight key stages of the animation process, brought to life through character encounters. Some of the characters you may spot include:

• Mulan in Story
• Rapunzel in Layout
• Chip n’ Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation
• Donald and Daisy in CG Animation
• Goofy in Lighting
• Stitch in Effects

Not only that, but drawing classes will be coming to this land in a new Animation Academy experience called Olaf Draws! Yes, these classes will actually be led by Olaf and will teach folks how to draw iconic Disney animated characters — with the help of some legendary Disney Animation artists who will help bring the class to life.

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Olaf will be a brand-new Audio-Animatronics figure as he welcomes people into a new space, inspired by one of his most memorable moments from Once Upon A Studio, sitting at an animator’s desk, joyfully discovering the art of drawing. Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf, returned to record original dialogue for the experience.

“I’m so thrilled that a whole new generation of kids can dream of becoming animators one day and can actually begin their journey right there on the studio lot,” Gad shared.

You may find yourself sketching:

• 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)

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We can’t wait to check out these new experiences when they open at Hollywood Studios this summer! We’ll be on the lookout for even more details you need to know about. In the meantime, stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!

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