Animation Courtyard officially opened on May 26, but it wasn’t complete. Brilliant, yes, but a major piece was missing. The building in the back, The Magic of Disney Animation, was still not accessible. An opening date of September 14 was announced.
Fortunately for me (and many others), Disney decided to have soft openings. I was there on September 12, and I was impressed! Here is my first impression. I have a feeling that I’m going to spend a lot of time in this building.
When you approach the open area towards the building, there is a fantastic picture opportunity. There was a PhotoPass Photographer on hand. I don’t know if the photographer is permanent, but expect one for now.
As you walk past the photo op, you’ll pass a theater on your left. That’s the exit, you’ll need to enter the building and go to the left to see the movie. While you wait, you’ll be surrounded by pictures of animated Disney classics. Some are interactive with the guests. Others are interactive with each other. I could spend an hour in this room and miss something.
The film in the Disney Once Upon a Studio Theater is Once Upon a Studio. If you have Disney+, you might have seen this. It was created to celebrate 100 years of Disney animation. Even if you’ve seen it before, watch it again. So much is packed in! Also, there are pictures on the walls that come alive when the characters are headed to the studio. It’s an Emmy Award winning film, you’ll see the Emmy later. There’s something special about watching this beautiful film with a group of other Disney fans.
Drawn to Wonderland is another section. This is a play area for the kids. I didn’t spend much time there because it was crowded when I went, and I don’t have any younglings. It’s cute, and Alice was on hand for a tea party. There’s a slide that looks like a lot of fun.
Off the Page is where you’ll find most of the characters. Greeting are Donald and Daisy, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Goofy, Stitch, Rapunzel, and Mulan. (I think I mentioned them all!) I didn’t wait in any of the lines, but I did watch some from a distance. The characters that I could see were all very interactive. They seemed to be giving each party a decent amount of time.
Olaf Draws means the return of an animation class at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This time it’s led by Olaf, with the help of Disney Legend Eric Goldberg. This is fun, but it’s fast! I heard that it’s only 45 people per “class”, I don’t know if that’s true, but it felt about right. Our group drew The Genie. Disney isn’t going to ask me to join their animation team anytime soon, but I did better than I thought that I would.
Supposedly there’s going to be a Virtual Queue for Olaf Draws that you’ll join in person once The Magic of Disney Animation is officially open. I asked a Cast Member about it, and she didn’t really know the details. When I know for sure what is going on, I’ll share it on Disney Over 50.
Every inch of The Magic of Disney Animation is filled with something. I think you could spend an entire week in the building and still only scratch the surface. You’ll see the Emmy, Cinderella’s glass slipper, the Enchanted Rose, and so much more. There are extra details everywhere! You can tell that this was a labor of love for the Imagineers who designed it. It’s funny, I walked through the same building when it was Star Wars Launch Bay probably 100 times. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, but I never had the same “wow” feeling that I experienced in this soft opening.
There is, of course, a bit of a tradeoff. There isn’t as much going on in the rest of Animation Courtyard. Most of the characters from Cool Kids Summer have moved indoors. That doesn’t mean, though, that there’s nothing going on. Pluto is still outside and playing with the kids. I also saw Jasmine when I was there. Here’s hoping that there will continue to be a good mix of indoors and outdoors for Animation Courtyard. I still think that the whole land is brilliant.