Walt Disney World’s newest attraction is a unique indoor experience taking guests behind the scenes of animated films. The space hosts multiple offerings within one venue, including a class with an unusual virtual queue and a new character meet-and-greet location with 8 famous Disney pals. With the opening of the attraction, some guests wondered if Disney would discontinue a different character greeting nearby.
This popular character play experience, one of the most unique in Disney World, will continue, even as the new attraction opens. We have details on what’s changing and what’s staying the same. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including 3 new Disney World discounts and fireworks removed from Disney After Hours in 2027.
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Unique Character Playtime Continuing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Earlier this year, an outdoor space formerly known as Animation Courtyard reopened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World after a 9-month closure. The plaza was previously gray, bland, and dominated by cement. Now, an abundance of astroturf and trees fill the area with much-needed color and life.
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With the refresh, the courtyard is meant to resemble The Walt Disney Studios headquarters in Burbank, California. Statues of Disney characters are everywhere, many of them deep cuts from the company’s portfolio, like Lucifer, the cat from Cinderella, pictured above.
The area’s signature attraction, The Magic of Disney Animation, opens on September 14, 2026, but the accompanying courtyard opened last May. Since then, Disney has been utilizing the area for character encounters that stray from Disney World’s norm. Rather than standing in one spot, posing for photos, and signing autographs, characters instead roam around and engage guests, especially small kids, in games and playful moments.
Videos went viral on social media all summer of guests enjoying the spontaneity of this style of character interaction. Rapunzel reading stories, Goofy playing duck-duck-goose, and Donald joining a dad on a bench were just a few of the types of moments that emphasized this different approach to meeting Disney characters.
The Magic of Disney Animation will contain several different offerings inside when it opens on September 14, including a drawing class, a short film screening, and Off the Page!, a character meet-and-greet area with traditional photo-and-autograph sessions with Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Mulan, Stitch, and Rapunzel. This makes it the largest gathering of character greetings anywhere in Disney World.
Not coincidentally, this is the exact same group of characters that has been playing with guests outside all summer. Some guests wondered if the opening of The Magic of Disney Animation would mean the end of the playful outdoor moments with the characters.
Characters will continue roaming and playing with guests outside throughout The Walt Disney Studios / Animation Courtyard space, even when The Magic of Disney Animation opens on September 14.
Matthew Hamel, Disney Live Entertainment Show Director, spoke with Mickey Visit during a media preview for The Magic of Disney Animation and elaborated on the playful moments continuing.
“We’re going to have characters here in these locations [at Off the Page],” Hamel said, “but we still are going to look for new and unique ways to engage that courtyard in a space that’s playful like it has been throughout the entire summer. Some of that play is also going to happen in here.”
The lineup of characters may be different than guests have been seeing this past summer. During the media event we attended, characters from Alice in Wonderland roamed around.
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It seems that Disney is testing out more ways for characters to engage in spontaneous moments with guests that create an arguably more meaningful interaction than the typical photo-and-autograph routine. During a recent stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, the Character Caravan bus made a stop at the hotel lobby. This vehicle travels to different Disney World hotels and surprises guests with unscheduled character appearances.
During the Character Caravan session, Donald Duck was intent on not staying in one place. Staying true to his personality, he went completely bonkers when guests started forming a traditional queue to meet him, and instead encouraged them to join him in a conga line.
See our full tour of The Magic of Disney Animation and learn about the unusual virtual queue for one of its offerings.
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