Walt Disney World opened 13 new experiences for the summer across all four theme parks, and they’re not done. Another new attraction is preparing to open, this one featuring characters from every Disney animated movie ever made.
A reimagined version of an attraction that’s been closed for over a decade will open at Disney World in late summer 2026, and Disney revealed the full plans for what to expect inside, including new concept art and a full map of the unique space. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including every scene changing on Carousel of Progress and a missing effect returning to a Magic Kingdom ride.
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Animation Attraction Returning with Modern Updates
Disney-MGM Studios, now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, opened in 1989 with an attraction called The Magic of Disney Animation. The experience involved a tour of Disney’s real satellite branch of Walt Disney Feature Animation, today called Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Guests literally looked through glass walls at animators drawing scenes from Aladdin and The Lion King. In time, three movies would be created entirely by this Orlando team: Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear.
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When Disney shut down the working animation facility in the mid-2000s, the theme park attraction remained, becoming part museum, part character greeting spot, with a free drawing class instructed by a live cast member.
More recent visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios may know this same space as Star Wars Launch Bay, an attraction that, in 2015, repurposed The Magic of Disney Animation’s facilities to feature Star Wars museum exhibits and character greetings.
Disney closed Star Wars Launch Bay in 2025, and now, The Magic of Disney Animation is returning, but in a new way. Following previous announcements, Disney shared new details about what to expect inside, which we dive into below.
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Opening in late summer 2026, The Magic of Disney Animation is the marquee attraction of a new area in Disney’s Hollywood Studios called The Walt Disney Studios, which opened ahead of the attraction on May 26, 2026. The area is also sometimes called by its former name, Animation Courtyard.
The Walt Disney Studios resembles the campus of Disney’s corporate headquarters in Burbank, California. That includes Mickey’s sorcerer hat from Fantasia marking the entrance of the animation building, just as it does in Burbank.
Throughout the area, small statues depict characters from Disney animated movies, including obscure ones, like Lucifer the cat from Cinderella, pictured above.
The land’s soundstage debuted a new show, Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!, geared toward preschoolers. The nearby theater where The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure opened in 2025 is now annexed into The Walt Disney Studios’ real estate.
As for The Magic of Disney Animation, the attraction will feel a lot like an EPCOT pavilion. The large building will be home to multiple experiences, mapped out in a new illustration Disney shared:
There are some deep cuts in this illustration. Some of my favorite finds: Pete dressed in his guard costume from the 1990 Mickey Mouse short film The Prince and the Pauper; Stitch stealing an apple from The Black Cauldron’s Gurgi; and Professor Owl, who originally debuted in a 1953 short film but was later popularized as the host of Disney’s sing-along VHS tapes. Can you spot them?
Let’s explore each entity inside The Magic of Disney Animation.
Every Attraction Inside The Magic of Disney Animation
The Magic of Disney Animation will host six unique experiences inside.
In the Once Upon a Studio Theater, guests can enjoy a screening of the titular 2023 short film, in which Disney animated characters come to life inside Walt Disney Animation Studios after the artists go home for the day. The theater will be enhanced with special effects that bring some of the characters into the space in unique ways.
Drawn to Wonderland is a new play area for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. It’s inspired by the late concept artist Mary Blair’s designs for Alice in Wonderland, including the Mad Hatter’s tea party, the Queen of Hearts’s rose garden, and the Tulgey Wood. Disney just shared new artwork for Drawn to Wonderland, pictured above.
Off the Page! is a character greeting location where each photo-op depicts a different component of the animation process, such as story, lighting, and effects. The character lineup for Off the Page! includes Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, Mulan, Stitch, and Rapunzel. The inclusion of Mulan and Stitch is especially appropriate, since their films were created right here, when the park previously had a real animation studio.
Olaf Draws! is an animation class hosted by an Audio-Animatronics figure of Olaf from Frozen, along with a prerecorded video of a real Disney animator. This differs from Disney World’s previous drawing classes, which were taught by live cast members. Olaf Draws! will feature nine variations, each teaching guests how to draw different characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Genie from Aladdin, Stitch, Olaf, Moana, or Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from Zootopia.
Art galleries will be part of The Magic of Disney Animation, displaying just a few of the thousands of pieces of artwork created by Disney animators throughout the studio’s 103-year history.
Guests will exit through the Studio Store. If this is anything like the previous Star Wars Launch Bay gift shop, it may sell more high-end collectible items in addition to the expected Disney theme park merchandise.
The Magic of Disney Animation isn’t the only attraction Disney is redoing top to bottom. See how every scene will change in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom in 2027.
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