Disney has provided more details about the animator’s office coming to Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The interactive experience will provide an up-close look at the animation process and is scheduled to open September 14, 2026.
The animator’s office will serve as the setting for an updated version of the Animation Academy. Guests will sit at workstations and follow drawing instruction connected to Disney Animation. An Audio-Animatronics Olaf will host the experience.
The setting draws from the Walt Disney Animation Studios campus in Burbank, California. Disney has also connected the design to Once Upon a Studio, the 2023 animated short that features Disney characters gathering at the studio after employees have left for the day.
Specific Details Inside the Animators’ Office
Disney has also revealed a closer look at the objects placed throughout the Animators’ Office. The room includes several pieces tied to the history of animation at Disney and the former animation facilities at Hollywood Studios.
One of the most notable items is an animator’s desk saved from the original Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios.
Other items represent the working environment of Disney animators. A video from Walt Disney Imagineering said they wanted the space to feel lived in. They include a copy of Rabbit Rabbit, a magazine that Disney distributed weekly to animators working in the building. A book containing caricatures drawn by animators also appears in the office.
The room contains several items connected to individual Disney productions. These include a Moana crew hat, a Hercules production jacket, and a pair of glasses associated with Chicken Little. A stamp connected to a gift from the Mulan team is also displayed.
Some of the smaller objects have a direct connection to animation techniques. Paper tabs in the office represent tabs animators used to protect sheets of paper from damage around the registration pegs used to align hand-drawn animation. Red rubber bands also appear throughout the room. Animators used them to keep completed scenes together. Or launch at each other.
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A small replica of Disney’s feature animation facility in California sits inside the office. A mirror found by Once Upon a Studio director Dan Abraham at a flea market also hangs on the wall.
The office includes a mug that animators gave to architects who worked on the original Hollywood Studios building. There are also ping-pong balls that were given as a gift to Disney’s feature animation group in California.
These objects add details beyond the room’s themed furniture. Disney says the design team photographed real desks inside the California animation studio during development. Those references helped shape the appearance of the new office.
Once Upon a Studio
The design of the Magic of Disney Animation building draws from the Walt Disney Animation Studios campus in Burbank. Disney says the building is inspired by the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, including its large Sorcerer Hat.
That short provides a broader creative link for the new attraction. It depicts Disney characters coming together inside the Burbank studio after the human employees have gone home.
Here’s a sneak peek at Easter Eggs found within the Animator’s Office, part of The Magic of Disney Animation
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Disney has incorporated that premise into the Hollywood Studios project. Several spaces inside the new Magic of Disney Animation will represent parts of an animation studio, with Disney characters appearing throughout the environment.
Magic of Disney Animation
The Magic of Disney Animation will bring several animation-focused experiences together inside the new building at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“Olaf Draws!” will offer an updated version of the Animation Academy, with an Audio-Animatronics Olaf hosting the drawing sessions. Guests will sit at animator-style workstations and follow recorded instruction from Disney Animation artists. The experience takes inspiration from the scene in Once Upon a Studio where Olaf sits at an animator’s desk.
“Off the Page!” will explore several stages of the animation process through different Disney characters. The areas will represent departments including Story, Layout, Hand-Drawn Animation, Computer Animation, Lighting, and Effects. Characters such as Mulan, Rapunzel, Chip and Dale, Donald and Daisy, Goofy, and Stitch will be featured in the experience.
“Drawn to Wonderland” will provide an indoor play area inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Disney says the design draws from original concept art created by Disney Legend Mary Blair. The space will include areas inspired by locations such as the Mad Tea Party, the Mad Hatter’s house, the Queen of Hearts’ rose garden, and Tulgey Wood.
Map of Magic of Disney Animation – Disney Parks Blog
The Once Upon a Studio Theater will focus on the 2023 animated short Once Upon a Studio, which brings Disney characters together inside the Walt Disney Animation Studios building. The short also provides a creative connection to the new attraction, particularly the animator’s office where Olaf appears.
The Enchanted Art Gallery will feature Disney Animation artwork with interactive elements. Disney says some of the artwork will incorporate animated effects, giving guests another way to explore the studio’s characters and visual history.
What We Know So Far
Walt Disney Imagineering has given a preview of the Animator’s Office just days ahead of its opening. The area, inspired by the Animator’s in California, includes several authentic pieces to give guests the feel they really are in Burbank.
The Magic of Disney Animation is scheduled to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on September 14, 2026.
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