Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened a whole animation wing on September 14, 2026. The Magic of Disney Animation sits inside a building modeled on the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, and all 65 Walt Disney Animation Studios features are represented in it, including artwork from “Hexed,” the studio’s 2026 feature.
It all takes its cue from “Once Upon a Studio,” the Emmy Award-winning short film that inspired the whole collection, and portraits come to life here too. Dan Abraham, one of the short’s directors, worked with Walt Disney Imagineering’s Daniel Handke on the project.
What is “Drawn to Wonderland”?
It’s an indoor playground built for younger guests, with art direction pulled straight from Disney Legend Mary Blair’s original “Alice in Wonderland” concept art. Kids can climb and wander through the Mad Tea Party, the Mad Hatter’s house, the Queen of Hearts’ rose garden, and the Cheshire Cat’s Tulgey Wood. Blair’s bold colors carry the room.
Disney built it for little ones, which also makes it the spot where families can sit down indoors at Disney’s Hollywood Studios without leaving the story.
Which characters can you meet in “Off the Page!”?
Every meet is tied to a stage of the animation process. Mulan appears in Story, Rapunzel in Layout, and Chip ‘n Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation. Donald and Daisy handle Computer Animation, Stitch gets Effects, and Goofy is stationed in Lighting, which feels exactly right.
How does “Olaf Draws!” work?
Olaf arrives as an all-new Audio-Animatronics figure, seated at an animator’s desk in a space inspired by his moment in the short. He’s the companion for a character drawing class, and Disney Animation artists and filmmakers guide guests through recorded tips, techniques, and stories from inside the studio.
The class roster is stacked. Eric Goldberg teaches Genie, Byron Howard takes Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, and Fawn Veerasunthorn, director of “Hexed”, teaches Stitch. Dan Abraham handles Mickey Mouse, and Hyun min Lee, Austin Traylor, Samantha Vilfort, Trent Correy, and Michael Woodside lead the rest.
Josh Gad recorded original Olaf dialogue for it. “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.
What plays in the Once Upon a Studio Theater?
The short film that started all of this, shown with enhanced effects and brand-new animation created by Disney Animation just for this theater. Characters may pop up in the artwork along the walls while the film runs. Guests can also discover an enchanted art gallery of Disney Animation character artwork that looks traditional until a little pixie dust reveals all-new animation created exclusively for this experience.
Shark Take: It’s open now, so it’s an easy add to a Hollywood Studios day, with something for everyone in the family. With young kids, “Drawn to Wonderland” is the indoor, run-around option. Everyone else should start with Olaf and his desk.
I keep a live Hollywood Studios wait times page that is updated all day.
Source: Walt Disney World News
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