Walt Disney World has announced today a new offering coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as part of The Magic of Disney Animation. The Magic of Disney Animation will be debuting a reimagined Animation Academy-style experience called Olaf Draws! Featuring the character Olaf from the Frozen franchise, guests who visit The Magic of Disney Animation will be able to attend drawing classes hosted by everyone’s favorite snowman.
This is yet another offering that will be part of the newly reimagined area inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Magic of Disney Animation will open in late Summer 2026. While I was excited to hear that a new drawing class will be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’m a little skeptical of the format Disney has chosen to conduct these new drawing classes in. Let’s dissect the Olaf Draws! announcement today, including whether or not the new format is an improvement over the old format.
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Details of Olaf Draws!
Olaf Draws! is a new interactive show that will be part of the new Magic of Disney Animation area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, slated to open in late summer 2026. It features a new spin on the beloved Animation Academy experience that used to be in the park before it transferred to the Conservation Station at Animal Kingdom. With that section of Animal Kingdom getting a Bluey makeover, however, the drawing experience needed a new home at Walt Disney World, with The Magic of Disney Animation being the obvious choice.
Olaf Draws! will feature Olaf, the snowman from the Frozen franchise. The show is directly inspired by the short film Once Upon a Studio, which included a scene of Olaf at an animator’s desk. In Olaf Draws!, guests will enter an animator’s studio that will include many nods to Frozen. Younger guests will be able to sit in sled-themed workstations while older guests can make use of workstations that are reminiscent of animator’s desks.
Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf in the Frozen franchise, returns to voice the character in the experience. Olaf will be present in the experience as a state-of-the-art audio animatronic that will be stationed at the front of the room. The story goes that Olaf wants to learn to draw his favorite characters, but since he doesn’t know how to draw, he invites various Disney animators, appearing via pre-recorded segments, to come and teach him and the guests how to draw various Disney characters.
Together with Olaf, the Disney animators will guide you through the drawing process, sharing stories, tips, and other tidbits along the way. When the show debuts, 10 pre-recorded segments will debut along with it. While it’s not confirmed by Disney, I assume that new segments will debut in the future so that they can add more characters to the experience over time.
Here’s a list of the characters that you can draw when the experience debuts in late Summer.
- Mickey Mouse, with Dan Abraham, director (Once Upon A Studio, Baymax!)
- Minnie Mouse, with Hyun Min Lee, animator (Frozen 2, The Princess and the Frog)
- Donald Duck, with Austin Traylor, animator (Once Upon A Studio, Moana 2)
- Genie, with Eric Goldberg, animator (Aladdin, Hercules)
- Moana, with Samantha Vilfort, story artist (Encanto, Zootopia 2)
- Stitch, with Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and head of story (Wish, Raya and the Last Dragon)
- Olaf, with Trent Correy, director (Once Upon A Studio, Frozen 3)
- Ursula, with Michael Woodside, animator (Big Hero 6, Encanto)
- Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, with Byron Howard director, (Zootopia, Zootopia 2)
While I like the concept for the attraction, and I’m sure the Olaf animatronic and classroom will be detailed and amazing, I have mixed feelings about the pre-recorded drawing segments coming to the show. Let’s dissect this change.
Should Live Artists Have Been Replaced?
Without a doubt, one of the reasons why the Animation Academy experiences around the world have resonated with guests is because of the presence of a human artist in the room teaching you how to draw the characters. The animators present in the show always added a lot of personality to the attraction. Adding that human element really grounded the experience and made it more personable and warm. I also like that the animator gives their drawing to a lucky child in the audience. It all adds up to a great experience.
I get what Disney was trying to do with the pre-recorded segments, and while it will be cool to get to learn from the masters, I really don’t like that the banter and interactivity with the live artist is now gone. With the closure of the drawing classes at Animal Kingdom as well, this means live drawing demonstrations are now gone from Walt Disney World.
I can’t help but feel like this decision was made as a way to cut costs and not to improve the guest experience. Paying Disney animators once to film them drawing a Disney character is a lot cheaper than hiring artists to teach classes every single day. And while I think the new Olaf animatronic adds character (pun intended) to the experience, I can’t see this resonating with guests the same way the other Animation Academies do.
I hope Disney can find a way to incorporate a real artist into the show. Reading the fan comments on X, most people agree that this is a step back for the Animation Academy. If they had the Olaf animatronic and a human artist, this would be a home run! It makes me nervous, though, for the other Animation Academies around the world. Hopefully they can continue utilizing live artists in their shows.
Other Announcements About The Magic of Disney Animation
Disney also announced that the Once Upon a Studio Theater will open with The Magic of Disney Animation. In the theater, guests will be able to see the Once Upon a Studio short film, while artwork that adorns the theater walls will “come alive” while the short film is playing.
Disney has also revealed the list of characters who you will be able to meet in the “Off the Page” character meet and greet area! Some of the characters you can potentially meet in the area include:
- Mulan in Story
- Rapunzel in Layout
- Chip n’ Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation
- Donald and Daisy in CG Animation
- Goofy in Lighting
- Stitch in Effects
It’s an exciting time for Hollywood Studios between this and the Monsters Inc expansion and the Rock n Roller Coaster re-theme. Hopefully these additions enhance the guest experience and elevate the park to another level!
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