Map of the Magic: Disney Shares Character-Filled Map and Concept Art of The Magic of Disney Animation

Disney has shared a new look at what fans will find inside The Magic of Disney Animation, showcasing a highly stylized map of the experience.

What’s Happening:

• The iconic Sorcerer hat is returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as Walt Disney World gets ready to debut The Magic of Disney Animation. 
• The new experience, located in the newly reopened Walt Disney Studios Courtyard, will invite guests of all ages to explore their favorite Disney animated stories through meet and greets, entertainment, and plenty of interactive fun. 
• And, today, Disney shared a first look at a map of the inside of the attraction!
• Highly stylized, fans can plan out their adventures with a look at the attraction’s distinct areas. 

• Looking at the map, those familiar with the building in its various iterations of The Magic of Disney Animation before this and more recently, Star Wars: Launch Bay, may notice that the structure is largely the same.
• Thanks to diagrams in Mary E. Lescher's book, The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio, we can compare the new stylized map to the last days of The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios before it closed back in July of 2015. While the working studio aspect had closed long before that, interactive fun and character meet and greets, largely like we're about to see in a new imagined way, existed in the space.

  

• Based on the diagram, you can see that the Once Upon A Studio theater will occupy the same space as the former Drawn to Animation - the show that featured a live Cast Member interacting with Mushu and his animators via large screens. Olaf Draws will occupy the same space as Animation Academy once did. These two come as no surprise really, as the infrastructure is largely still in place.
• The new Drawn to Wonderland playground will take over an area that was once home to a permanent meet and greet area with Sorcerer Mickey, and a corner that was once home to an interactive ink and paint activity, as well as a voice recording area where Ursula would steal the voice of guests, and put them into classic Disney animated scenes.
• Off the page takes over a space that was largely used for meet and greets featuring the latest characters from Disney and Pixar animated films, including Meet The Robinsons, Up, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story 3 (Lotso) and others. The area once also featured (for quite some time) A WALL-E backdrop with a stand-in cut-out for photos, with the hopes that a roving WALL-E bot (similar to others of the era like Lucky the DInosaur and the Muppet Mobile Labs) would appear. That day never came.
• The galleries will remain galleries as you move toward the gift shop.

• Disney also shared new concept artwork for the Drawn to Wonderland play experience.
• Let’s take a look at each of the immersive new areas.

Once Upon a Studio Theater

Enjoy a special showing of "Once Upon a Studio" as you join Mickey Mouse and other beloved characters through Disney’s over 100-year history.

Drawn to Wonderland

Imagined for children 6 months to 5 years old, Drawn to Wonderland invites small guests to wonder and wander through this Mary Blair inspired playground.

Off the Page!

Meet some of your favorite Disney animated characters as they jump “off the page” into the new attraction. Characters you may spot include Mulan, Rapunzel, Chip n’ Dale, Donald and Daisy, Goofy, and Stitch. You’ll also find plenty to explore beyond meet and greets in this highly immersive celebration of the animation process. 

Olaf Draws

Join Olaf and pre-recorded clips of Disney Animation artists as you learn step-by-step how to draw fan-favorite characters. Possible classes include: 

• 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)

The Magic of Disney Animation is set to open late summer 2026! Keep an eye out on Laughing Place for more information. 

For those looking to draw the perfect Walt Disney World vacation, Laughing Place recommends Mouse Fan Travel. 

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