Explore the place dedicated to the art of bringing Disney characters to life, from pencil to pixel! From learning to draw at the Animation Academy to chatting with Crush from Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo in an exciting live show, learn the secrets of how animators bring their imagination to the screen. Behold the art of bringing Disney characters to life, from pencil to pixel! Step into the Disney Animation building and learn firsthand the secrets of how animators apply their imagination to the screen through a magical collection of interactive adventures!
The Disney Animation building features a number of exhibits and interactive activities that will appeal to both kids and adults. Inside the building there are several different areas which may be experienced in any order - spend as much or as little time as you wish. On a warm day it's an excellent place to get out of the sun and do something fun at the same time.
It is unfortunate that the Animation Building is so overlooked by park guests, as it is a real delight (not to mention a great escape on a hot day). The lobby inside the building is just a waiting area for four exhibits and shows. Don't just move through, though. Surrounding the room are projections and songs from various animated films. The coordination of the various screens is entertainment in its own right and is on a 30-minute loop.
The Animation Courtyard
When you enter the circular lobby, marvel at the enormous multimedia displays and breathtaking sound system. Original character sketches appear on giant screens along with clips from the films. Keep an eye out for alluring light patterns that paint the floor, as well as other optical treats! This is the hub from which you can access the other experiences. So from here you can step on into any of the following wings:
Animation Academy
In this magical classroom, learn the secrets of how to draw a classic Disney character with a hands-on lesson from a Disney artist! When class is over, you can take home your masterpiece.
Character Close-Up
In Character Close-Up, discover how Disney artists create the characters loved the world over. Gaze upon the amazing works in this gallery dedicated to the art and artists of Disney animation. Learn from their sketches how Disney characters change over time, from initial concept to final format.
And don't miss the mesmerizing Toy Story Zoetrope! Instead of using traditional, one-dimensional drawings, the Toy Story Zoetrope features 3-D figures of characters from the Disney-Pixar film Toy Story 2 mounted on spinning disks. As the disks whirl under a flashing strobe light, the characters appear to come to life right before your eyes!
Sorcerer's Workshop
Check out these 3 rooms that each contain interactive experiences exploring the development of character appearance, personality and voice:
- Magic Mirror Realm - Enter ye into this medieval castle and learn how to create simple animation. The very walls reveal many of your favorite Disney characters beautifully arranged by theme: Fairies and Spirits, Heroes, Villains and Mentors. See if you can spot the artful astrological symbols that grace each one!
- The Beast's Library - Find your "Disney self" in this glorious library that fades to disrepair as the Beast's famous rose loses its petals! The library repairs itself before it darkens again, its pristine draperies becoming tattered and aged. Sit at one of the royal storybooks and take a quiz to discover which of the Disney characters you are most like.
- Ursula's Grotto - "Become" the voices of classic Disney characters in a mini-theater! Venture into the villainesses' undersea grotto and stand in each "movie pod," where you can choose to either act or sing in a famous Disney movie scene. The pod will play back the scene on 2 different projection surfaces complete with your voice! If you watch carefully, you might get a glimmer of Ursula's henchman, Flotsam and Jetsam, slithering around the room.
Turtle Talk with Crush
Check it, dudes! You can totally talk to Crush in this awesome interactive encounter at the Animation Screening Room. Chill with the righteous surfer turtle from Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo and learn mondo facts about his aquatic life as he asks you questions about being human.
Touring Tips
- There is never a wait to entre the building and even if you don't go into any of the presentations many will enjoy simply doing that. Sorcerer's Workshop and Character Close-Up are both self-guided areas. It may be necessary to wait for some of the terminals in Sorcerer's Workshop but not generally more than a few minutes. Animation Academy and Turtle Talk with Crush are both continuously running shows so it may be necessary to wait more than one show, but this is rare.
- Expect to spend 20 minutes in the Sorcerer's Workshop if there is any crowding and you do everything. 10 minutes should be enough for character close-up, unless there is a character in the room. Both Animation Academy and Turtle Talk with Crush run about 20 minutes.
- Turtle Talk and The Animation Academy are typically held twice an hour, and except on very busy days the sessions are not full. To avoid waits in the Sorcerer's Workshop, plan to spend time there early in the day.
- The Courtyard Gallery is a great place to sit and relax and unwind for a while, especially while waiting for Turtle Talk or the Animation Academy.
- Kids should enjoy the interactive activities of the Sorcerer's Workshop, and the opportunity to try their hand at drawing a Disney character in the Animation Academy. They are able to interact directly with Crush in "Turtle Talk."
- Disney characters make frequent appearances in the Courtyard Gallery. In addition, the characters from Drawn to the Magic, performed just outside at the Backlot Stage, also meet and greet guests.
- The closest restrooms are located to the right of the building, next to the Off the Page shop.
Facts
- "Return to Neverland," with Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite, was the movie originally featured in the Animation Screening Room when Disney's California Adventure opened.
- "One Man's Dream," a 15-minute movie narrated by Walt Disney himself, replaced "Return to Neverland", and ran until March 2005.
- Drawn to Animation, a show featuring a live Disney artist and an animated wise-cracking Mushu, was the original show in the Animation Gallery and closed in 2005.
History
While the animation building has been around since the park opened, things have changed with the shows and displays inside and Sorcerer's Workshop is the only part that remains unchanged from then.
A film imported from Disney-MGM Studios park (as it was still known then) called Back to Neverland opened with the park in what is now Turtle Talk with Crush. The 8-minute film featured Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite in a comedic look at how animation is done. The show was replaced within the year, however, by another Disney-MGM Studios title. One Man's Dream, installed as part of the celebration of Walt Disney's 100th birthday, was a biographic film of the man who started it all. It long outlasted that celebration, however, and didn't close until early 2005 when construction began on the installation of Turtle Talk.
Drawn to Animation was a 10-minute show featuring a live "animator" who interacted with a video of Mushu from Mulan and the real animators behind that character. Over the course of the show they discussed how a character's look is designed and fit into an overall story. In October 2005, the room was remodeled and turned into the current Animation Academy.
The room that is now Character Closeup has always been an exhibit space for Disney's animated films, showing artifacts from classic and modern films. Eventually the name was changed to Character Closeup and they added a character meet-and-greet element to the room (queuing up being an excuse to look at the exhibit). In October 2007, a fantastic zoetrope, created originally for a traveling Pixar exhibit, was installed. Art of Animation Sorcerer's Workshop.