But even more recently, an update to the
park came out of nowhere and really hit me right in the feels! On July 12th,
Disney’s Hollywood Studios closed the doors on their attraction, The Magic of Disney Animation! I, for
one, really liked this section of the park, but rather than gripe and moan
about how things need to stop being different, I’m using this blog post to give
this particular attraction the farewell tribute it deserves! …or at least the
farewell tribute that some guy with a blog and some free time is able to give
with minimal effort. Here are some fond memories I have of The Magic of Disney Animation!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was originally
an actual working studio, and The Magic
of Disney Animation was the
Orlando branch of Disney’s animation studio where such films as Mulan and Lilo and Stitch were produced. At the attraction, park guests would
be shown exhibits displaying the ins and outs of an animated film, the basic
lifeblood of the Walt Disney company, and were then able to look through a
window at an actual Disney animator hard at work. I’m not sure how the
animators actually felt about this, but I thought it was cool.
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| Ever try drawing a dragon riding a featherless falcon while a sunburned couple from hackensack looks over your shoulder? Well it’s likely someone has. |
My most recent trip to Walt Disney World
was in 2010. By then, the attraction was no longer a working studio, but the
remnants were still there. My favorite part of the attraction was the massive
amount of concept art for future projects that was on display. I love the film, Tangled, but this was months before it came out and I knew nothing about it. Massive amounts of artwork for the film filled the walls and display cases of the exhibit. I took photo after photo and poured over them for the next several months, ingesting every detail I could possibly attain on Tangled, as well as the animation business in general. For a wannabe artist such as myself, it was both humbling and inspiring!
Down the hall were a few generic posters
promoting animated films that were on the distant horizon such as Wreck-It Ralph and The Bear and The Bow, or Brave
as it would later be called. This hall lead into a large, open room where
different characters would greet guests throughout the day. There was the Main
Mouse himself, Mickey, dressed in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice garb. The
Incredibles had a regular meeting place, and then there was a location for
characters from the most recent animated feature. While I was there, it was Lots-o-Huggin
Bear from Toy Story 3!
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| And I could swear he actually smelled like strawberries! |
The queue to meet Lotso was decorated to
look like Sunnyside Daycare from Toy
Story 3. Backlit displays resembled windows looking out into the playground
and the walls were adorned with children’s drawings of the Toy Story characters. The
theme of this location would change with the character so with Wreck-It Ralph,
the queue would resemble Game Central Station, or with Winnie the Pooh it might
resemble a storybook. It wasn’t the most mind-blowing thing you’d see at Walt
Disney World, but it was still a fun little corner of the park that you could
tell a lot of thought was put into.
Last of all, I want to talk about the Animation Academy! These were actual drawing classes that The Magic of Disney
Animation offered! For me, this was as close as I’ve ever come (or probably
will come) to the real thing. A Disney employee, or “cast-member” as they’re
called, would sit in front of a large classroom of drawing boards and go
through the process of drawing a Disney character step-by-step. In our class,
we drew Dopey from Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs. I probably would have rather drawn someone like Gizmo Duck or
Zummi Gummi, but, hey… whatchagonnado?
My wife and I showed up to the class
early, so we had to wait outside the classroom. The 3 or 4 cast-members that
taught the classes were also waiting, I guess, and were standing in a group
quizzing each other on their knowledge of Disney trivia. These people were
Disney fans that loved to draw, and they actually got to do it at Disney World!
When I first heard that The Magic of
Disney Animation was closing, I instantly thought of them. I’m not sure it
all worked. Maybe they’re art school interns or something, so they’re not
technically out of a job, but I really hope that Disney is able to find a place
for these fellow nerds somewhere else in the company.
I can understand why Disney might feel the
need to close The Magic of Disney
Animation. Like Opie’s daughter said in Jurassic
World, “people want an attraction with more… teeth” and I suppose The Magic of Disney Animation doesn’t
really have much in the way of “teeth” sadly. There have been several occasions
where I was sad that an attraction I liked closed, but then I ended up liking
the new attraction even more! I’m sure the same will be the case here. I’ve
even heard rumors about something Star
Wars related taking its place! I’m definitely not going to complain about
that! Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to the memories I’ll be making there
someday, while always cherishing the memories I have from The Magic of Disney Animation. It was a lot of fun.
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| Maybe a little too much fun. |
