Disney World Reveals 9+ Hours of Meet-and-Greets for 8 Hollywood Studios Characters

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a new place for guests hoping to meet a surprisingly large group of characters, but knowing the schedule could make a big difference.

The recently opened Magic of Disney Animation includes several character experiences inside Off the Page!, with Disney bringing together classic favorites and characters who aren’t always easy to find in one location.

Now, the first meet-and-greet times have been revealed.

Most of the characters begin appearing at 9 a.m., and several continue meeting guests into the early evening. However, there are different ending times to remember, and Disney’s upcoming operating-hour changes could eventually affect the schedule.

For guests hoping to meet as many characters as possible, checking the times before heading over could save some frustration.

Eight Characters Are Meeting Inside

Off the Page! currently features eight scheduled characters: Chip ‘n’ Dale, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Stitch, Mulan, and Rapunzel.

According to the initial schedule in the My Disney Experience app, all eight begin meeting at 9 a.m.

That gives guests the opportunity to make the new experience an early stop without necessarily committing their entire morning to character meetings.

The lineup itself also gives Disney fans several choices.

Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip, and Dale bring some familiar Disney faces into the experience. Stitch, Mulan, and Rapunzel add even more variety, making this much more than a single-character meet-and-greet.

The ending times, however, aren’t exactly the same.

Chip, Dale, Goofy, Mulan, and Rapunzel are currently scheduled through 6:30 p.m. Donald, Daisy, and Stitch finish slightly earlier at 6:15 p.m.

That means guests have more than nine hours between the initial starting time and the final scheduled appearances.

Still, waiting until the last few minutes could be risky for anyone who considers a particular character a must-do.

Pluto Wraps Up Much Earlier

Guests looking for Pluto will need a slightly different plan.

Rather than appearing inside Off the Page!, Pluto meets guests periodically outside in Animation Courtyard.

His appearances begin around park opening and continue periodically through 4:20 p.m.

That 4:20 p.m. ending time makes Pluto one of the characters guests may want to prioritize earlier in the day. By comparison, most of the indoor characters remain scheduled for nearly another two hours.

Because Pluto appears periodically, guests also shouldn’t assume they can walk into Animation Courtyard at any point before 4:20 p.m. and immediately find him.

Checking My Disney Experience can help visitors determine when characters are expected to appear.

Guests Could Find Some Unexpected Characters

Not everything happening around Animation Courtyard comes with an announced schedule.

Suzy and Perla have also made appearances in the area. Unlike the primary lineup, however, their appearances aren’t announced in advance.

That could make simply walking through Animation Courtyard more interesting.

Guests may arrive intending to meet one of the scheduled characters and end up finding someone they weren’t expecting to see.

Of course, there is no guarantee Suzy or Perla will appear during a particular visit. Anyone specifically hoping to see them shouldn’t treat their appearances like the scheduled Off the Page! lineup.

Instead, they are an added surprise for guests who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Don’t Assume These Times Will Stay the Same

The biggest thing guests should remember is that this schedule could change.

Magic of Disney Animation will operate under different hours in the coming weeks. Because the character schedule is connected to the experience, those meet-and-greet times could shift as well.

A 9 a.m. starting time on one date doesn’t necessarily mean guests should expect the same schedule several weeks from now.

That makes the My Disney Experience app particularly useful.

Guests can search for characters directly or use the map to see character locations and available times.

For now, though, Disney has created a lengthy meet-and-greet window at Hollywood Studios. Between eight scheduled characters inside, Pluto outside, and the possibility of unexpected appearances, Magic of Disney Animation has quickly become one of the park’s biggest areas for guests hoping to spend part of their day meeting Disney characters.