Disney Starts Letting Guests Into Major New Experience Before September 14 Opening
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting ready to open The Magic of Disney Animation, and the first guests are already making their way inside.
Cast Member previews are now underway ahead of the attraction’s September 14, 2026 opening. The previews mark one of the final steps before Disney welcomes regular park guests into the completely reimagined space.
While Disney has shared pieces of the project during construction, much of the finished experience has remained out of public view. That’s about to change.
Cast Members are getting their first opportunity to explore the building, while media and social media influencer previews are also scheduled to take place this week.
Disney Is Testing the Finished Experience
The start of Cast Member previews is an important milestone because The Magic of Disney Animation isn’t a single attraction.
Instead, Disney has created several experiences inside one building.
That means Disney needs to see how guests move between character locations, drawing classes, the theater and other activities before thousands of visitors begin arriving each day.
Senior Walt Disney World leaders have also been spotted at the building during the preview period. Park vice presidents and senior representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment were among those seen visiting.
The timing makes sense. Opening day is less than a week away, and Disney is now getting one of its first opportunities to watch people experience the completed project.
Early reactions are beginning to appear as well.
A Disney’s Hollywood Studios guest reported seeing Cast Members leaving a preview with drawings from Olaf Draws! One person who attended reportedly called the experience adorable and suggested it could become a popular option for families.
Olaf Draws! Could Become a Family Favorite
Olaf Draws! is one of the more unusual additions coming to The Magic of Disney Animation.
The drawing experience features an all-new Audio-Animatronics Olaf alongside instruction from real Disney Animation artists.
Disney will rotate nine different characters through the drawing experience, potentially giving returning visitors a reason to participate more than once.
But drawing is only part of what guests will find.
Off the Page! will bring several Disney characters into spaces themed around the animation process. The lineup includes Mulan, Rapunzel, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Stitch.
Families with very young children will also have Drawn to Wonderland, an indoor play space designed for children ages 6 months through 5 years old. Disney based the area on Mary Blair’s concept artwork for Alice in Wonderland (1951).
There’s More Than Characters and Drawing
Disney is also giving Once Upon a Studio (2023) a dedicated home inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Once Upon A Studio Theater will present the Emmy Award-winning short with enhanced effects.
Elsewhere, guests can explore the Enchanted Art Gallery, which features curated Disney Animation artwork designed to spring to life.
The building itself draws inspiration from the real Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, while Once Upon a Studio (2023) helps shape the larger theme.
All of these pieces make The Magic of Disney Animation very different from the major rides Disney has added in recent years.
This is more of an indoor destination guests can explore at their own pace, with experiences aimed at several different age groups.
More Previews Are Coming
Cast Members may be getting the first major look, but they won’t be the last before September 14.
Media and social media influencer previews are scheduled this week, meaning considerably more from inside the attraction could become public before opening day.
For Disney fans who have followed the project through construction, that makes the next few days particularly interesting.
After months of waiting, The Magic of Disney Animation is essentially finished, previews have started, and the countdown has reached its final days.
On September 14, everyone else finally gets a turn.
