Olaf Draws! animation class now open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Olaf Draws!, a new animation class hosted by an Audio-Animatronics figure of the “Frozen” snowman, is now open inside The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The new experience debuted on Sept. 14, 2026.
The Olaf figure is part of Olaf Draws!, a new attraction debuting inside The Magic of Disney Animation. Disney revealed Olaf Draws! on Feb. 23, 2026, following the initial summer 2025 announcement of The Magic of Disney Animation at large.
Originally published in February 2026 and updated Sept. 17, 2026, following the attraction’s opening.
New Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure in Olaf Draws!
Olaf Draws! is an animation class teaching guests how to draw one of nine favorite Disney animated characters (see the full list below). Olaf himself is a student alongside the guests. The instructor is a real animator or animation director from Walt Disney Animation Studios, teaching guests via a prerecorded video.
Let’s look at the concept art first. Then we’ll share some photos from our media preview experience earlier this month.
During our media experience, our publisher Matt attended multiple Olaf Draws! sessions. He reports that the experience is enjoyable and entertaining.
Reactions on social media in the early opening days indicate a generally positive reception, though some longtime fans share that they miss the interaction with a real person at the animator’s desk.
All photos in this grouping by Matt Roseboom
While this is not the free-roaming Olaf animatronic that Disney highly publicized at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, it’s still a charming and impressive addition.
Actor Josh Gad returned to the recording booth to voice the titular snowman in Olaf Draws!
Olaf now appears in Audio-Animatronics form in two of Disney World’s four theme parks: Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Olaf Draws! and Epcot with Frozen Ever After. The latter received an animatronic upgrade of its own for Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff earlier this year.
List of characters in the Olaf Draws! animation classes
The attraction offers nine different drawing lessons: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Ursula from “The Little Mermaid,” Genie from “Aladdin,” Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch,” Olaf from “Frozen,” Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde from “Zootopia,” and Moana.
From live human to prerecorded media
Olaf Draws! isn’t the first animation class offered at Walt Disney World, but it may be the first to feature prerecorded instructions. Versions of the experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, often called Animation Academy over the years, always featured a live Walt Disney World cast member teaching the lesson.
Photo by Attractions Magazine
Other attractions have likewise gone the way of prerecorded media after being known for their live hosts. Living with the Land at Epcot was previously guided by a live cast member on each boat, but now features prerecorded narration. The same went for the now-defunct Backlot Tour, which closed in 2014 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make way for Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Live cast members continue to be part of the attraction experience elsewhere, such as on Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom and Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
More new experiences beyond Olaf Draws!
The Magic of Disney Animation is a pavilion-style which opened on Sept. 14, 2026 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It replaces Star Wars Launch Bay, which closed in 2025 and itself replaced a former version of The Magic of Disney Animation.
Olaf Draws! is just one experience among the selection of attractions guests can find within The Magic of Disney Animation. The building features a high-concept character meet & greet hub, an “Alice in Wonderland” indoor play area for young kids, and screenings of the 2023 short film “Once Upon a Studio.”
History of this important Disney theme park space
From 1989-2004, the backstage building adjacent to The Magic of Disney Animation was a working animation facility, a satellite campus of Walt Disney Animation Studios. The entirety of “Mulan,” “Lilo & Stitch,” and “Brother Bear,” as well as significant portions of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” among other productions, were created right here at Walt Disney World.
The props on the stage and desk for Olaf Draws! features numerous figures and books that pay homage to animated movies.
The concept art contained a nod to the attraction’s former self. The previous version of The Magic of Disney Animation featured a pre-show starring Mushu from “Mulan,” who stands as a maquette near the Olaf animatronic in Olaf Draws!
From our initial visits, however, it does not appear that the Mushu maquette made it into the final cut. In fact, from our early visits to Olaf Draws! there do not appear to be any tributes to any of the three feature films that were animated at this Orlando site when it was an operating animation studio.
Take a closer look at some of the props found on the animation desk stage.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
The exception being that Stitch is one of the characters you can learn to draw at Olaf Draws! Watch our YouTube video below to see it in action.
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