Childhood cartoons become terrifying in new Orlando-area Halloween haunt

Saturday morning cartoons are about to get a lot scarier in Central Florida. A Petrified Forest in Altamonte Springs is building three new scare trails for its 2026 Halloween season, but only one depicts childhood cartoon characters in a terrifying format.

‘Drawn to Death’ takes familiar childhood animation and twists it into horror, sending cheerful cartoon characters out of their colorful world and into reality. The new trail is part of A Petrified Forest’s 19th season, opening Oct. 2, one of our favorite local haunts for Halloween season in Orlando.

Attractions Magazine got an early look inside the attraction along with a behind-the-scenes tour. With just a few glances, we noticed ‘Drawn to Death’ uses familiar and somewhat unsettling cartoon imagery.

Familiar cartoons get a horror makeover

A first look at ‘Drawn to Death’ shows a wooded, cartoon-inspired environment filled with oversized props. One scene features an enormous rocket emblazoned with “ACME,” the fictional company famously associated with the elaborate gadgets and contraptions of Warner Bros.’ “Looney Tunes” cartoons. Nearby, a massive blue furry creature lies across a wooden crate.

Another promotional image for ‘Drawn to Death’ shows a sinister yellow bear-like character alongside the trail’s name.

A behind-the-scenes look inside A Petrified Forest’s workshop offers another intriguing detail: Among the many creature masks lining the walls are a yellow bear and pink pig positioned next to each other.

The combination may remind guests of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, although A Petrified Forest has not identified the characters as such. The premise broadly plays with the idea of recognizable Saturday morning cartoon imagery going horribly wrong.

What is ‘Drawn to Death’?

A Petrified Forest describes ‘Drawn to Death’ as a world where the cheerful characters of Saturday morning cartoons escape the screen and reality becomes a “demented Technicolor nightmare.”

There’s also a fun Orlando coincidence in the name: ‘Drawn to Death’ sounds like a sinister counterpart to “Drawn to Life,” the Cirque du Soleil and Disney show at Disney Springs that celebrates the art of Disney animation and brings drawings to life on stage.

‘Drawn to Death’ is one of three completely new scare trails at A Petrified Forest this year, alongside ‘The Craving’ and ‘Last Responders.’ Regular admission includes all three trails, and this year the attraction expands its lineup of add-on experiences.

See some of our behind-the-scenes visit, in our video below.

The independent haunt says it tears down and rebuilds its attractions each year, meaning the 2026 environments are all-new.

A Petrified Forest opens Oct. 2 at 1360 E. Altamonte Drive in Altamonte Springs and runs select nights through Oct. 31.