Always Something New at Animation

The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios was originally a tour of a working animation production facility. When Disney's animation operations were consolidated in 2003, bringing everything back home to the Burbank studio, the attraction went through a transition. Today, it has become the place to go to learn about the latest animated feature films, try your hand at being an artist, admire animation artwork, and meet some of Disney's newest character stars.

The main stage at the heart of the attraction changes with each film release. The first to be featured here was The Incredibles back in 2004. Due to their "incredible" popularity, they continued to greet Guests long after the movie left theaters. Bob and Helen Parr spent some time in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, but can currently be seen on the upper level inside the Animation building.

Not all the characters featured here have stuck around that long, however. Chicken Little and Abby Mallard spent the winter of 2005-06 in the park, but the sky soon fell, sending them back to Oakey Oaks only to make occasional special appearances.

The big film release for the summer of 2006 was Cars. In keeping with the design intent of the attraction, the main stage area was updated for the new movie, but the characters from Cars just wouldn't fit inside the building. Instead, an oversize Radiator Springs postcard was created as a fun photo opportunity for Guests in the traditional character greeting spot, while Lightning McQueen and Mater toured the streets of Disney's Hollywood Studios to meet their fans in person.

Meet the Robinsons followed in the spring of 2007. Lewis, Wilbur and the Bowler Hat Guy were soon sent back to the future, though, replaced by Remy and Emile just three months later when Ratatouille opened in theaters.

The summer of 2008 brought WALL-E and an ambitious plan to bring the little robot to full Animatronic life for real-time Guest interaction. The idea turned out to be a little ahead of its time. The Research & Development Team at Walt Disney Imagineering field tested WALL-E a handful of times (see the YouTube video embedded below), but he was never quite ready for the demands of an all day every day appearance schedule, so a stand-in took his place in the photo op.

Bolt, Mittens and Rhino from Disney's Bolt took their turn in the spotlight from November 2008 to May 2009, before finally deciding to retire from show businesses and live a normal life with Penny.

Their departure made way for one of the most elaborate sets to date, Paradise Falls from Disney-Pixar's Up. Carl Fredrickson, Dug and Russell meet young Wilderness Explorers in the shadow of Carl's flying house... and with an occasional surprise visit from Kevin.

When the decision was made that characters from The Princess and the Frog would appear exclusively at the Magic Kingdom, Carl & Co. got an extended lease at the Animation building, but they can't stay forever. Although details have yet to be finalized, the gang from Up will likely see more adventures in the Disney Parks once they leave here. After all, Up has become one of the most successful animated features of all time.

So what's next? Well, the next animated event comes June 18 with the release of Toy Story 3. The characters from the other Toy Story films are already well represented elsewhere, so look for The Magic of Disney Animation attraction to introduce us to one of the biggest new stars from this newest adventure. Meet Lotso, the Lots-o-Huggin Bear from Sunnyside Day Care. The exact date of his first appearance this summer hasn't been announced, but until then you can check him out in the recently released preview trailer of Toy Story 3.