Got some time to kill? Want a free souvenir? Need proof that anyone can draw? Try the Animation Academy at DHS!

“Animation Academy in the Magic of Disney Animation at DHS is a fun way to spend a half an hour (or more!) AND nets you a free souvenir!”

So there we were with an hour until our Sci Fi Diner ADR and the line at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a little longer than I feel like waiting. So what do we do? Well, I’d heard about a little room tucked away in a part of Disney Hollywood Studios we’d never actually bothered to visit before where a Disney animator will walk you step by step through drawing a Disney character. Hey, why not, right?

I never knew I could draw! I wish I had the pictures of Winnie the Pooh that we drew available to post here. They’re unbelievably good. The teachers at the Academy know how to make it easy as anything to feel like a great Disney artist for a few minutes. We ended up going back two more times to draw Stitch and the Mouse himself! My only regret was that I never charged to the front and shouted that we had to do Scrooge next or I’d cry.

Well, maybe that’s not a regret. I wanted some Scrooge, though!

Anyway, it’s a fun time and in the end you walk away with a really neat and unique souvenir. If you’re there with your kids you get plenty of new art to stick on the fridge. And if you aren’t there with your kids, well, why should parents have all the fun when it comes to sticking things on fridges? Stick away, my friends! Also, the little waiting area has a pretty fun little game where you watch a character as they’re being drawn and try to guess who it’s going to be. It’s not deep and repeats pretty quickly and apparently it’s inappropriate to get in a 5 year old’s face and shout “YEAH! IT WAS FLOUNDER! IN YOUR FACE!” but it’s cute.