Animation Academy

[evedein]

Does anyone know anything about the Disneyland Animation Academy? What does it cost? How do you sign up for it. Anyone ever experienced it?

 

[DisneylandForever]

Do it all the time. It doesn't cost anything. You basically sit in a room with a Disney artist and he or she teaches you how to draw the head of a Disney character. And of course you get to keep the drawing!

 

[lozzypop]

No cost involved.

You don't sign up. The show is one of four in the Animation building in HPBL. The show runs twice an hour I believe and you just wait at the door until they let you in for the next show.

It's a lot of fun if you like to draw - and you get to keep your drawing as a free souvenir.

 

[snoangel]

I don't know if I'm thinking of the same place as you are, but there is an animation place in DCA. It's over by Turtle time with Crush. We went in twice on our last trip and learned how to draw Minnie and Piglet. It was a nice way to escape from the crowds and take a break. It was free. We plan on going back there on our next trip.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

DH and DD went 3 times in a row and made 3 different characters.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

We went 3 times on our trip last month. This was one of my DD10's favorite things to do in Disneyland. She loves drawing. I hate drawing, but had fun laughing at my horrible skills. I would highly recommend this attraction!

 

[Anj]

We loved it (we have a 3, 6 and 8 year old). It was free and you show up before the designated time and line up to go in.

 

[Vala]

One of my favorite things to do in DCA.

I always failed my arts classes in school and thought I was a hopeless case until I went to Animation Academy. They taught us Goofy in the first class and then Donald, and when both drawings actually looked quite close to the characters I realized I wasn't as hopeless as I thought.

 

[RedRosie]

It's a wonderful place! We sat in the front row and the assistant helped my DD6 when she was struggling to get Tigger just right. We have 4 wonderful souvenirs from this visit. Can't wait to go back again!

 

[HydroGuy]

See this blog for more info The Most Overlooked Attraction at Disney California Adventure

 

[mousterpiece]

I'd go so far as to call that entire building the most overlooked attraction in all of DLR. The Animation Academy is always fun, helping me forget that, for about 20 minutes, I can't draw if my life depended on it.

 

[Aust]

We loved it, it was lots of fun laughing at our bad efforts at drawing Daisy (mine looked evil!) We really enjoyed the rest of the attractions in thr animation building too, I was surprised how much was in there. We laughed ourselves stupid in the part where you sing along to a Disney song and it's recorded and played back, it was lots of fun.

 

[AngelStitch]

I always enjoy learning how to draw Disney characters. It is a must do every trip.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We usually go a couple of times, a great break from the crowds.

Jack

 

[kez518]

I recommend doing this. So much FUN! They announce who you'll be drawing before you go in so you can see if it is someone you want to learn how to draw. Last time we went we drew Jack Skellington, Dopey and Donald Duck!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

They have the same thing at Hollywood Studios. Same set up, just a line into a small auditorium. WDW does have a pre-show with an animator though. The building at WDW also has some character meets and computer games/effects like Innovations.

I like the DL even more! Never a crowd!

We are huge fans of Aladdin and usually go to one Aladdin show a day. We go to the Animators Studio either before or after while we wait for our TOT FP to open up. It's a great way to do that side of DCA.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

I recommend doing this. So much FUN! They announce who you'll be drawing before you go in so you can see if it is someone you want to learn how to draw. Last time we went we drew Jack Skellington, Dopey and Donald Duck!

You can also check the schedule at the podium by the entrance. If there is a particular character you are interested in drawing, you can see what time that character will be drawn.

Also, on our first trip, we were sitting in the front row and, after we finished, the animator/instructor said my MIL looked like she was having such a good time that he gave her his signed animation. So, on our second trip, we went specifically to draw Tigger, DS's favorite character, and were sitting right up front. DS mentioned that Tigger was his favorite character, so the animator gave him his signed animation. On our last trip, we went to draw Jack Skellington, my favorite character and I was wearing one of my many Jack shirts but...the animator didn't give her animation to anyone.

 

[NewbieMouse]

All of us LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Animation Academy. All of the attractions in that building are highly worth it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[evnted]

It's really fun if you enjoy drawing. It's free, too. A Disney artist teaches you how to draw a certain character. It's a 20 minute class or so. You get to keep your drawing and, before the class starts, ask the artist if you can have their drawing when the class ends.

 

[NVDisMom]

One of must do items in DCA! Its free and we always keep our drawings. I bring a rubber band specifically for rolling them up and storing them in a backpack for the day. We have a very thick stack of drawings, ours and people we ave taken to DL with us. Great memories. One of these days I will get around to binding them as a coffee table book.