Animation Experience at AK

I did this yesterday. I had a fast pass for the last session. Waiting to cue was confusing until the CM spoke up and sorted out the FP guests from the standby. FP guests are let in first and can choose seats followed by standby. You get essentially a large clipboard which was fine. The drawing session was rushed but ok. The old animation sessions in studios were more relaxed and felt longer than this. Maybe it was due to the last session and having to get everyone on the final train back to Harambe?

It’s an ok thing to do but it eats up some time waiting for the train there and back. Keep that in mind when putting it in your schedule.
 
Are the “lines” already on the paper?
They really need to be much lighter if they are. We are planning on going in January.
 


I was at the 11:30am show on the first day, July 11.

The train had issues getting out there. The train shut off and the operator couldn’t get it restarted without another cast member coming out from Planet Watch to assist. Later when we returned it seemed they must have been running one train because the wait was long.

The entry to the Animation Experience is back where you used to exit for the petting zoo.

We had FP+ but we were told to move all the way down to the right. We didn’t get to choose where to sit.

The class itself is nearly identical to the class at California Adventure and the old class at Hollywood Studios, with the exception of the guidelines, which I think lends to more accuracy. My family commented the guidelines would help on the Disney Cruise Line drawing activities, which aren’t led by experts.

The setup with the seating seems oddly temporary to me, however, they did a lot to decorate the area with the new Animation Experience signs, photos, etc.

We also felt like the experience was longer than other classes, between the animal video shown on the monitors along with the actual drawing. It was a solid half hour plus for us.
 
Last edited:
I’m assuming they printed the guidelines in there just to save time versus the old experience. I’d like it better without, but it’s not like I’m framing them. Maybe they could print the pages double-sided, with the logo on both sides, but guides (and maybe examples?) on one side, and blank space on the other. It would be neat if they added this in every park. Cheap for them and one more activity to eat crowds without replacing something else.
 


This used to be a tradition for us (in spite of little talent, lol) but we will be skipping it this year. It's not worth trekking out to Planet Watch, imo, particularly with drawing on clipboards and being rushed.
 
So looking at it they do different characters. Does anyone know if its a schedule or if they just choose on the day and time? I have 2 slots booked on two different days so it would be nice to know if they would be different
 
So looking at it they do different characters. Does anyone know if its a schedule or if they just choose on the day and time? I have 2 slots booked on two different days so it would be nice to know if they would be different
It doesn’t seem to have a set schedule other than being set around the CMs’ schedules. There are at least 3 CMs who rotate through to instruct for their specific character.
 
I'm so glad they've brought back a drawing class! We loved the one at DHS. As someone with NO artistic talent, I'd have to agree that the lines are a little dark. I appreciate having them in advance, but they could be lighter so they're less noticeable. I liked being able to erase our own guidelines in the original class so the drawings were more suitable for display.
 
This is where Rafiki's Planet watch used to be. Has anyone done this? This is supposed to be a place where kids (and adults) can draw their fav characters. Not sure if the Artists will be there.

I used to like the train ride to the place, with nice views of some animal enclosures. I do hope it is the same tracks, but am very curious about the "exact" nature of the change. If someone has done this and can post pics, it would be much appreciated. If there are Artists on hand, do they actively help, or simply guide?
 
This is where Rafiki's Planet watch used to be. Has anyone done this? This is supposed to be a place where kids (and adults) can draw their fav characters. Not sure if the Artists will be there.

I used to like the train ride to the place, with nice views of some animal enclosures. I do hope it is the same tracks, but am very curious about the "exact" nature of the change. If someone has done this and can post pics, it would be much appreciated. If there are Artists on hand, do they actively help, or simply guide?
Merged you into the currently active Thread.
 
I'm so happy to find this is at Animal Kingdom!

Does anyone know how big the sheet of paper is? I'm wondering about carrying them afterward. There's 4 of us so I figured we would stack them together then roll them up and use a couple of elastics to hold them together. Ohhh or maybe a cardboard tube from an empty roll of cling wrap/tin foil.
 
Does anyone know how big the sheet of paper is? I'm wondering about carrying them afterward. There's 4 of us so I figured we would stack them together then roll them up and use a couple of elastics to hold them together. Ohhh or maybe a cardboard tube from an empty roll of cling wrap/tin foil.

The sheets are 12.5 inches by 10.5 inches. The day we were there (the opening day) they gave us elastics so we could roll them.
 
So excited! We missed this so much and now will have more drawings to add to our collection! Thank you for all the info!
This is the way I feel! I was thrilled to see this thread, I had no idea about this attraction. It’s worth a FP in my book!
 
Hoping by the time we get there in January they will have all the little quirks worked out
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top