Disney's Hollywood Studios Gets A New Sorcerer's Hat as Park Readies for Reimagined Animation Experience
It's a big day for fans of Disney's Hollywood Studios as a major milestone has been reached in the return of a reimagined iteration of The Magic of Disney Animation at the Walt Disney World theme park. Overnight, the promised Sorcerer's Hat has arrived, and now rests perched above what will be the entrance of the new experience.
The new hat is part of the facade as the area transforms to The Walt Disney Studios Courtyard from the formerly titled "Animation Courtyard." The area will take on the look of the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. The hat has been installed to be similar to the iconic Roy E. Disney Animation Building located nearby, home of the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Itself, featuring a similar towering hat and design motif. In the photo above, you can see the red stripes from the length of the building being painted on the facade as well.
For reference, this is what the building and the grounds surrounding it look like in Burbank.
The Florida location will not be named in Roy E. Disney's honor, as that has been bestowed upon the main studio location in California. Instead, it will appear (as also indicated in the concept art) as the building originally did in Burbank, with only "Animation" appearing beneath the hat. It's almost a full circle moment for this Florida-based building, which itself was a working animation studio from when the park opened until 2004. The entrance to the walk-through tour attraction changed over the years, but this is the first time it has been made to look like the Animation building in Burbank - itself opening in the height of the animation renaissance, back in 1994. It was renamed in Roy E. Disney's honor in May of 2010.
The Magic of Disney Animation is set to open later this summer, not as a functioning animation studio like there once was, but instead as a reimagined and interactive space loosely tied with the hit animated short created for Disney's 100th anniversary, Once Upon A Studio. Once the new experience opens, guests will find a Mary Blair-inspired playground, interactive experiences, and an all-new character greeting experience with “Off the Page!”
Similar to the short, the storyline for the new experience is that the animators have temporarily stepped away, but the building is still buzzing with activity as the characters have come to life.
Beloved Disney characters will appear across six unique departments from the animation studio, while an Audio-Animatronic Olaf will host "Olaf Draws!" – a new Animation Academy-type show featuring lessons from acclaimed Disney animators, including a Disney Legend or two.
The hat installation isn't the only thing we've seen happening in the area lately, as it has also been revealed that a number of animated characters have left their mark in the pavement outside, similar to what has happened in the park before at the Chinese Theater - paying homage to the real Chinese Theater in Hollywood. To see the new experience for yourself when it opens later this summer, be sure to reach out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel!