- Disney World will receive a new Olaf audio-animatronic
- Frozen Snowman to Host New Drawing Class Experience
- It will be a main part of the new Animation Academy due to open in late 2026.
There’s a new Frozen addition headed to Walt Disney World, and just weeks after EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After attraction received a major facelift with multiple new audio-animatronics, another friendly face from the Frozen movies is coming to a different park.
This time, the iconic snowman Olaf will host a new Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios later this year.
We knew that a new Animation Academy will debut at Hollywood Studios later this year, but now we know it will feature an audio-animatronic Olaf. While this figure won’t be in a true traveling robot form like the Olaf that’s coming in a few weeks to Disneyland Paris, and later in 2026 to Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney World could be getting the most meta version, one that really dates back to Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Olaf will take a position behind an animator’s desk, probably a close replica of a scene from once upon a time there was a studio – acts as a host in the room and guides you through drawing classic characters, including Mickey and Minnie.
So yes, Olaf will teach you how to draw Olaf, but considering he’s a snowman, there will also be pre-recorded segments from various Disney Animation artists teaching you step by step.
Here is the list of animators and the characters they will teach you to draw that Disney Experiences has released so far:
- Mickey Mouse, with Dan Abraham, director (once upon a time there was a studio, Baymax!)
- Minnie Mouse, with Hyun Min Lee, entertainer (frozen 2, The princess and the frog)
- Donald Duck, with Austin Traylor, animator (once upon a time there was a studio, moana 2)
- Genius, with Eric Goldberg, animator (aladdin, Hercules)
- Moana, with Samantha Vilfort, story artist (Charm, Zootopia 2)
- Stitch, with Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and story manager (Want, Raya and the last dragon)
- Olaf, with Trent Correy, director (once upon a time there was a studio, frozen 3)
- Ursula, with Michael Woodside, entertainer (big hero 6, Charm)
- Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, with Byron Howard, director (zootopia, Zootopia 2)
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It’s an impressive list, and although these artists won’t be in the room giving instructions, it’s a nice mix of Olaf’s audio-animatronics with the artists who worked on the films. It also ensures that Disney can make the attraction repeatable for many guests throughout the day.
If you’re looking for a live session with a Disney animator to teach you how to draw, Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California, still offers it at the Animation Academy.
This segment, called Olaf draws!will be just one part of the new Academy of Animation when it opens in “late summer 2026” at Hollywood Studios. And if you’re wondering who Disney chose to voice Olaf, fear not: Josh Gad will be reprising his role and has already recorded voice lines.
Gad shared, “I’m so excited that a whole new generation of kids can dream of becoming animators one day and can start their journey right there in the studio,” about the project.
It will be a great way to see the iconic scene of once upon a time there was a studio brought to real life: a modern version of the Disney World Animation Academy.
Look
In this reimagined Animation Academy, Disney will implement new character meet-and-greet areas designed to be more immersive, placing characters in environments inspired by the animation process rather than simple backgrounds. ‘Off-page’ locations will allow guests to meet characters in unique settings.
For example, Rapunzel’s area will still feature a forest background, but physical trees will break up the space in a multi-plane camera-style layout. Mulan will appear in front of the film’s storyboards and other characters will appear in environments representing lighting, CG, hand-drawn animation and effects.
It’s a unique twist, combined with special portraits throughout the space that come to life, like scenes from the movies. It may even evoke the dynamic portraits Disney created for the Haunted Mansion Parlor aboard the Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny cruises.
Next to a themed playground Alice in Wonderlandthe classic Sorcerer’s Hat crowning the building (much like the Disney Animation building in Glendale, California) and other themed environments, there will also be a custom-built theater showcasing the once upon a time there was a studio Short film with some new special effects.
So while it won’t be a walking, talking Olaf, the addition of this drawing experience, anchored in the new figure, will likely prove that some art is worth melting over. Elsewhere at Disney World, major changes are also happening, including the long-awaited reopening of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, The Mandalorian and Grogu coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Galaxy’s Edge, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Mountain will be reinvented with The Muppets in 2026.
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