Disney World Pays Tribute to ‘Once Upon a Studio’ with 60 Character Group Photo for Animation Opening

The Magic of Disney Animation officially opens today! In celebration of the occasion, and as an homage to Once Upon a Studio, Walt Disney World has recreated the iconic image from the short that inspired the experience. For the grand opening, Disney assembled 60 iconic and rare characters for a group photo at Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney Studios Lot in front of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building.

In case you’re unfamiliar with it, the Walt Disney Studios Lot is modeled after the actual lot located in Burbank, California. The redone Walt Disney World land draws heavily from the architecture and atmosphere of the iconic campus just north of Los Angeles, featuring lots of little touches like the brickwork, fences, signage, and other homages, such as Pluto’s Corner.

You’ll also find a lot of character nods outside the building, including handprints, footprints, and pawprints from Hercules and Pegasus, Mufasa and Simba, Moana and Maui, Yensid, Oswald, Stitch, and more. There are also several character statues, with more having just appeared in the last week or so.

Then there’s the Roy E. Disney Animation Building itself, which is a reimagining of Star Wars Launch Bay. The facade has been repainted and other little details added, but the most prominent visible change is the addition of the Huge Sorcerer Mickey Hat to top the entrance of the new-look Animation Building.

The Roy E. Disney Animation Building houses a ‘what’s old is new again‘ return of The Magic of Disney Animation, with all-new experiences. This includes the Once Upon a Studio Theater, Olaf Draws Animation Academy, Drawn to Wonderland Play Area, and “Off the Page” Character Meet & Greets.

All of these attractions and experiences are what just opened today, September 14, 2026. And all of the above that recreates the Walt Disney Animation Studios campus is what makes this the perfect backdrop to pay homage to the famous image from Once Upon a Studio. Take a look:

The characters include those that meet inside The Magic of Disney Animation in the “Off the Page!” meet & greet locations. There’s also representation from the Sensational Six, and everyone else you’d expect to see in such a shot.

However, there are also some truly deep cuts in the group photo, with rare characters I haven’t seen in years (decades? ever?) at Walt Disney World. This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Oswald
• Pete
• Bernard and Miss Bianca
• Bolt
• Raya
• Merlin
• Madame Upanova
• Sheriff of Nottingham
• Terk
• Clopin Trouillefou
• Milo and Kida
• Meg, Hercules and Hades
• Yzma
• Yokai

Here’s a fun behind the scenes video showing all of the characters assemble:

I love this, and recommend watching all the way through. It’s the type of fun, charming and cute video that Walt Disney World should really do more of.

It also doubles as a fun glimpse inside The Magic of Disney Animation without very too spoilery, which is likewise nice. (That’s why the video and photo exist in the first place–to promote the opening of the new attraction and experiences inside.)

Finally, there are several nods to Once Upon a Studio in the video. Having just seen the short film a few times last week, these were easy for me to spot. If it’s been a few years since you’ve seen Once Upon a Studio, think of this as a good excuse to give it a rewatch. (I still spot new things each time I view it!)

As for the final photo, is possible that Walt Disney World is teasing some of the characters who will appear in the courtyard.

Walt Disney World also confirmed that spontaneous free-playing characters will continue to appear both outside and inside the Magic of Disney Animation, even now that the “Off the Page” meet & greet location opened.

As mentioned elsewhere, my personal hope is a rotating assortment of rare characters. So the options above would be fantastic. At the same time, I’m reluctant to read anything into this.

My actual guess is that the team behind the group photo recruited whoever was available. That these are not brand-new to Walt Disney World characters just for the Magic of Disney Animation, but instead seldom-used ones already on hand. While I haven’t seen some of these specific characters in the Florida parks, I have seen them for Moonlight Magic at DCA.

I assume that’s the exact reason why DHS has some of them. And it’s been years since I’ve done a runDisney race at Walt Disney World, but that likely explains others. Behind that, we’re in the midst of Character Palooza ‘season,’ and perhaps that’s why the remainder are around.

Obviously a less fun explanation than this being the initial roster for free-playing characters outside and inside The Magic of Disney Animation, but probably the more logical (and legitimate) one. As much as I want rare characters and deep cuts, something tells me that Walt Disney World isn’t going to feature Milo from Atlantis as a free-roaming “random dude in glasses and a hoodie.” (Even I was a bit, ahem, confused when I met the two of them during Moonlight Magic and couldn’t keep up with the conversation.)

This isn’t the first time, and probably not the last, that Walt Disney World has assembled a dream team of characters.

Over a decade ago, Disney announced the “Rock Your Disney Side” Summer 2014 event with a 140 “character” tweet, featuring 140 Disney characters who formed a hashtag. The characters announced the Memorial Day 24-hour kick-off party, which were annual events held from 2012 through 2015.

Those all-nighters took place at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, with the parks being open from 6 am to 6 am. We loved these events, attending every single year they were offered. To this day, some of our favorite memories and my best photos are from these parties, and being among the last guests out of the park at ~7 am. With next year’s opening of Dark Avenue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’m really hoping we get a reprise of the “Monstrous Summer” 24-hour party at Walt Disney World. It seems really unlikely, but I’ll nevertheless continue campaigning for it!

All 65 Walt Disney Animation Studios films are represented inside The Magic of Disney Animation, including an exhibit that spotlights the upcoming holiday release, Hexed.

As noted above, the experience is inspired by the Once Upon a Studio short, which is presented continuously in the Once Upon a Studio Theater. Even if you’ve already seen the short, which we called the highlight of the Disney100 celebration and pure magic in our Once Upon a Studio review, we highly recommend rewatching it at DHS. It’s worth the time.

Character portraits inside and outside the theater come to life, just like in the film. Director Dan Abraham worked with Walt Disney Imagineering’s Daniel Handke on the entirety of The Magic of Disney Animation, and you can tell that it’s a love letter to Once Upon a Studio, which is itself a love letter to the 100 year history of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Magic of Disney Animation, here’s a rundown of what Imagineering drew up inside the redone building…

Drawn to Wonderland Play Area

Younger animators-to-be can step into the whimsical world of “Drawn to Wonderland,” an indoor playground inspired by the original Alice in Wonderland concept art from Disney Legend Mary Blair.

From the playful chaos of the Mad Tea Party and Mad Hatter’s house to the Queen of Hearts’ vibrant rose garden and the Cheshire Cat’s mysterious Tulgey Wood, the area invites young guests to explore. Kids will be able to climb, wander, and create their own adventures in this new playground.

Walt Disney World needs more well-done playgrounds, and DHS needs more for young families. This adds one that’s also indoors, which makes it an outsized win for parents of toddlers! At the same time, it is physically a bit undersized.

Off the Page Character Meet & Greets

You’ll also be able to venture into “Off the Page!” This is an area where you can meet some of your favorite friends from Walt Disney Animation Studios stories while celebrating the artistry behind every frame. Characters in “Off the Page” include:

• Mulan in Story
• Rapunzel in Layout
• Chip ‘n’ Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation
• Donald and Daisy in CG Animation
• Goofy in Lighting
• Stitch in Effects

It’s entirely possible that, even if hours are extended for MoDA as a whole, the meet & greets will wrap up earlier. That’s a lot of extra staffing for the last 3 hours of the day. (Although the location does use some automated cameras for photos.)

Olaf Draws!

Step into a new Animation Academy experience with Olaf Draws!, where everyone’s favorite snowman takes center stage as your cheerful host. With his signature warmth, optimism, and playful humor, Olaf invites guests of all ages to explore the art of character drawing.

Brought to life as an all-new Audio-Animatronics figure, Olaf welcomes you into a space inspired by one of his most memorable moments from Once Upon A Studio sitting at an animator’s desk, joyfully discovering the art of drawing.
Stepping into a reimagined animator’s studio with playful nods to Frozen, guests of all ages are invited to sit down and learn to draw.

You’ll go step-by-step through the creative process, guided by Disney Animation artists who interact with Olaf and share tips, techniques, and stories from inside the studio. It’s a fun and funny learning experience that is enjoyable both as an interactive animation lesson and just as a passive attraction.

Young animators in the making can spark their creativity at sleigh‑themed tables (our daughter loved sitting in these), while animator‑desk–style workstations invite kids at heart to feel as though they’ve stepped right into the studio.

The Olaf Audio Animatronics is awesome and kids will love it, but the lack live animators is a definite loss. Everything else about this reimagining is an unequivocal win, so it’s disappointing to see the otherwise warm and welcoming reimagining tainted by losing the human touch.

Ultimately, the Magic of Disney Animation is another strong ‘singles & doubles’ addition. This area has gone from one of our least-favorite in all of Walt Disney World to one where our family is going to be spending a lot of time in the next few years.

I’m already looking forward to more time in the Magic of Disney Animation! Here’s hoping that some of the characters who make appearances in the group photo above reprise their roles as free-playing characters around the Walt Disney Studios Lot, and within the building. Beyond rare characters, it’d be great to see some Brother Bear representation as a nod to Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on the Magic of Disney Animation being inspired by and paying tribute to Once Upon a Studio? Excited to experience these new attractions and offerings at DHS? Have you spent any time in the Walt Disney Studios Lot? Any other thoughts or commentary to add? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!