Hello, Sarah, and welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel. How exciting that you have a budding animator in your midst! There are actually several exhibits and activities currently offered at
Walt Disney World Resort that she might be interested in.
First of all, I hope you'll consider staying at
Disney's Art of Animation Resort. With a variety of room types featuring various animated characters, it's one of my absolute favorites. The lobby is full of amazing nods to animation including background art, character sketches, motion studies and animation cels. Additionally, they offer a drawing class each afternoon where anyone can join a professional Disney artist for character-drawing tutorials and can try their hand at depicting a classic Disney character. I definitely do not consider myself a "master artist" by any means, but the animators break down the process in easy-to-follow steps that help anyone create a masterpiece! These classes are currently free and open to the public (whether or not you're an official Art of Animation Resort guest), but you’ll need to check with a front desk Cast Member to find out the times they're offered.
At
Disney's Hollywood Studios, I would encourage spending some time in
Walt Disney Presents. This self-guided exhibit not only details some of Walt Disney's childhood, but it also displays some of his innovative designs for making animated motion pictures. One of my favorites is the display of his "Multiplane Camera" which shows how different layers of an animated scene were painted on separate glass plates and then loaded onto different "planes" of the camera to give the scenes a sense of depth that other animation studios struggled to achieve. You'll also see Disney's animation desk and some artifacts from his time as a young animator on display, too.
In various places throughout the Theme Parks, you'll also have an opportunity to see an illustrator at work. I would encourage your daughter to watch their demonstrations, but also take the time to ask them questions about the process. Two of my favorite locations for this experience are at Main Street Cinema at
Magic Kingdom Park and Art of Disney at
Epcot. While illustrators aren't listed on the official Times Guide, just pop into the stores to find out when they'll be there.
Hopefully these suggestions will help inspire your junior animator, Sarah! In the meantime, have her check out the new
Learn to Draw series posted on the Disney Parks Blog. There are lots of great videos already posted there!
Here's wishing you an animated adventure,
Amy