MAGIC OF DISNEY ANIMATION

As you enter the Animation Courtyard, you’ll face The Magic of Disney Animation; many consider this the most rewarding part of coming to MGM because this is where much of the Disney magic is actually created. The Magic of Disney Animation takes you to the drafting tables and story rooms where current Disney films are conceived, drawn and converted into animation cels. Leave it to Disney to turn the workplace of it’s animators into an attraction. Mulan was the first animated film entirely created in Orlando, and MGM visitors got to see every stage of its development. More recently, visitor were treated to a seak preview of the new Dinsey film Tarzan, released this summer.

The self guided tours start in a lobby where you can see the Oscars that Disney animated films have won along with old animation cels from films like Snow White. You then move to the Disney Animation Theater where you see an eight-minute film about how cartoons are created. The odd couple of Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams narrates the funny film and set the mood for the rest of the tour.

After viewing the film, you get to see the actual Disney animators at work. Walkways with big glass windows allow you to see the animators without distracting them. As you walk through the walkways, overhead monitors explain what stage you are seeing, and how that is part of the whole animation process.

The final part of the tour is where you get to see the finished product. Almost like a "greatest hits" collection of animated scenes, Disney shows you the evolution of animation from Snow White to Pocahontas. Don’t miss it.