An Inside Look at Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida at Hollywood Studios
Today is a Disney holiday — it’s 626 Day, AKA the day all about our favorite little blue alien, Stitch. Disney is celebrating with some fun character appearances, merchandise, and even a Lilo & Stitch 2 announcement.
And for the special occasion, Disney is sharing an inside look at Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida and how the original movie came to life!
Inside Feature Animation at Hollywood Studios
Disney Parks Blog is taking us inside Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the very first time! This is where the original Lilo & Stitch was created.
Photo: Disney
This tour is going to take us back in time to the opening of the Feature Animation building, we’ll get a chat with Clark Spencer (the producer of the animated Lilo & Stitch and now president of Disney Animation), and we’ll get to learn a bit about today’s Feature Animation office vibes. Let’s go!
Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida
The original Lilo & Stitch was released back in 2002, which is over a decade after Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida started to help produce Disney Animation movies like The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994).
In the early years, guests could actually see animators working on these projects by touring through The Magic of Disney Animation, which is where Star Wars Launch Bay currently stands. The tour opened up with Hollywood Studios in 1989.
Photo: Disney
Nine years after opening, an additional 4-story Feature Animation building was added next to the Magic of Disney Animation because the animation team was growing.
The grand opening was held on April 22nd, 1998, and featured Roy E. Disney (nephew of Walt Disney and then vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company) and Michael Eisner (then chairman and CEO), They had just opened Disney’s Animal Kingdom that same morning!
Photo: Disney
There was a big thunderstorm threatening the area and Disney, Eisner, and Peter Schnieder (then president of Walt Disney Feature Animation) made the presentation from a temporary stage. Eisner’s tie blew over his shoulder as Disney compared the day to the time his uncle Walt orchestrated the 1960 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies.
This is what Disney said about the snowstorm that almost canceled those same opening ceremonies, “The sky opened up, the sun shone down on the ceremony, and it was perfect.” As the wind picked up at Feature Animation, he continued on to say, “And ever since then, it was known as ‘Walt’s Miracle.’ We all believe to this day that if Walt likes stuff we do, he brings the good weather…”
Photo: Disney
Then, as if on cue, the wind stopped and the sun came out over the crowd at Feature Animation. Roy finished by saying, “And he loves it!” Then Feature Animation Florida was open.
The Making of Lilo & Stitch at Feature Animation
Part of the new Feature Animation building became a part of the Magic of Disney Animation tour through a set of windows where the buildings were connected. You could see desks and cubicles where Lilo & Stitch was being worked on!
The director duo of Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois led the movie, and one of Sanders’ old sketches of a weird little alien creature eventually became Stitch! Lilo & Stitch took on an original look from this drawing style, with soft watercolor backgrounds and unique character shapes.
Photo: Disney
To make sure they got the movie right, the animators studied hula, Hawaiian language, and got help from cultural advisors.
Chris Sanders not only directed the movie, he also voiced Stitch! Then, Dean DeBlois brought a lot of the story to the table, which helped shape the emotionally powerful relationship between Lilo and Stitch.
Photo: Disney
Clark Spencer, who was a producer of the movie, made sure the film’s team had creative freedom in the best way possible. He believed in the filmmakers’ unique vision and worked at the Florida studio to help bring it to life!
Clark Spencer on the Making of Lilo & Stitch
To get a better idea of what these days at Feature Animation were like, Disney Parks Blog Editorial Optimization Manager Rain interviewed Clark, which you can see below:
Photo: Disney
Rain: Was there an ‘ah-ha’ moment that changed the course of the making of Lilo & Stitch that you want our readers to know more about?
Clark: “When director Chris Sanders first started development on Lilo & Stitch, the story was set in Kansas – not Hawai‘i. In telling a story of an alien creature landing on Earth and being mistaken for a dog, Chris knew the story needed to take place in a remote, small-town setting where Stitch could more easily blend in, and Kansas seemed like the perfect place.
“But after taking a trip to Hawai‘i, everything changed. Chris was sitting in his office thinking fondly of his amazing vacation and looking at a map of the Hawaiian islands when he thought to himself, ‘What is more remote than an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
And that changed everything about the story – bringing in the culture and beauty of Hawai‘i and its people. It also gave the story its emotional core: Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”
Photo: Disney
Rain: What was really cool about working at Feature Animation in Florida?
Clark: “One of the most amazing things about working at Disney Animation Florida was the fact that the studio was in the middle of the theme park. And whenever you were having a difficult day, all you had to do was walk into the theme park to be reminded of what a privilege it is to work at a company whose stories and characters impact people all around the world.
It was truly a powerful experience. It was also pretty cool to see and experience the ‘behind the scenes’ at Disney Parks. The organization and precision it takes to manage such a vast operation is truly amazing and makes producing an animated film seem easy!”
Photo: Disney
Rain: Since Lilo & Stitch, you’ve had the chance to see how the animation process has changed. Can you talk a bit about the development of animation from your perspective?
Clark: “The animation industry has certainly evolved over the past 23 years since ‘Lilo & Stitch’ was released. As I reflect on my career, I feel so lucky to have been a part of incredible hand-drawn films like ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ and ‘Winnie The Pooh’ (2011) as well as CG-animated films like ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ (2012), ‘Zootopia’ (2016) and ‘Encanto’ (2021).
“And while the tools have changed, the one constant is the artist at the heart of each Disney Animation film. There are 24 frames per second, and the artist is sculpting each frame to bring the characters and the world to life in a believable way. I am still in awe of the talent, the passion and the care that is in each and every film made at the studio.”
Photo: Disney
Inside Feature Animation Today
So, what’s Feature Animation like today? Well, Rain shared that on quiet days in her office, she can hear Slinky Dog talking as he winds through Toy Story Land! Pretty cool.
Much of the inside of Feature Animation has been preserved since the days of the original Lilo & Stich. The halls are rich with Disney history!
Photo: Disney
Rain shared that, “Each morning, I walk in the doors of Feature Animation, greeted by ‘Sneezy,’ one of the log-shaped ride vehicles from Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and ‘Winky,’ a blue car from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Here in the lobby, cast members from all over Disney World often gather for special backstage events, like our recent Earth Day bash where I had my photo taken with a fairy during my lunchbreak.”
There is a screening room on the left side of the lobby where animators preview the films they create, including the original Lilo & Stitch.
Photo: Disney
Down the main hallway you can find a display case that takes up most of the left wall. Inside, there are over 50 background prints and sketches from Disney Animation films like Meet the Robinsons, Alice in Wonderland, and Hercules.
Photo: Disney
There are a set of aqua porthole window double doors that slide open to reveal giant blue pencil sketch murals of Stitch, Simba, and Mushu on the walls.
You can see a big staircase the spirals up the grand atrium at Feature Animation. There is a skylight apex that brings in sunlight over 4 stories of balconies, bridges, and glass block panels.
Photo: Disney
There are also seemingly random bridges, overlooks, and keyhole openings to the floors below that add to the cartoonish nature of this building!
In the atrium, cast members can eat lunch near a Dumbo ride vehicle. The preserved ’90s architecture mixes retro art deco style, with patterned carpeting, chrome, and shades of aquamarine and coral.
Creative Inspiration Around Every Corner
Each floor of the Feature Animation building is themed to a film worked on by the Feature Animation Florida team. The meeting rooms are named after characters, there are murals demonstrating animation methods, and the building is basically a museum of original sketches, storyboards, and more.
The first floor is themed to Brother Bear from 2003. The conference rooms are named Denahi and Sitka!
Photo: Disney
The second floor is themed to Mulan, and you can see the paint swatches for the color study of the “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” scene. There’s also the Grandmother Fa sketch collection and a full mural of Mulan characters.
Photo: Disney
The third floor is the one themed to Lilo & Stitch! There is a mounted Elvis Presley “Blue Hawaii” record and a “Lilo & Stitch” mural that stretches down the hall. There are also detailed character studies of Stitch and Lilo near the stairway and a Cobra Bubbles meeting room.
Photo: Disney
The fourth floor is themed to The Lion King, with Timon and Nala meeting rooms. About 20 minutes of the film, including the “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” musical sequence was animated by the Florida team.
The past is mixed with the present here, like the hulking animation desk on the third floor next to a collection of film editing equipment.
Photo: Disney
The frosted windows on the first floor are a reminder of where guests used to be able to watch animators at work. And, just around the corner, the grand lighting imitates the Art Deco style of the Hollywood Studios entrance gate.
There’s even an entire wall of specialty paints and inks that were used by animators with colors like “Disney Bengal Rose” in the same jugs and jars from the days of ink and paint!
Photo: Disney
Creative Inspiration from Animation History
In the former mailroom, you will find a wall of animation team notes and sketches, including signatures from Clark Spencer, Chris Sanders, and Roy E. Disney!
Photo: Disney
Rain shared that cast members working in the building often swap looks of amazement and nerd out together about the animation history around them every day.
She ended the post by saying “To the team who worked to bring Disney Animation classics like Lilo & Stitch to life, know that those of us who walk in the doors today count ourselves lucky to be inspired by your creative legacy. It’s an incredible opportunity and honor to continue to share Disney stories right here at Feature Animation Florida.”
Photo: Disney
Stay tuned for more Disney news and updates!
