Ultimate Guide to DCA’s Animation Building
If you’re looking to cool off on a hot day at Disney’s California Adventure, look no further than the animation building (it literally just says animation in big letters on the outside)! This building in Hollywoodland offers so much to do, for people of all ages! And of course, it screams air conditioning. Grab a refreshing drink at Schmoozies across the street, and head on over to the Animation building.
Once Upon a Time…
When you first walk into the building, you’ll enter through a long, blue and purple hallway. Written on the wall in huge letters are the words “Once Upon a time…”. As you walk through the hallway, you’ll hear classic Disney songs getting louder and louder as you reach the end of the hallway. Soon, you’ll find yourself in the animation building. The room has very tall ceilings and it feels as if its oval shaped.
Relax
Screens cover all of the walls playing clips from classic Disney movies. It’s almost a mood changing room. All of the lights change when the next movie clip comes on to fit the mood of the scene. This room is a very relaxing space. Families who need a break during the day will come here to cool off as there is so much room, couches against the wall, and lots of open space in the middle. You’ll often find people napping or charging their phone in here.
Can You Draw Mickey?
If you explore the building further than just the gigantic room playing Disney movies, you’ll find that there’s so much more to do. Animation Academy is one of the main reasons people love coming to this building. This is a class on how to draw Disney characters. There are classes every 30 minutes throughout the day, and each class learns how to draw a different character.
How About Jack?
Many people line up for these classes early, as they do fill up and only allow about 200-300 people at a time. Throughout the day, there will always be classes on the traditional characters such as Mickey, Minnie and Donald. Seasonally, you are taught how to draw special characters such as Jack Skellington, or a character from whatever movie recently came out!
Sorcerer’s Workshop
The animation building also offers an exciting experience called Sorcerer’s Workshop. You walk into a dim lit room to find more drawing activities, and if you walk even further you’ll find the Beasts library. In this library, you have the option to sit down at a desk and take a quiz. This quiz gives you the results of which Disney character you are most like! The quiz takes your photo and literally transforms you into that character.
Turtle Talk with Crush
Turtle Talk with Crush is an activity also in the animation building that is geared for families with young children. Everyone sits in front of a screen that is a portal into the ocean. Crush swims up to introduce himself and answers any question that the children have! This activity is a must for all the little dudes.
Anna and Elsa
After taking your little dudes to meet Crush, take your little princesses to the other side of the animation building for Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome. This is where the family can meet Queen Elsa and Princess Anna themselves! Sometimes Kristoff and Olaf even make appearances too. No need to get in line way ahead of time, this queue usually moves pretty quickly!
Off The Page
As you find the exit for the building, you’ll see that there is a store attached. This store is called Off The Page. Here you can find many things, but mostly artwork. There are beautiful paintings and sculptures of your favorite characters that you can take home and put on your wall! This store also sells many Disney books, ornaments, records, and more. It’d definitely a store to take a look in, as its not the same as just any souvenir shop!
And They Lived Happily Ever After
When leaving the animation building, you’ll once again enter through a long blue and purple hallway. This time, the huge words on the wall say “…And they lived happily ever after.” Awwwww! You’ll often find couples taking photos at this spot. After you enter this building for the first time, you’ll surely fall in love and be coming back again and again, bringing your friends to show them one of Disney California Adventure’s best secrets. Grab a snack, head to the animation building, and relax!