Animation Academy
| Animation Academy | |
|---|---|
| Park | Hong Kong Disneyland |
| Land / area | Main Street, U.S.A. |
| Type | Drawing class |
| Opened | July 14, 2007 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering
|
| Status | Operating |
The Animation Academy is a drawing-class attraction on Main Street, U.S.A. at Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. In a seated classroom beside the Opera House, a Disney artist leads guests step by step through drawing a Disney character, and everyone takes their own finished sketch home. It opened on July 14, 2007, and was still listed as operating at Hong Kong Disneyland as of November 2026.[1]
History
Hong Kong Disneyland opened in September 2005 with a smaller line-up than the older castle parks, and its first summers were spent filling the gaps. In December 2006 the resort announced a package of additions for 2007 and 2008, among them the Animation Academy, promised for summer 2007 alongside the Mickey's WaterWorks parade, with It's a Small World to follow in 2008.[2] The announcement placed the new attraction next to The Disneyland Story exhibit on Main Street, U.S.A., and sold it plainly as a chance to pick up a pencil and join in the Disney creation process.[2]
The Academy opened on July 14, 2007, as part of that summer season, in the position recorded by reference listings ever since: adjacent to the Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A.[1] It belongs to a family of the same name at several Disney resorts. The format began at DisneyQuest at Walt Disney World in 1998 and was later added at Disney California Adventure and in Paris, but the Hong Kong classroom is a permanent, purpose-sited version on the park's main entrance street rather than an element inside a larger animation pavilion.[1]
The neighbouring Art of Animation exhibit, which opened in 2008 in the former Disneyland Story space, makes the corner of Main Street a small animation quarter: guests can look at how Disney films are drawn, then sit down a few steps away and try drawing for themselves.[1]
Experience
A session lasts roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Guests sit at desks in rows in an air-conditioned classroom, each with paper and a pencil provided, while the instructor draws at the front and their work is projected on a large screen so the whole room can follow.[1][3] The teaching method is the traditional animator's one: the character is built up from simple construction shapes — circles and guidelines first — before features, expression and detail are added, which is why complete beginners usually finish with a recognisable character.[2]
A board outside the attraction lists the day's sessions and which character each session will draw, and the schedule is also carried in the park's app, so guests who want a particular character can plan around it.[4] Sessions are offered in Cantonese and in English, and because the lesson is visual, guests regularly follow a class in the other language without difficulty.[5] Several different characters are taught across a day, so repeat visits in the same trip need not repeat the same drawing.
There is no ride vehicle, no queue-line story and nothing to win: the appeal is the souvenir. Every guest leaves carrying a drawing they made themselves, which makes the Academy one of the few attractions at the park whose takeaway is personal rather than purchased.[1]
See also
- Hong Kong Disneyland
- Main Street, U.S.A. (Hong Kong Disneyland)
- Art of Animation (Hong Kong Disneyland)
- Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad
- List of Hong Kong Disneyland attractions
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Animation Academy. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hong Kong Disneyland Announces Expansion Plans. Blooloop. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ Animation Academy at Hong Kong Disneyland. 4 All Things Disney. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ Animation Academy at Hong Kong Disneyland. 4 All Things Disney. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ Animation Academy at Hong Kong Disneyland. 4 All Things Disney. Retrieved 2026-11-15.