Fans are not happy with the news that an animatronic Olaf will replace a live animator in the new Animation Academy experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

No Live Artist at Animation Academy

Historically, versions of Animation Academy have been hosted by a live cast member who led the drawing class. This includes the old Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of the class, the version at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (now closed), and the ongoing Disney California Adventure version.

The new version, Olaf Draws!, will be hosted by an Audio-Animatronic Olaf assisted by pre-recorded segments with Disney animators. Here’s the list of characters guests will draw and the featured animators:

• Mickey Mouse, with Dan Abraham, director (Once Upon A Studio, Baymax!)
• Minnie Mouse, with Hyun Min Lee, animator (Frozen 2, The Princess and the Frog)
• Donald Duck, with Austin Traylor, animator (Once Upon A Studio, Moana 2)
• Genie, with Eric Goldberg, animator (Aladdin, Hercules)
• Moana, with Samantha Vilfort, story artist (Encanto, Zootopia 2)
• Stitch, with Fawn Veerasunthorn, director and head of story (Wish, Raya and the Last Dragon)
• Olaf, with Trent Correy, director (Once Upon A Studio, Frozen 3)
• Ursula, with Michael Woodside, animator (Big Hero 6, Encanto)
• Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, with Byron Howard director, (Zootopia, Zootopia 2)

On the Disney Parks’ Facebook post announcing the new experience, dozens of commenters have shared their opinion on the removal of live artists.

In response to Disney’s own comment reading, “Our inner artist is ready!” one user said, “no it isn’t! Your inner artist is actual animators… Each experience in AK was slightly different because of the inner artist in each animator there who we could see and interact with. This looks like it will be a cycle ‘show’ now not a truly interactive experience. From the looks of that image on the screen, it also looks like something we can already do at home right now on Disney+.”

Another fan pointed out, “And now [if] the animatronic breaks, the whole experience will go down lol. Such a disappointment”.

Here are some more responses:

would be better if there were live artist teaching us. Cast members are the heart and soul and the more you take them away, the less of a connection we have.

real live animators/artists are what make the animation experience the experience……..such a slap in the face to the artists who made Disney what it is…. I can watch a pre-recorded drawing tutorial on YouTube….

I love the addition of an animatronic Olaf—but I do not want to learn to draw from a video—I can do that at home. Keep the live artists!!

Without the live artist, this feels completely impersonal. I love a good audio animatronic, but not at the cost of human connection.

I think children’s will love it- but I’m sad to see the live animators [being] replaced 

Love that this is coming back but it’s very disappointing we won’t have a live artist like in the past. It was the best part of the experience

There are similar complaints across social media. On X, one user said, “disappointing. Take the CM interaction out and replace it with a generic show. Another way to not pay a CM and water down [experiences]. Par for the course in a post covid Disney”.

User @caterpillarhost simply responded, “No! I want to draw with a wonderful human Cast Member!”

The YouTube video preview (below) also includes annoyed comments. User @hollum1648 said, “Shame on Disney for replacing a live Cast Member with a robot in an attraction meant to highlight human-created art. Absolutely awful decision.”

The Magic of Disney Animation

Olaf Draws! will be part of the revamped version of The Magic of Disney Animation in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s opening in Summer 2026, but Disney has not provided an exact date. Inspired by the Once Upon A Studio short film, the experience will include six new meet and greets, an Alice in Wonderland playground, and more.

What do you think of this version of Animation Academy without live artists? Let us know on social media.

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