Character ‘Free Play’ Will Continue in Courtyard After Magic of Disney Animation Debuts at DHS

Walt Disney World has confirmed that free roaming characters currently populating the reimagined Studios Lot courtyard will continue after the Magic of Disney Animation and its “Off the Page” meet & greets debut. Not only that, but there will be even more spontaneous play opportunities beyond the outside area. Here’s the latest, plus our commentary about the viral success of this initiative.

As basic background, the ‘free playing’ characters are currently a surprise & delight offering at Walt Disney Studios Lot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This area replaced the former Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios, and the courtyard itself has been open since shortly before Memorial Day.

What’s not yet open is The Magic of Disney Animation, which is a ‘what’s old is new again‘ replacement for Star Wars: Launch Bay. The Magic of Disney Animation will feature the Once Upon a Studio Theater, Olaf Draws Animation Academy, Drawn to Wonderland Play Area, and “Off the Page” Character Meet & Greets. Only the last entry is particularly relevant for our purposes here.

Up until today, the big unanswered question on my mind once the building itself opened is what would happens to the free roaming characters outside that have brought the new-look Walt Disney Studios Lot to life. These free roaming/playing characters who are up for spontaneous interactions with guests have been the smash hit of the summer.

We’ve seen characters engaging in unique activities with guests, such as Goofy leading games, Mulan teaching kids how to be warriors, Rapunzel reading or braiding hair, and more. There have been a lot of viral videos of the play experiences, and there have undoubtedly been hundreds, if not thousands, of magical moments created for guests.

Given the runaway popularity of the free play in the courtyard, it seemed possible that Walt Disney World would continue it by popular guest demand. However, it was also possible that this was all temporary until the Magic of Disney Animation opens.

Several of the characters who have been roaming the land have permanent places inside at “Off the Page.” Accordingly, the free play was somewhat of a happy accident, occurring at least in part because the characters’ purpose-built meet & greet space in “Off the Page” wasn’t ready to open, so they were positioned outside for the summer.

Every time I’ve visited the courtyard over the last three-plus months, it has been packed. Even when DHS as a whole wasn’t busy. Having the characters out is a serious capacity-add, and between that and the virality of the venue, we previously speculated might just be sufficient for Walt Disney World to justify the extra entertainment expenses. That turned out to be true, as Walt Disney World has confirmed that the spontaneous character play will continue.

During today’s media event for the Magic of Disney Animation, we had the chance to speak with representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment about “Off the Page” and everything else. One of the hot topics was actually the characters outside the building.

Disney confirmed that the characters who appear outside in Animation Courtyard will change. That’s because “Off the Page” has dedicated meet & greet backdrops that are character-specific, with each space highlighting different stages of the animation process, brought to life via character encounters. Characters in “Off the Page” are:

• Mulan in Story
• Rapunzel in Layout
• Chip ‘n’ Dale in Hand-Drawn Animation
• Donald & Daisy in CG Animation
• Goofy in Lighting
• Stitch in Effects

Once the aforementioned characters move indoors to those “Off the Page” meet & greets, a different slate of characters will come to the courtyard. Disney has not indicated which characters those will be, or whether there will be a set roster or just a rotation.

Also teased during the media event was that not only would the character free play continue outside the courtyard, but it would be added inside The Magic of Disney Animation. You could encounter random free roaming characters in the lobby, and open area just outside the queues for “Off the Page.”

Yet another tidbit came during a wide ranging chat we had with Joe Schott, the new President of Walt Disney World. When asked about the future of free roaming characters, the new top leader offered an even more expansive answer, indicating that Walt Disney World has taken note of guest response to these characters.

Schott suggested that there will be more initiatives of this nature in the future, while also balancing traditional meet & greets with character encounters, as different guests have different expectations. He further teased that we might not just see this at Animation Courtyard, but elsewhere at Walt Disney World.

Our Commentary

Thoughts of various thoughts on this that I’ll try to offer in (mostly) quick-hit format.

First, I would love for Animation to become rare character central. Not just because that’d be fun, but also because The Magic of Disney Animation is already a treasure trove of Easter Eggs and deep cuts. It feels like this space is one of the only ones in all of Walt Disney World where a grabbag of rare characters would actually be on-theme and further enhance the area.

Make Animation Courtyard the permanent home of “Character Paloozas” and just let Cast Members have fun with it. (As a side note, we’ve also seen several Character Paloozas at EPCOT over the last few days. Must be that time of year!) These have long been stuck at random locations since they’re always a motley crew of characters, but Animation Courtyard and the Magic of Disney Animation would actually be perfect venues for them!

Second, while I love the idea of character free play indoors, I am somewhat skeptical this will be possible in the immediate future. The Magic of Disney Animation is going to be a huge hit. Not to spoil my own upcoming review, but they’ve done a great job with the inside, just as with the outside.

The Magic of Disney Animation is going to resonate with guests and, most likely, be an incredibly popular offering upon debut. Even after the initial fanfare dies down in a week or two, I still expect it to be very popular, even during the off-season. I’m not even sure where the queue is going to go for Olaf Draws. Then it’s fall break in a few weeks…followed shortly thereafter by Veterans Day/Jersey Week, Thanksgiving, etc. There’s no reason to expect demand to die down for The Magic of Disney Animation at all this year.

The bottom line is that operational realities may make character play impossible or impractical inside until 2027. Maybe I’m wrong and they’ll just find a way to make the space, but my gut is that The Magic of Disney Animation is going to be too popular to accommodate this right off the bat. It’s truly a good problem to have in the near-term, as it’s due to the quality of the offering.

Finally, as for an expansion of free roaming characters, I feel like this is the trajectory Walt Disney World has been on for a number of years already. The smash success of the free play in the redone Animation Courtyard just sealed the deal on more of this coming to Walt Disney World in the years to come. It’s nevertheless great to have confirmation from creatives and leadership that they’re seeing what we’re all seeing.

Even before this, Cool Kid(s’) Summer has been a sleeper hit each of the last two summers. Beyond the courtyard, that’s brought new family-focused experiences to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, including dance parties, extra character appearances, hands-on activities, and a lot of interactivity.

As part of Cool Kids’ Summer, there have just been more spontaneous characters appearances over the last two summers. Some of this has even happened on the resort side, where guests staying at Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans had their own special offerings. (Just last night, we ran into Minnie Mouse in her pajamas!)

The redone Animation Courtyard and Cool Kid Summer demonstrates that Walt Disney World finally “gets” the appeal of Disneyland-style free roaming characters. This is something we’ve been discussing here for a while, starting back with the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.

One of the biggest questions at that time was whether free-roaming characters would translate to Walt Disney World given guest demographics. The concern was that once-in-a-lifetime guests wanted posed photos with characters, not to “play” with them.

This is despite free-roaming characters being a staple of the Disneyland experience for years. So many of Disneyland’s best moments with characters unfold in an organic and spontaneous manner as characters like Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, or the Evil Queen wander the park.

Based on my observations, the smash success of free play at Animation Courtyard and for Cool Kids’ Summer definitively demonstrate that spontaneous character experiences not only work at Walt Disney World, but are a huge hit with guests.

Given what both Walt Disney World leadership and creatives shared, it seems clear that what’s been offered this summer and last are proof of concept for the type of ‘play’ that’ll eventually expand elsewhere at Walt Disney World. It’s also nice to see that Disney gets the need for balance, with Animation Courtyard having both traditional meet & greets and free-play going forward, and leadership indicating that this isn’t an either/or proposition.

Many first-timers want the photo of their kids posing with characters, getting an autograph, etc. That’s a longtime staple of Walt Disney World vacations, and there’s absolutely no reason to believe the traditional meet & greet will be displaced by free roaming or playing characters. It definitely will not.

There’s also something special about these spontaneous encounters, getting a chance to briefly play with characters as opposed to posing for a photo, assembly-line style. This is the stuff that ‘core memories’ are made of, making an indelible mark leaving powerful lasting impressions on guests.

Hyperbolic as it might seem, this is formative stuff. We’ve often stressed that it’s the “little things” that form the foundation of nostalgia and sentimentality, and forge new Walt Disney World fans in the process. Obviously blockbuster new attractions and lands are important, but getting these little things right is the ‘secret sauce’ for Walt Disney World.

Although the Magic of Disney Animation is fantastic, there’s also some real magic being made outside in the courtyard with characters countless times every day, and it would’ve been a shame to lose that. We’re very glad that won’t be the case, and can’t wait to see where this concept rolls out next. There’s tremendous unrealized potential for Disney to leverage its beloved and underutilized characters in playful ways, and the opportunity to make new lifetime fans of the parks via those little moments of magic.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on free playing characters continuing (and even expanding) after “Off the Page” debuts in the Magic of Disney Animation? Did you experience any of the character encounters at the reimagined Animation Courtyard or during Cool Kids’ Summer? What did you think of these spontaneous experiences? Any special lasting memories from ‘playing’ with the characters? Do you hope Walt Disney World learns lessons from this special event and applies them year-round? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!