Animation Academy: who can tell me more?

[magicjasb]

We have never done this before, as it always seemed too much for our young kids. On our next trip, in August, I am thinking of taking my 6 year old to it. He loves to watch how to draw cartoons, on an Activity TV channel and then will copy them. He has pages of cartoons he has drawn recently. Is this something he would like or is it geared more for adults?

[poeticeclipse]

This would be great for a 6 year old! When I did it there were many kids about that age participating.

Every class is different. I think they said they rotate like 6 different characters each day. So if you come back again in the same day the chances are you'll draw something different. I drew Tigger and the class before me did Tinkerbell.

They go quite quickly though. So you'll have to "tweek" the drawing in given time at the end.

A fun experience!! Do it!

[mrmcgiv]

Correct me if I am wrong here, and I may be, but I think at the end of this attraction there are characters. If it is what I am thinking when we went in 12-2008 Bolt and the incredibles were there and maybe one more.

[Darbylew]

I think you are talking about the Animation at
DS and if that is right it is 15 minutes long. It
is near Playhouse Disney and Little Mermaid
show. We have done it before and it is a lot of
fun. The time we did it we drew Goofy. Have
fun!

[magicjasb]

That's what I am talking about. Is it usually a long wait? How many people do they take at once?

[luvDaMouse]

LOVE THIS! One of our favorite things to do at this park.
Once the movie is over go directly to the back area. You will be tempted to look at everything else (you can do that after) but you need to get into that "fenced in area because they can only take so many people. We did draw Mickey Mouse one year and then after we met the characters and had Mickey sign our drawings I have our pictures framed with a photopass picture of Mickey signing it hanging above it in our living room! a great memory
Dana

[5togetherWDW]

The Animation Academy has several different instructors - they rotate throughout the day - each have different characters they draw, levels of patter (a couple give nice trivia while they work), and speed / clarity of instruction. This means that one time may be ideal for your 6 year old and the next could be frustrating. I had that exact experience. My son was able to draw Pooh bear step by step -- in class the instructor asked trivia and offered the chance to sing. My son serenaded the class and left delighted! (That was the only time I've heard singing in a class there.)
The next time we went, my son was told he had to draw Daisy (gasp a girl character - not his choice.) He began following along, but the instructor went too fast for his skill level. Unfortunately -- halfway through, he was ready to crumple his paper and leave.
What we have found is that the instructors with greater experience try to do a character that is reachable by the majority of the group. For example -- one time the instructor announced we would be drawing Carl (the room held only a group of adults)-- but as the doors were about to close, a large group of children entered. The animator started flipping pages and announced we would be drawing Mickey -- she apologized for the change, but explained that Carl would be too frustrating for some of our guests. (My teen was among the annoyed - but he did understand.)
What I found worked for my younger son is to go in with the knowledge that "you don't have to draw exactly what the teacher is saying". Be clear that your child can draw anything and you should be fine. The walls of the room are covered in sketches. I usually get my sons sketching little designs on the edge of the paper -- that way if the class becomes too hard, they can focus on one of their other drawings.

[magicjasb]

Thanks for all the info!

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

I agree, my 11 year old is very artistic and absolutely loves this and is a must do on every trip. My 5 year old has fun but it is over her head and way too fast and we have done multiple characters! My artistic abilities even when guided step by step still resembles an awkward stick figure!

[cer]

We did this on our last trip and it was great fun.

The youngest in our party was 9. I have a friend who framed their family drawings and I hope to do the same.

Our class voted on who we drew.

[micky95]

my dw & i did it our last trip dec09. and it was a lot of fun.there were 2 lines one going to see the whole area & one for characters.you dont have to see the whole thing to get to the animation area .ther was a sign pointing to which line to go thru.you can also go thru the gift shop to the right as you come in.still counting down to jan 2011!!!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We often "sneak" in the back way instead of going through the movie! It is also a nice way to slip and try a couple of different characters throughout your trip, if it is something you like.

We love this, although DD does get frustrated sometimes that her drawing doesn't look as good as she wants it to. However, she's always willing to try again, and it is a "don't miss" part of our Disney trip.