The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (A Resorts Gal Attraction Guide)
Did you know that you can probably draw better than you think? Sometimes, visiting a class like The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is all it takes to realize that you have more talent than you thought.
When The Animation Experience at Conservation Station debuted in 2019, it was a huge hit. I’m sure that is no surprise to anyone who visited the former Animation Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Sadly, that experience closed a long time ago. So when The Animation Experience at Conservation Station was announced for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it was a welcome change.
At this point, some of you might be wondering, what exactly is The Animation Experience? In a nutshell, it’s a 25-minute drawing class held multiple times daily. But really, it’s so much more. You’ll sit in a class-like environment and take an artist’s instruction on drawing a Disney character.
Since this experience is held at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the characters are usually animals from favorite animated classics. The instructors are excellent, providing simple step-by-step instructions to help you create a masterpiece. Here is my very own work of art from my first animation class. I know it’s a little lopsided, but it’s not too bad for someone with few artistic skills, right?
Here are a few quick details for the Animation Experience at Conservation Station
| The Animation Experience | Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park |
|---|---|
Location: | Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch |
Height Requirement: | None |
Lightning Lane: | No |
Ride Type: | Class Room Environment |
Rider Switch: | No |
Early Theme Park Entry: | No |
Extended Evening Hours: | No |
Good For: | Everyone |
Scary Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Medium Priority |
Perfect For: | Anyone who has an interest in art. |
Special Mention: | You get to keep your drawing. It might turn out better than expected. |
An Overview of the Animation Experience
Since the Animation Experience is at Conservation Station, you’ll have to go a little out of the way to access it. You’ll have to take a train ride from Harambe in the Africa section of the park to the Conservation Station. The train station sits between Kilimanjaro Safaris and Harambe Market. A sign over the entrance reads, “Railway Transportation to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.”
Animal Kingdom’s Wildlife Express Train runs approximately every 10 minutes, so there shouldn’t be a long wait for the next train. When you arrive at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, you’ll walk down the pathway to Conservation Station. You’ll see the first entrance, which leads to the restrooms. (It is important to know where the restrooms are since this area is isolated from the rest of the park.)
You’ll walk past this entrance and the Affection Section petting zoo until you see another entrance. Inside, you’ll immediately run into the waiting area for the Animation Experience.
Times for each class are posted in several locations. The exact times can also be checked on the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit.
Most guests will want to plan their visit to Rafiki’s Planet Watch around the times for the class. For instance, if you take the train to Conservation Station at 2:25 p.m., you won’t get there in time to make the 2:30 p.m. class. You would have to wait until the class at 3:15 p.m., which means you would have nearly 45 minutes to wait for the next class. Unless your children love the petting zoo, there isn’t much more to do in the area. Unfortunately, this area has dwindled over the last couple of years. On our last visit, we discovered the former gift shop that sold plush animals, snacks, and bottled beverages had been completely removed.
It’s also important to note that this area of the park opens later and closes earlier than the rest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you wait until the last class, you’ll end up on the last train back to Harambe. After the class, the instructor encourages everyone to head back to the train. From my experience, the last train will not depart the station until everyone returns. (While this isn’t a terrible wait, guests will always lag behind, and the train won’t leave until they get the all-clear.)
This visit was on a Sunday afternoon, and I took the train up for the final class at 4:45 p.m. Crowds were mild that day, but our class was still nearly full. I chose to wait in the standby area. A few guests used Lightning Lane, so they were the first to be seated. Since they were seated first, they ended up in the front row near the artist. (Update: This attraction has been removed from the Lightning Lane selections as of this update. But it could return. However, we don’t necessarily think it warrants one.)
I also received seating in the front row but wasn’t near the artist. Thankfully, multiple screens show the artist and their instructions in front of each area, so seating isn’t necessarily a big deal. Here is an example of the setup from where I was seated.
Before you get seated, you will pick up a piece of paper and a pencil.
Clipboards are placed in each seat. So when you get to your seat, you’ll attach the paper.
Note that the overall shape of the drawing is already on the paper. This will help you get started.
It usually doesn’t take long to get everyone seated.
Then, the Animator introduces themselves to the audience and tells the story of how Walt Disney got involved with animation. They then play a small film before you start to draw. Below is an example of how Walt and his artists studied real deer in order to create the animated film, Bambi.
As always, Disney does a good job of tying in information about conservation and their work to help.
The narration then changes to the character you’ll be working on for that class. For this class, we drew Piglet.
When I arrived at the Animation Experience, I wasn’t hopeful for any character. However, I was a little surprised that we were drawing Piglet. Piglet’s character didn’t necessarily seem to fit the theme of the Animal Kingdom. Boy, was I wrong! As someone who adores Winnie the Pooh, this was one of my favorite classes.
Our Animator was not only an excellent instructor, but she knew all about A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh books. She provided an incredible backstory about the character and tied it back to animation and pigs. So, as she drew and provided tips for sketching, she somehow managed to provide unexpected edutainment.
Here’s how my Piglet turned out.
The sketch drawings initially included characters like Simba, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa. Then, a few Disney villains, like Scar from The Lion King, were added to the mix. On another visit, we learned about conservation and elephants.
You can only imagine what character we ended up drawing.
As you can see below, some of us have a little more imagination than others.
On our last visit, we drew Donald Duck. During this visit, I sat by a lovely young guest who helped me with a few photos before and after the class. She didn’t leave after the class because she was staying for the next class. After talking for a few minutes, she explained that she had already attended several classes that very day. For each one, they had drawn a different character. I have never drawn the same character twice at the Animation Experience. But I always assumed that they drew the same character in each class. So, if you’re interested in attending a couple of classes, you might ask a cast member about the scheduled drawings for that day.
The Resorts Gal Spin on The Animation Experience
We give this one the green light! Overall, the Animation Experience at Conservation Station is a must-do for our family. It’s one of the reasons I love Disney’s Animal Kingdom so much. Sometimes, this kind of experience will open your eyes to new hobbies or talents that your children could greatly benefit from exploring. We live in a very busy world, and sometimes, it takes a vacation to see these kinds of things loud and clear.
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
So, if you are in the area, stop in for a drawing. If it doesn’t turn out great, you will still have a souvenir or a fun laugh. For more attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you might enjoy a few of our other favorites:
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
- Discovery Island Trails
- Pandora, World of Avatar Guide
You might also enjoy browsing some of our reviews of Disney World Hotels. Here are a few of our favorite options near Animal Kingdom:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Review
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Review
- Gran Destino Tower Review
- Disney’s All-Star Music Review
In the comments:
Have you ever visited The Animation Experience at Conservation Station? Who would you love to draw?
