The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (165 page)

The
Animator
welcomes Guests and tells them to be sure they each have a clipboard and a pencil.  There’s a reason, the
Animator
explains, that the pencils have no erasers.  This session will be about imagination and having fun–
not
perfection.  Guests should draw light lines and only darken lines once they’re happy with them.  The idea is to relax, learn, and have a good time.

After giving Guests a clue and bit of trivia about which
Disney
character they’ll be drawing, the
Animator
asks if anyone in the audience can guess who it is.  Guests at these sessions seem to be fairly dedicated
Disney
fans, and someone always guesses right.

The
Animator
sits down at the work desk and begins sketching.  Every pencil mark he or she makes is projected on a large screen mounted above the stage.  Thus Guests can watch exactly what the
Animator
is drawing, step by step.  The
Animator
also delivers a running commentary on what’s being sketched, with helpful tips.  Guests who tend to learn better by listening than watching can follow the
Animator
’s verbal commentary.

Within ten minutes, the
Animator
has drawn the head and face of
Mickey
or
Minnie
or
Goofy
or
Pluto
or
Tigger
or
Jack Skellington
–one of the popular
Disney
characters.  And so have all the Guests, with varying results.  Guests are invited to hold up their drawings so that the
Animator
and the other Guests can see them.  The
Animator
compliments the group on their work.

Sometimes
a Type A child–or even adult–can be heard murmuring self-critically to himself or herself during and after the drawing session.  One little girl seated near me actually started quietly crying, she was so frustrated with her drawing, and her mother had to comfort her.

The
Animation Academy
holds sessions every half hour, teaching Guests how to draw a different
Disney
character at each session throughout the day.  Guests are welcome to return to the
Academy
as often as they like.

After everyone has shared their
sketch with the group, they can take their drawing, gather up their belongings, and head to the right and up the exit staircase.  It can sometimes be a confused press as people slowly collect their drawings, possessions, and kids and make their way up the steps and into the exit hallway.  Be prepared to be patient.  The hallway leads you into the
Character Close-Up
area and from there back into the central
Courtyard Gallery
.

Most children are naturally imaginative, and many adults too, and this pleasant, interesting art class is a lovely environment in which to tap one’s creative wellspring.  I highly recommend this attraction; build it into your itinerary if you have the time.  If your children or someone in your party is interested in art, it’s an absolute must.  For Guests on a tight budget, the drawings make beautiful and free souvenirs, whether for you or as a gift for loved one
s back home.  If you’ll be at
DCA
for a couple of days, be sure to return at least once; you’ll be pleased at how much your drawing improves–and how much you’ll relax and have fun–the more often you visit the
Animation Academy
.

Character Close-Up

[
FastView:
 
The zoetrope is the star of these displays.
]

This section of the
Disney Animation
building is a setting for exhibits and character meetings.  At their own pace, Guests navigate the small exhibit area and view drafts, sketches, illustrations, and models of
Disney
characters, from their origins to their finished design.  Aspiring animators will find the character development process fascinating.

There are also periodic
Disney
character meet-and-greets–
Sorcerer Mickey
, for example, might drop by–and special displays like the large
Toy Story
zoetrope
.  A
zoetrope
is a series of 3D character models in different poses fastened to a turntable.  When the turntable is spun, and the
zoetrope
is hit with flickering strobe lights, the models appear to move–to be animated.  It’s an amazing effect that you have to see to believe, and another method, beyond ink-and-paper or computer graphics, for animating characters.

The
Toy Story zoetrope
features parachuting
Green Army Men
, a waving
Little Green Man
, a galloping
Bullseye
, and much more.  Take the time to view it, especially if you have kids in your group interested in art, sculpture, and animation.

Sorcerer’s Workshop

[
FastView:
 
Draw your own animated cartoon, find your inner
Disney
character in
Beast’s Library
, and voice a character in an animated
Disney
film when you visit
Ursula’s Grotto
.  Something for everyone in the group.
]

The
Sorcerer’s Workshop
is a layered treat, with three linked sub-attractions.

Guests first enter
the
Sorcerer’s Workshop
, where music from
Fantasia
plays. 
Fantasia
is the 1940
Disney
film in which
Mickey
first donned that famous sorcerer’s cap, playing the apprentice to a sorcerer named
Yensid
(that’s
Disney
spelled backward).

In one of the most striking and darkly comic segments of
Fantasia
, apprentice
Mickey
unlocks magic that he’s not yet ready to handle.  He learns there aren’t any shortcuts when he casts a spell commanding his mop wash the floor solo; the spell backfires, and the apprentice is beset by an army of mops.  Moral of the story:  Don’t shirk your work, and don’t cut corners.

Disney
magic
is a potent and intriguing force, and in the
Disney
canon is often seen as a metaphor for the power of creative imagination.  That’s why the
Imagineers
’ symbol is the
Sorcerer
Mickey
hat
.  When skillfully used, creative
magic
is a good thing.

Guests are encouraged to unlock their inner imagination in this workshop, where they draw characters
or objects on long strips of paper, and then place the papers in revolving drums.  When the drums are spun Guests peer through the drum’s slots or gaze into their mirrors and see the characters or objects that they drew move like mini motion pictures!

Guests of all ages interested in animation will have a ball drawing and spinning their creations.
  Simple subjects–a flower that grows, a child that jumps, a leaf that falls–make for the best results, but kids will have a blast no matter what they draw.  (Note to parents:  These are heavy, slotted drums; make sure your kids stand back from them at a safe distance while the drums spin.)

There’s no time limit in this area; Guests can spend as long as they want drawing and spinning
(animating) their artwork.  If it’s a crowded day, however, be considerate of other Guests; don’t “hog” the paper, pencils, and equipment.  Cast Members appear periodically to replenish supplies and answer questions, but this is mainly a self-guided and self-paced attraction.

The
Sorcerer’s Workshop
is a pretty space.  The walls are rendered in the caramel-stained palette of old parchment, and warmly if dimly lit by intriguingly shaped crystal lamps in muted jewel tones.  During peak days, there might be a bit of a wait for the drawing tables and the drums, but Guests can pass the time by savoring the atmosphere.

Along the south wall are samples of simple
Disney
character animations like
Dumbo
flapping his ears so he can fly.  These examples are spaced at different heights so that Guests of all ages can view at least one of them.  Guests activate the animation samples by manually turning dials.

Periodically the large mirror hanging on the west wall flickers to life.  It’s a replica of the
Magic Mirror
owned by the
Evil Queen
in
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
.  The spirit of the mirror appears and tells Guests of the wonders that await them in the adjacent chambers.

The
Sorcerer’s Workshop
flows into a lovely replica of
Beast’s Library
.  Shelves of books rise thirteen rows high to the distant ceiling.  An animated fire burns in the hearth.  On the mantle, enclosed in a glass bell jar, is
Beast
’s magic rose, and above the fireplace is a portrait of the prince before his beastly transformation.

Periodically thunder booms and lightning crackle
s!  The lights in the room flicker and the fire in the hearth is extinguished.  The petals of the rose wither, and savage claw marks slash the prince’s portrait.  It’s an excellent effects sequence that instantly submerges Guests, especially
Beauty and the Beast
fans, in the film.  (Take note, however, that toddlers in your party might be a bit scared of these effects, and might need to be reassured that it’s all fun pretend.)

A
couple of minutes later the lights, fire, rose, and portrait will all return to their normal, cheerful state.

Beyond being an immersive
Beauty and the Beast
environment, the
Library
offers interactive computer screens in the shape of fairy tale books.  An animated
Lumiere
, the candelabra from
Beauty and the Beast
, guides Guests through a series of questions, aided by
Cogswell
, the endearingly fussy animated clock.

Based on the answers Guests provide via touch screen,
Lumiere
and
Cogswell
will reveal which
Disney
hero or heroine, villain or villainess the Guests most resemble.  It’s fun, often funny, and sometimes surprising.  According to the quiz, the
Disney
heroine my niece most resembles is
Belle
, the bookish beauty who becomes a princess.

The author
?  Several years ago, the result was that I resembled
Disney
heroine
Lady
, the pampered cocker spaniel of
Disney
’s 1955 animated feature
Lady and the Tramp
.  As a villainess I most closely evoked
Lady Tremaine
, otherwise known as
Cinderella
’s evil stepmother.  But I must be answering the questions differently these days;
Lumiere
reports that as a heroine, I channel
Mulan
, and as a villainess I resemble none other than ultimate evil badness (“Boo!”  “Hiss!”)
Maleficent
!

If you visit during a weekend, summer day
, or holiday, expect a crowd in this room and be prepared to wait patiently for your turn to use an interactive book.  On weekdays and off-season the library is practically deserted.

A recent refurbishment to the interactive book’s interface has made it smoother and more user-friendly.  All in all, the author strongly recommends a brief visit here.

Beast’s Library
flows into
Ursula’s Grotto
, an eerily beautiful recreation of the sea witch’s lair in
The Little Mermaid
,
Disney
’s 1989 animated hit that ushered in
Disney
’s new golden age of animation.  The undulating chamber with its sculpted undersea formations and flickering, watery lights gives Guests a startling impression of being underwater.

Ursula’s Grotto
is riddled with dim nooks where Guests find interactive touch screens.  Tap one, and villainess
Ursula
appears on a larger screen on the wall.  She offers to take your voice and put it into a
Disney
film.  Guests decide whether they want to act or sing, and then choose from a number of scenarios and films that include
Bambi
,
Beauty and the Beast
, and
Aladdin
, and decide who is going to voice each character in the scene.  (Guests with a touch of stage fright should note that each nook is relatively distant from the others, affording some privacy for the recording session.)