Fun Find Friday
July 11, 2014
Location: Magic of Disney
Animation, Disney's Hollywood Studios
In 1992 my family and I visited
Disney-MGM Studios and one of my favorite
sections was walking through the Magic of Disney
Animation. I'll never forget seeing backgrounds
for The Lion King being drawn by actual
animators as my dad pointed out to me I should
remember those scenes in the background since I
would see it at some point in the future. Sure
enough, two years later I realized that the
background for the film was none other than
Pride Rock itself.
While guests can't see actual
Disney films being created before their eyes
during their visits to the Magic of Disney
Animation today, there is still a nod to the
days of the past found in the Animation Academy.
In the front left corner of the room, guests can
find a desk filled with various pictures of
different Disney characters. One of the
characters, however, may not seem too familiar
to guests who didn't visit in the early 1990s:

Along with the opportunity to
watch various Disney films being created before
our eyes, guests were also shown a short film
known as Back to Neverland. The film featured
Walter Cronkite teaching Robin Williams how
animated films are created. When Robin expresses
interest for Peter Pan, Walter decides he will
turn Robin into a lost boy for a brand new film
where Lost Boy Robin fights Captain Hook and the
crocodile.
Guests then watch the entire
process of Robin providing his voice, to the
development of the character, and eventually to
watching the short film play out before their
eyes. While the show has unfortunately
disappeared throughout the years, the character
of Lost Boy Robin can still be found in the
Animation Academy on the corkboard shown above!

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