Animating the Springs: Animator’s Class at Disney’s Saratoga Springs
Did you know that Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort has a hidden gem of an activity that’s fun for the whole family? They have a weekly Animator’s Class held in their Community Hall! Currently, the only other location in Disney where guests have the opportunity to draw along with an animator is at The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. That makes this animation class at Saratoga Springs a great alternative for anyone looking for an activity that doesn’t require an expensive park ticket!
This class is popular, so it’s best to call the Saratoga Springs Community Hall and make a reservation in advance. You can reach the Saratoga Springs Community Hall at (407) 827-4589. However, they do accept walk-ins as long as they still have seats left, so it’s worth stopping by and asking if you can still get in if you decide to join in at the last minute. The Animator’s Class costs $20.00 per person and includes 1.5 hours of instruction and an exclusive Disney trading pin. Considering that many trading pins cost $20.00 alone, this is a pretty good deal!
While any age is allowed to participate, this class is geared toward older kids and adults. It’s more in-depth than the one you’ll find in Animal Kingdom and really focused on honing your animation skills and learning specific animation techniques. You’ll want to show up 15-20 minutes early if possible, so you can get the best seats. For some reason, there are only two adult-height tables, so if you’re not early, you’ll be stuck sitting at one of the kid-sized tables. Guests will typically be asked to share tables with other parties. It’s a very welcoming space with cheerful colors, the lights nicely dimmed, and soft, classical renditions of Disney music playing in the background.
Once you’ve paid and chosen a seat, a Cast Member will bring you a few sheets of very nice sketchbook paper, a pencil, and an eraser. As the class began, they closed off our room with a privacy curtain which kept our space quiet and undisturbed by other guests who were enjoying activities in other areas of the Community Hall. Our class was taught by Julia, who introduced herself as part of the Recreation Team at Saratoga Springs. She said that while she works as a Recreation Team Cast Member most days, she had the opportunity to attend the same training course that the animators at The Animator’s Experience at Conservation Station attend, so she’s able to host this Animator’s Class at Saratoga Springs. This is currently the only Animator’s Class that happens at a Disney resort - she mentioned that Disney’s Art of Animation Resort used to offer this as well, but it has not returned to that resort since the COVID closure.
During the class, you’ll draw three different classic Disney characters - for this class, we drew Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Daisy Duck. You’ll start with a blank page (no guidelines). Since you have plenty of time, you’re encouraged to erase whenever you’d like to, although it’s not necessary. Julia started out every sketch without telling us which character we were drawing, and let us try to figure it out as we went along - that added some fun to the class and the moment we figured out each one was exciting!
The characters progressed in order of difficulty, so we started with the easiest and then learned additional techniques for each new character after that. She was very encouraging, welcomed questions, and made sure everyone was able to easily follow along. Julia explained concepts like perspective, proportion, and all the little details that are particular to each character. She shared a lot of little facts about Disney animation. Have you ever noticed that Disney uses rounded shapes to show good characters, whereas villains are generally drawn in a very angular way with lots of sharp points? And she helped us really grasp how much work went into making an entire animated film - with 24 drawings per second of film, and us having just taken 30 minutes to finish one drawing in class, it really sinks in what an incredible accomplishment each animated film is!
As the class ended, we were asked to show our drawings to the class if we’d like to, and then a Cast Member presented each of us with a special Disney trading pin that features Rapunzel, Maximus, and Pascal with Saratoga Springs in the background and is exclusive to Animator’s Class participants.
If you or anyone in your family enjoys drawing, this is a very interesting class and it’s well worth your time to venture over to the beautiful Saratoga Springs Resort. It’s a great chance to learn more about animation and it’s a wonderful activity to do on a resort-only day. And if you happen to be at Disney Springs for lunch, there’s a convenient boat from Disney Springs to Saratoga Springs, so you can hop right over after lunch and spend some time drawing your favorite characters!
Animator’s Class | Wednesdays from 2:00-3:30 PM | Saratoga Springs Community Hall
*Activity dates and times listed here were accurate at the time this review was published. Resort activities and activity schedules may change month-to-month, so be sure to check the current Saratoga Springs Recreation Calendar for updated times/dates when making plans to participate.
