Pioneering Animation

In the galleries, students encounter Audio-Animatronics, a technology first invented by WED Enterprises during the early 1960s. As a forerunner to contemporary robotics, the Audio-Animatronics technology inspires students to apply critical thinking skills during this hands-on workshop.

In the galleries, students discover the importance of storytelling in animation by engaging in interactive activities focused on the concepts of character, setting, and plot. In the Learning Center, they will illustrate and animate a story using a zoetrope, a device that produces the illusion of motion in a sequence of drawings.

In the galleries, students step into Walt’s shoes, using their imaginations as they discover exciting moments in his life and the history of animation. In the Learning Center, students star in their own short animated movie using an engaging stop-motion technique called “pixilation” to gain a hands-on understanding of the animation process.

In the galleries, students discover the importance of storytelling in animation by engaging in interactive activities focused on the concepts of character, setting, and plot. In the Learning Center, they work collaboratively to create a polished storyboard that illustrates the key components of a story.

In the galleries, students discover how Walt encouraged his staff to experiment with special effects to make animation more interesting and realistic, and how the resulting advancements in technology enhanced Disney animation and inspired the industry as a whole. In the Learning Center, students experiment with a Multiplane Camera, explore how depth is created in animation, and create their own digital short films.

On this tour, our littlest students learn all about the importance of color in animation. In the galleries, children explore how color is used as a form of storytelling to set the mood of animated movies. In the Learning Center, they enjoy story time and create their own color scripts to gain a hands-on understanding of how colors can help tell a story.

School groups are welcome to explore the museum’s galleries on their own at a discounted school rate. Self-guided school groups have access to the museum’s core galleries, special exhibitions, and film screenings. Be sure to pick up a STEAM Self-Guide handout for each student to use while touring the core galleries.