What should you know?

Disney characterizes Animator’s Palate’s cuisine as “Pacific Rim/American,” but the vast majority of the menu is standard fare you’d find at any American chain restaurant. There are probably as many Italian selections – pasta, risotto, focaccia – as Asian. A handful of menu items, such as the vegetable stir-fry, have origins in the east; others are standard dishes garnished with a culinary kimono of sesame, ginger or teriyaki sauce to make them “Pacific Rim.” The food isn’t bad – again, it’s more like any American chain restaurant – but neither is it Asian.

Animator's Palate before the 2013 Magic refurbishment.
Photo courtesy of wojPhotography.com.

Another view of Animator's Palate.
Photo courtesy of Jon Fiedler and Dan Brace.

What’s it like inside?

The idea behind Animator’s Palate is that you begin dining inside an old-fashioned black and white animated film, which is slowly colorized as dinner goes along. The entrance’s walls are decorated with black charcoal sketches of various Disney characters. Inside, the entire color scheme starts out in black, white and gray from floor to ceiling, including checkerboard tile floor, black chairs, white tablecloths with black napkins, and black and white uniforms for the waitstaff. Even the ship’s support columns are dressed up, in this case as white artist brushes pointed to the ceiling.

Along the outside wall are video monitors which display images and “how to draw” sketches from Disney films. As the evening progresses, you’ll notice bits of color being added to the walls and artwork, eventually becoming fully saturated by the end of your meal.

Animator’s Palate features the Animation Magic dinner show that debuted on the Fantasy. At the beginning of your first night’s dinner at Animator’s Palate, you’re given a sheet of paper and crayon, and told to draw a self-portrait. At the end of the evening, all of the diners’ self-portraits are shown in an animated cartoon similar to Disney’s 1929 short cartoon The Skeleton Dance. Kids typically get a real kick out of seeing their artwork quickly turned into animation. Be sure to have your camera ready to capture their reactions.

What are the specialties?

Vegetable stir-fry; Roasted garlic or red pepper dip with bread.