Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)||If you’re looking for a resort that screams Disney magic the second you walk in — Art of Animation is the one. From immersive theming to family-friendly features and easy Skyliner access, this resort brings the animation to life in every sense.||🎬 Theming That Delivers||Each section of the resort is a love letter to Disney and Pixar classics: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. As a cast member and longtime local, I’ve seen the magic up close — but even I found myself grinning like a kid walking through Radiator Springs. Every detail is spot-on, from the giant character statues to the themed music playing throughout the resort.||👨‍👩‍👦 Family-Friendly Rooms||We stayed in a Cars family suite, and it was perfect for our family of three (plus the occasional visiting grandparent). The suite had two bathrooms (a lifesaver with little ones), a separate bedroom, and plenty of room for everyone to stretch out. Bonus: The Murphy bed was surprisingly comfy!||🌊 Pools, Skyliner & More| • Big Blue Pool: Absolutely one of the best pools on Disney property. Kids loved the underwater music and splash area.| • Skyliner access: Game-changer! It makes getting to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios so easy and fun.| • Landscape of Flavors: Tons of quick-service options, including some better-than-expected international choices.||🪄 Magic in the Details||One of my favorite moments was early in the morning — coffee in hand, walking through the resort as the sun rose, with music from The Lion King softly playing in the background. These are the kinds of moments that stay with you.||💡 Cast Member Tip:| • Request a room close to transportation if you’re in The Little Mermaid section — it’s a bit of a walk otherwise.| • Keep your eyes open in the lobby — the walls are filled with early character sketches that are art nerd gold.||⸻||Would I stay again? In a heartbeat. Whether you’re a family with small kids, a Disney adult looking for great theming, or just want to feel like you’re in the heart of the magic without the Deluxe price tag — Art of Animation is a colorful, joyful, and memorable stay.||📸 Don’t forget to snap a pic with the giant Crush statue. It’s a rite of passage.

We reserved a double bed, little mermaid room and it was absolutely the cutest room ever! Just big enough for the four us! Very clean spaces, especially considering there are children of all ages everywhere, the grounds were very very well kept. I didn't personally care for the food options in the food court but they were available and convenient. The staff were so accommodating, truly a 10/10 for their customer service. I can't wait to plan our next trip and book another resort stay!

We got a great upgrade to a family suit! Our whole family loved it even my husband! Our favorite part of our whole trip to Disney was the hotel pools! We really had a blast everything was good from the food to the transportation. Our AC wasn't working the first day we called the second day and they sent someone right on up. The vent was just closed from the inside. This place is unimaginable the pictures you see on the internet do no justice.

My 5 year old daughter loved the little mermaid room and pool area. The food on location is pretty decent. Having the skyliner on the resort was great. If you have a little one, I highly suggest you have a stroller, because depending where you stay, you'll do a lot of walking from your room to the animation hall. We are a family of 3, and the room seemed small, but we didn't mind, because we were only in it , to shower and sleep. If you're looking for a more spacious room or a luxurious room, I wouldn't recommend staying here. Lastly , the front desk staff was very helpful, and the luggage service to our room was great.

We stayed in the Lion King, family suite, 1 queen, 1 murphy double bed, sofa double bed for 4 nights. Family of 4 adults, 6 year old, 4 year old, 1.5 year old. Pillows are not the best-too fluffy. They only provided bar soap. Curtains didn't close all the way and the sun peeked in and woke you up. Hair dryer wasn't the best; it wasn't very powerful. When showering, weak water pressure and there wasn't a flexible hand held shower. We requested more towels and it was brought up right away. Housekeeping is only available every other day. Basic accommodation provided. A bit tight in space for us. We had 2 strollers and a rental scooter. Children's pool was good. Splash pad was ok. Not a lot of water splashing. Landscape flavor menu selections were not the best for diabetics or healthy people. I purchased the refillable plastic cup. It was a great value but many times the fountain drinks didn't work or were very low, thereby affecting the flavour. Characters were not available till 9/930am or 3/330pm. I was disappointed, I didn't get any pictures with them. The gift shop at the resort didn't have any fridge magnets we were looking for. Sizes for kids Tshirts were out of stock. When staying at the resort, we used buses to go to other parks, shopping, skyliner were included.

Room size comfortable for my husband and I. Not a super lot of walking space inside the room, but plenty outdoor space to walk around. Campus is kid friendly. Five adults along with our granddaughters ages 8 and 5 enjoyed watching Stitch the movie outdoors on the campus one night and swimming and and our older granddaughter played some water games organized by a staff member in the larger pool area outside their cafeteria. They had other activities, but we did not participate in them, as we were visiting the various parks. The quality of food choices in the hotel cafeteria were tasty. Portion sizes can be large for some people though, so it is good that our room had a mini fridge. We were on a meal plan for the time of our stay. Worked out well for us. Our Little Mermaid themed room had ample space for my husband and I since we only went back to our rooms at night to sleep. During the day and into to evening we spent the majority of our time in the various parks making use of buses, monorail, skylift and boat to move about. This trip also included LOTS of walking inside the parks and around other hotel campuses (to check them out). We went to and enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon the first day we arrived. Granddaughters (and us adults) had a lot of fun. SIDE NOTE: Obviously, there are other hotels closer to the parks to stay at, but that usually means higher prices for this convenience. We all did go to a character breakfast at The Polynesian Hotel and my husband and I went back to check out the Caribbean Beach Resort, since we stayed there on our honeymoon. Our granddaughters did well for their ages and with so much walking too. We did have their stroller with us, which helped move them around hotel campus and inside the parks.

What an amazing experience! The room was great with a phenomenal view of the pool. My dogs felt welcome, staff was wonderful.. Awesome Experience. The young man that checked me deserves a raise and a promotion. He was wonderful and very accommodation. The young ladies at the braiding shop were so sweet and kind. Thanks, Disney AOA

We stayed here for 6 nights recently. Theming throughout the hotel is AMAZING! |Hotel didn’t seem that busy considering it was peak season. You could always get a table to eat or space at the pool. |Restaurant food was good, but choice could have been greater. Also very loud!! |Rooms were very clean and had everything you could need. Beds weren’t huge for 2 adults and 3 teenagers though!! Quite a squeeze in the room with suitcases as well. |Everything worked seamlessly and great service. Would recommend.

Recently was given the opportunity to stay in the Art of Animation Resort, for a quick jaunt at Disney World. This one is right of the highway which is really great as the ride to and from the airport wasn't too extensive. There is a shuttle, but we ended up just ubering. Something to note! If you're not great with heights and are planning to go to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, be aware that there are no Disney-owned shuttles that will take you to parks. You can order a rideshare or plan to take the Skyliner, which is a gondola that takes you via sky to those two parks. For any other park or Disney Springs, there are buses you can take. The resort itself is HUGE and is split into four parts: Cars, Little Mermaid, FInding Nemo, and Lion King. We stayed in the Cars part of the park, but all four have giant statues of the characters from each film and have theming and landmarks from each of them as well. Being in the Cars section, we were basically in the desert of the movie. The rooms, as expected, follow this trend. Our room was very cute, and because there were five of us, we were put in the family suite which had a queen-sized bed in the bedroom with a connecting bathroom, a pull-down bed above the dining table, and a pull-out bed from the couch in the living room/kitchenette area. We also had a second bathroom. It was roomy and decorated to the tee with Cars theming which was CUTE! We were able to check-in super quickly and easily, with the cast members at guest services moving the neverending line as efficiently as possible. Notably, the line doesn't feel as long due to their efforts but also because of the breadth of the main area of the resort. The walls are adorned with sketches from the four films the resort centers on and show the process of animating each of them. It's fascinating. The resort's shop has so much merch and even some food/medical options, which is appreciated. There's an arcade in this building as well as the cafeteria, which actually had pretty decent options and decent pricing. There are 3 pools on the property with the largest pool at any resort being in the Nemo part, right next to the main building. All in all a great experience, but if you're looking for something above and beyond and perhaps looking for a resort with an adults-only area OR an actual restaurant this is not it. There are kids everywhere, which like it's a Disney resort LOL this should be expected. Anyway, probably would stay somewhere else next time, especially because the forced Skyliner wasn't my most favorite thing and the food wasn't everything.

We took a quick family trip down to Florida and decided to stay on Disney property after hearing so many good things about it. We landed on the Art of Animation resort which was pretty great! This review is just about the resort minus the food, I'll do a separate review for Landscape of Flavors. I'll start with the room since I don't have any good photos of that. We were in a Cars room which worked perfectly with our son. He loved the room and even though he's still pretty young, he seemed to enjoy all of the decor and theming. We did too and it was a great room since the couch and table could also fold out into beds if we needed them. We even had a small kitchenette in the room too which was great for snacks, coffee and rinsing out cups. Be warned though, like any hotel, the walls are a little thin and you can definitely hear people above, below, and next to you. The resort itself was HUGE. So many buildings and each section had it's own theme. The real hit of the trip was the Big Blue Pool and splash pad. Our son loved it and loved the Finding Nemo theming. I enjoyed the Cars (Radiator Springs) theme. It was a little quieter and the pool in that area was a little more relaxed than the big pool. Definitely the spot for parents and childless adults to hang out. Another cool part of the resort was the SkyLiner system. It was great having the gondolas take us to different places rather than riding a bus or calling a Lyft. The lines were sometimes a little long but moved quick and it was so cool. Not your average way to commute from place to place. Overall, our stay was great. This is a great resort for those with little ones or people who just want something fun and Disney themed to relax at before and after going to the parks.

Have stayed at this hotel 7x and it's always a hit -- from the cleanliness of the rooms to the common areas, and the grounds. Another convenient thing is having the Skyliner there to go to Epcot / Hollywood Studios. The pools are beautiful, specially the Big Blue Pool (Nemo). The food at the cafeteria is good too but I'd stay away from the Mongolian Beef (2 people in my group ate it and got food poisoning). Overall, 4/5 stars and would keep going back here vs. Pop Century across.

I didn't think I'd be that impressed with this budget Disney hotel but it wasn't too bad. It's pretty spread out so there is a lot of walking to get from one end to the other. I like that you can access the skyliner and also the buses to get to the parks. The rooms were a lot smaller and tighter than we expected but you don't spend too much time in the room so it was ok. Clean and well maintained grounds!

There's nothing Disney doesn't think of. What a great display of characters between buildings & every wall. The main hall with food has everything you need. The place is spotless. For my first ever disney resort, I would give it 10 stars!

This was my first time staying on Disney resorts. We heard great things about Art of Animation and chose the Lion King suite. It was a bit more pricey than the Little Mermaid or Cars, but still cheaper than the Finding Nemo rooms. The reason for the higher cost is that it's closer to the big finding nemo pool and cafeteria, and the skyliner that takes you to Epcot. My friends who stayed at Little Mermaid had to walk a lot further whenever they needed food or hit up the big sized pool. At first, I wasn't impressed and didn't think it was worth staying there. However, I found the ease of traveling to the parks and getting early access to the virtual queues for the park's rides were convenient and well worth that extra cost. Buses at the resort took us straight to the front of the park for both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. The skyliner took us to Epcot in about 20 minutes and we didn't have to look for parking or anything. Virtual Queues opened up for resort guests at 7am, so we were able to ride some of those popular rides such as flight of passage and Guardians of the Galaxy for free. The resorts food wasn't great, and at most time I felt were overly salted. We got food from outside of the resort at every opportunity we had, but on days we went to the parks we settled for the cafeteria food. My youngest daughter has a dairy and egg allergy, and the resort has allergy friendly meals that you can order. They also separated the orders into different bags when you do pick up. Disney handles meal allergies very well and I love that. Parking was not an issue on the resort. There are plenty of spots everywhere and luckily for us, our room wasn't too far from the hotel buildings entrance. The pool is huge and there were a lot of people there, but it didn't feel like anyone was on top of each other. It was also very clean and they have a lot of lifeguards on duty. There are also 2 smaller pools on the resort, one at Cars and one at Little Mermaid. They are much quieter but very small, but if you just want to take a dip and relax, they were perfectly fine if you don't want to walk to the bigger pool every single day. The beauty of Art of Animation is, well, the art. There's beautiful art everywhere in the resort that showcases how they sketch each of the Disney films. They had a booth that sketches you as a animation which will run you $40. I thought it was really neat, and did that for both of my daughters. The booth is in the main lobby. All of the disney crew members are extremely magical/friendly/helpful etc. everything you would expect from a Disney property. Make sure you have your kids look for Nala in their poster hunt everyday. They hide her around the resort, usually around the giftshop or cafeteria. If you take a selfie with her and show the people at the front desk, you'll get a pin, and some paw stickers each additional days you stay at the park to put on that pin. Our suite, Lion King themed. I wasn't wowed by it but it was nice and the kids loved it. With the suite, you get 2 pull out beds, 1 Queen bed, 2 bathrooms and a sink, microwave, mini fridge. There were wallpaper themes of Lion King in every room. From our window, we were able to see the character statues outside of Simba, Timon, and Pumba, and Mufasa. There are statues everywhere in the park and I loved that. We took a lot of pictures just by walking around before the pool. Overall, we loved our stay and loved the ease of getting to the parks. It wasn't a perfect resort by any means, but it's a value resort for a reason and I think it's a great way to enjoy Disney.

This is an awesome value hotel. Located across Disney's Pop Century and right on the Skyliner route. It's a large resort divided into different themes. The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Cars themed rooms make up the hotel. There's a great food court with all your standard offerings. A large gift shop and arcade. The rooms are what you would expect. Value style. Small but clean and comfortable. Having the Skyliner is a major plus when you visit the parks or just want to resort hop. You can't go wrong staying here based on location and value.

Wasn't sure what to expect when we booked this value resort, but it exceeded my expectations! The staff, from the front desk to housekeeping to the gift shop were great; very helpful in any way possible. Our Finding Nemo family suite was perfect for our family of four; it was clean and comfortable. The only reason I didn't give five stars is the cafeteria - the food is fine with lots of offerings, but....there was no one available to help first timers with the dining plan options; trying to get a gluten free meal was nearly impossible; and some of the people at the checkout lanes were not sure how to ring up our meals, and subsequently ended up having to go to the front desk to get dining credits restored. I'm sure they were all doing their best, but it was frustrating on those mornings where we were trying to eat and get to the parks. Having said that however, I would not hesitate to stay at this resort again.

This may have been my favorite of the value resorts we've stayed out. The staff is always super accommodating, professional and kind. We had a cars suite which, was so cozy and spacious. These resorts also have the monorails in the back. The ambiance inside was very cool which we really enjoyed. I can't wait to come back. There's lots of activities to do at the hotel as well you're in for a treat. Oh and they gave us a warm birthday welcoming.

Love! Love! Love! Art of Animation is our favorite Disney hotel. As locals, we do staycations often and my kids always ask to stay here. From the pool, to the themed rooms, and especially the Cars (movie) themed area with the cozy cones to sit in at the pool, it's truly a wonderful family resort.

If you're looking to spread out a little more as far as your accommodation, thus resort offers great family suites! We stayed in a Nemo family suite and it was wonderful because we had our own bedroom and in the separate main area there was a sofa bed and a neat Murphy bed that doubles as a table for 4. Another bonus was that the room had 2 full bathrooms, which makes it perfect if you have to get a bunch of people ready in the morning. The resort itself looks fun and perfect for young kids because of all the theming. The Sky Liner is accessible and can take you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. The resort has a great food court with many options for your quick service and snack needs, as well as a shop and arcade. We absolutely loved the space, the theming, and the convenience of having the Buses and Skyliner. Though our stay was great (we would definitely stay there again), the master bed was not as comfortable as other resorts on Disney property. The AC was too cold for us, and in the main area blows straight out at the sofa pull out bed. When we tried to set it from 62 to 68 or 70, the heater would kick in. We ended up giving up on it and doubling up on blankets. While the food court was great, we found that portions varied based on the person serving you. I stood next to a lady who ordered the exact thing, and she agreed that she got served way more. Despite all the little things, this is a great location if you're trying to stay on property but not pay deluxe resort prices. If you're looking to be situated close to the Sky Liner, be sure to snag a Nemo Family Suite as ilthe Sky Liner station is just outside that building.

My recent stay at the Walt Disney World hotel booked through AAA exceeded my expectations, especially considering it was the most budget-friendly option available. Despite arriving late at night, the reception was efficient, and the hotel was relatively quiet, allowing for a seamless check-in process. The cleanliness of the hotel was impressive, and the Pixar-themed atmosphere added a touch of magic to the experience, making guests feel like they've stepped into their favorite animated movie. The presence of a shop and cafeteria on-site provided convenience for guests looking to grab snacks or souvenirs without having to venture far. One of the highlights of the hotel was the Nemo-themed pool, which provided a fun and immersive experience for guests of all ages. Additionally, the Skyliner ride to the Walt Disney World parks added an extra layer of excitement to the trip, offering stunning views and convenient transportation. Overall, my stay at the Walt Disney World Art of Animation hotel was fantastic, providing excellent value for the price. From the cleanliness and atmosphere to the amenities and transportation options, it was a great base for exploring the magical world of Disney. I would highly recommend it to budget-conscious travelers looking for a memorable Disney experience.

Stayed here for a long weekend in the Little Mermaid room. It was so cute, and the theme was amazing. Also the whole resort was well done with theming. Our room was a long walk from the main lobby but that is typical for Disney! The resorts are so large. You can hop on the skyliner right from this resort and takes you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. I enjoyed this resort and would come back.

If you have little ones that are in absolute love with the Disney movie Cars, then this resort is for you. Not only is it super cute, but it's considered a budget resort but has all the bells and whistles you need for a trip to Disney for your little ones. Our family stayed in the one of the Cars suites and we absolutely loved how the wall bed also converted into a table that sat four. We also had a mini fridge and microwave. Although the suite could fit six, I would say that it comfortably fits four. I liked the convenience of having two bathrooms, one of them being a walk in shower and tub. When walking around the resort I loved that it had two themed pools and characters from cars such as Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally, and Doc all around the pool areas. My little ones absolutely loved this place so much that they kept calling it the "Lightning McQueen" hotel and they can't wait to go back.

Stayed here over the Thanksgiving holiday and was impressed with the level of detail for the children in the various sections of the resort. However, I was disappointed that the rooms are not cleaned daily. How can a Disney Resort not clean your room daily especially when staying at a resort for children. Their cleaning schedule is every other day in rooms where families and their children stay. I called and requested fresh towels and had my trash removed but for the price of these rooms, there should be towel and trash service without having to call and request it. I thought Disney properties would be on top of something as basic as towels and trash removal -- especially with little children. Other than that, the resort was well done with activities for the children to do. The pools and water areas were a lot of fun!

We stayed here for one week in March 2024. It was our teen daughter's first time ever at WDW and we wanted her to have the most magical experience. We booked the Little Mermaid standard room. That section of the resort happens to be the furthest away from the food court, lobby, and bus stops. It has a lovely pool and the view from our room was wonderful! We didn't use any of the pools this trip but promised ourselves we would for our next trip. The beds were a good size and comfortable. We loved the bathroom decor. The room was big enough for three of us to comfortably move around in and for my scooter to sit in the corner to be charged. There was a cute table to sit at if needed. We'd asked for a microwave in the room and it was there waiting for us when we arrived. Check In was easy as I used the early checkin method via their Disney App. The groceries we'd ordered ahead of time were ready for pickup at the concierge desk. They brought it to our room as I couldn't carry it all myself. We got the Dining plan. We found ordering our meals ahead of time on the Disney app was such a time saver. We'd order from our room, walk to the food court, and our meals would be ready to be picked up. No standing in line to order. We each got the Disney souvenir cup so we could get free refills. Next time we'll stay in the Finding Nemo section as it's nearest the food court and we won't have to walk the distance every time we want a snack or a drink refill. All in all, a very pleasant stay and I would highly recommend.

Pros: if you have little ones they will LOVE this hotel. From the themes, decor, animation, and pool themes. Complimentary shuttle to and from the parks and you have the skyliner!. Friendly service! Clean rooms. Cons: The rooms were outdated, AC wasn't working properly, and the floor of the ground was hard. No carpet. I don't know it was uncomfortable. So the room wasn't cozy. Themed! But not cozy. For a family the suites are great because it's spacious The food was horrible. We stayed at an off property resort and the food was amazing there. Lots of walking to your rooms, to the cafeteria. After, a long day at Disney. It was a lil taxing.

The room was tiny- barely enough room to walk around the beds. The bathroom was separated by a curtain. For 2 queens beds, there wasn't a ton of counter space to hold our stuff and put things down. Everything was decorated beautifully, being a Disney resort. But for the price of the room, I think the rooms need to be a little bigger. It's like they crammed as many rooms on one floor as possible. It was extremely cramped in there. The pool was large but it was so packed. There were kids playing rough in the pool and people drinking right at the pool and nobody told them otherwise. I was disappointed with the price point and the lack of service here.

Cutest resort ever. The theming throughout the entire resort is so well thought out and every detail is covered. Art of Animation falls under value resort and I disagree with this category. The suits cost more than the moderate resorts. Check in with a breeze as employees were stationed at each kiosk. We were even able to pay for an upgrade upon request which was great because it rained the entire time we were there and a Little mermaid room would have been entirely too small. We stayed in the car section the entire time. We did not wander off to Lion King or to little mermaid. We did utilize the skyliner to take a trip over to Caribbean Beach resort. Having the skyliner there was super fun with no wait! I'm planning another trip and will book another room here.

Lots of great options for meals. The chicken, pizza, and breakfast sandwiches are really good. You can also purchase a refillable collector cup which is a great option and will save you money in the long run. It's resort prices so it is expensive. Staff helpful and kind.

If you are planning a trip to Disney, utilize another resort to stay for your trip. This resort lists a check in time of 3pm and we have now waited until 4pm with no update of our room availability. When checking with guest services, they would only answer "a quick question" without waiting in the huge line again. I had already utilized the line on two other occasions and still had no answers after being advised they could assist me at the desk. I liked the prompt service and ambiance of the Polynesian resort much more than the Animation Resort.

This review is just for "walking around the property." I didn't actually stay here. If you have a down day during your Disney trip I would definitely suggest dropping by this resort and checking out the property. There is a large gift shop in the resort and all throughout the property on the outside they have very cool themed areas. There is a Little Mermaid pool area with giant statues of Ursula and Poseidon. There is a really cool area with The Lion King and the best part is probably The Cars themed area. It's like you are walking through the "real" Radiator springs. You can also take the free Skyliner (gondola) to the other connected Disney resorts

Was looking forward to staying here and we mainly chose it for the skyliner access to Epcot. Digital Checkin so we didn't even have to go to the desk. Got our digital key and went straight to our room. Rooms are just ok. Nothing special except pictures and theming. Very motel like. Pools and grounds were nice and well themed. Really liked the cars area. If you have young kids this place is great and you will enjoy it. Not sure if it is worth the price however.

My family stayed hete recently and had a lovely time. My brother is a cast member so we enjoyed our room for half off so can't even complain about the price. The family suite accommodate 4 of us very comfortably. suites are available in Cars, Lion King, and Finding Nemo themes, we stayed in the Cars section because it was the least jarring color palette for a group of adults. The primary bed and murphy bed where good, however the pull out couch was not the best. The noise level is not as bad as I anticipated. This is a great option for big parties if you want to stay on Disney property!

We enjoyed our time here. It's a value resort at Disney, so go knowing it's not the finest location on property - the rooms are smaller and not as nice as some of the more expensive resorts - but for a trip where you're likely not spending a lot of time in your room anyways, AoA hits the mark. Our room was clean, adorably themed, and we checked in/out online so never had to visit the front desk. As others have mentioned, the Little Mermaid rooms are the farthest away, but I thought it was a pleasant walk to the buses and skyliner. Overall a very cute, family and pet friendly resort. We would definitely stay again!

Came here for my sons birthday since he loves Cars and this made his wildest dreams come true. Going to net life size versions of characters is super fun and seeing the sketches is really cool too. Gift shop has some surprisingly good finds too that are not that overpriced. Food is about what I expected for family park. Average pizza, fried food and dessert but they also have some nice things like sesame chicken and pasta. Simple but gets the job done. Pizza slices are huge but basic. Dessert was probably the most interesting because of the aesthetic effort in the Nemo cake, key lime pie and lighting sundae. It's free to check out so it's a nice low budget day option if your kids are young. Park in Disney springs and easy bus ride over

I stayed at Art of Animation for a few days for a staycation with my husband (two adults) in the Little Mermaid section of the resort (standard king bed). I felt the need to post after reading some less than favorable reviews about the resort. ROOM (4.5/5): This is considered a value resort. The bed was comfortable and did the trick. The pillows (unlike other "value" resorts) were nice and fluffy - as opposed to being completely flattened. There was a lighter blanket, which I don't mind because I travel with a separate travel throw. The room was not extremely cold, but you can also adjust the thermostat if that is your liking. At the time this review was written, they were still using the H2O body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. (MY FAVORITE!) I didn't see any lotion, but I brought some from home. I could have requested some from the front desk. They are also currently servicing the room with housekeeping once every two days. However, if you need trash pick up, you can always dial the front desk. We were not in the room that much, so it didn't bother us. There is also a mini fridge but no microwave. I wondered if you needed one, if it could be rented/requested. Some people were complaining about the lack of closet/luggage space. There was plenty of space to store luggage under the bed, as well as around the room. I could see it being more of an issue if there is a party of four with two bags each, but that wasn't the case with us. We had a minor issue with the TV not working, but we called maintenance. It was fixed the same day. The one thing that bothered me was the built-in nightlight in the bathroom area (VERY bright and still shone through the privacy curtain separating the sink area and the bedroom). I tried stuffing a towel over it, which helped some but not entirely. If you are bothered by lights at night, bring an eye mask so you can have a dark room. Overall, this is a nicely maintained property, which does not have the frills of a moderate or deluxe resort at Disney. If you plan on spending the day at the park, it might be worth it to save the money and stay here (as opposed to another resort). NOTES: - I did not find the walk to be that bad between the Little Mermaid section and the main pool/food court/activities area. It took me about 7 minutes to walk over. If you don't want to walk or are otherwise unable to, there is the option to drive over and park. - Quick hop onto the Sky Liner for access to the other resorts, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. - The Art of Animation food court is one of the nicer ones for value resorts on property. Good variety of food. Separate review coming for just the food court.

This is by far the best Disney hotel I've seen so far. Kids of all ages would enjoy the decor and Disney related offerings here.

I loved this one it was so creative and really showed the creativity of walt Disney and It really sticks to playing the role of the 90s also I highly recommend getting the tie die cheesecake here!

We loved the family suite at Art of Animation! We had plenty of room for our group of 5 adults and we didn't have to have a full grown adult sleeping on a cot hanging on the wall like we have done at other Disney resorts. Having 2 bathrooms was icing on the cake. We will most definitely choose a similar room setup for our next trip!

I have no cons about this place and was absolutely blown away by the cleanliness and amenities for kiddos. We stayed for my son's 2nd birthday and I got an amazing deal because February is off season apparently. This resort is gigantic and I didn't see all of it and we stayed here Sunday to wed. They let us check in 800am Sunday and everything was pristine. Each section of rooms has a theme. We stayed in the Little Mermaid area and it had immense characters from the movie. There are literally thousands of photo opportunities . They have multiple pools which are heated and a splash pad. They also have a little playground. We had an absolutely wonderful time. I highly recommend If you have children under 7.

Very cute resort to walk around and see all the characters and take pics. The pools are fun and good size. Rooms are on the outside, we had a view of the parking lot. Walking area in the room was small and bathroom small too barely close the door. The ac we had to crank down and it was still hot at night. It reminds me of a quality inn. Nothing impressive but good for short term stay.

I have stayed at AllStars Movies, Music, Sports, POP Century and now Art of Animation....this was by far, our least favorite. The lobby, cafeteria, gift shop are all the same--no issues there. Our biggest complaint was the room and the DISTANCE to get there. CONS- - This is a HUGE resort. If you go with the standard room, you will be in the Little Mermaid section WAY in the back. This can take around 7-10 minutes from the lobby to your room. It is a distance after walking all day long. I will pay extra next time for a preferred, close room. - The two "queen" beds arent actually queen. The are more like Double beds and they are very high from the ground. I am not sure how children, elderly or short folks can get up there. -The rooms have 100% NO storage. None. Well, I take that back. There are 3 dresser drawers and some coat hangers. Pop Century as a nice shelf that doubles as a closet. - We requested a King bed and were put in an ADA room. This was not good. The bed was VERY short and there was a chair blocking most of the shower. I would not recommend requesting a King bed. We switched rooms immediately. PROS- -The Skyliner is shared with Pop Century. IF it is working during your stay, it is amazing!! - There is a full cafeteria where you can get everything you need! - The landscape is really nice with really great Disney statues and suck everywhere. Overall, we just prefer POP! It was nice to at least experience Art of Animation but we wouldn't stay here again.

This resort is a little confusing because it's considered a value resort, but it shouldn't be. The least expensive rooms, the Little Mermaid, are closer to the moderate resorts in price and the Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars suites are closer to the deluxe resorts in price. Like a value resort, it only has a quick service option, no table service restaurant, but unlike a value resort, it has an awesome pool in the Big Blue Pool. It's the single largest pool (at 308,527 gallons of water) at Disney. It's also zero entry, which is typically a deluxe resort feature. We stayed in a Little Mermaid room, which are the farthest from the lobby and feature pool. There was, however, a "quiet" pool right outside our door. The room wasn't bad, but it was value-resort sized, meaning small. But it was cute with the Little Mermaid theming. Out of all the value resorts at Disney, this one (in my opinion) has the best quick service restaurant. Art of Animation is also a Skyliner resort, which is a great option if you don't have a fear of heights. It's pretty quick to get to Epcot or Hollywood Studios via the Skyliner. But what I found rather odd is there's a sign at the Skyliner entrance saying you shouldn't ride it if you have a fear of heights, yet they don't provide bus service to Epcot or Hollywood Studios for those who can't ride the Skyliner. So that's something to think about before booking if you feel you won't be able to ride the Skyliner. All in all, it's a nice resort for the lower end of the Disney prices when it comes to resorts, but a bit too high for a value resort. And value resorts are the farthest from any of the parks, which is one of their main drawbacks. If I'm paying more, I want to be getting more. And location at Disney is everything. I'd stay here again, but only if we were doing a split stay and staying closer to a park for part of the stay. It's a good way to be able to afford the higher priced resorts offering a great location without breaking the budget, if you don't mind switching resorts mid-stay.

Enjoyed this stay more than I was expecting. The main reason you stay at Disney resorts are for the pools. We live in Tampa, so we will always have our car with us. That means I don't judge resorts based on transportation. The Skyliner looks fun, but I'm always nervous about rain and it shutting down. Therefore, we stuck to driving during this stay. We stayed in the Little Mermaid standard room, while our friends stayed in a Cars suite. Keep on the lookout for deals, our other friend got 30% off the Cars suite when Disney visa card was having a special. They got a steal on that suite and we would have opted for it if I was faster on booking. The deal ran out, so we ended up with a standard room, because I wasn't willing to pay $300 more a night for a suite. $100-$200 a night more is definitely worth it because of the amount of space you get, but not $300. There are three pools at this resort, but the one we went to was the Big Blue Pool (themed Finding Nemo). It is huge and the splashpad is super cute. Random fact, you have to stay 6 ft away from the pool if you have an alcoholic beverage. We bought margaritas from the poolside bar and then learned we couldn't go near the water. Thank goodness for friends who watched our children while we finished our drinks. (My husband hated his margarita btw, because they put orange juice in it. I liked my frozen strawberry margarita). The food court is a fast and easy way to grab a meal. They will pack your food to go if you are taking it back to the room. Definitely use mobile ordering, it is much quicker. You can order a large cheese pizza for $17, which was a great deal. I also randomly enjoyed the fries when we got my son his chicken tenders. They have a really cute Disney shop with Art of Animation themed souvenirs. I got a mug to commemorate our trip. Check in and check out is so easy on the Disney app. We never went to the front desk once. Parking is also super plentiful. Knowing how expensive other resorts are, this is a good option. I probably wouldn't go when it's hot, since most of the resort is outside, so you aren't walking in air conditioning, but it was perfect in September.

Adorable hotel decorum for the kids my girls 3 and 7 loved the little mermaid room. It was such a fun experience for them. It's Obviously going to be different selling points for adults , biggest plus as an adult would be location and the skyliner that takes you all over. The rooms are average the beds are comfy. The food was average. For the money and location I think this is a great choice especially if you have small kids. The Nemo pool was great plenty of space. Would recommend for smaller kids.

I wish I could give half stars and it would be 3.5 Here's the think it's a big resort that's my biggest issue. The lobby is nice the cafeteria is very good the grounds are well maintained. There are 3 pools It took us 12 minutes to walk from the lobby to our room. If you need to go from one side to the other it's an easy 20 min walk. The standard rooms are a little small. For 4 people. Not really any storage space for bags etc. and I guess they could be updated a little. As they were looking a limitless worn. I am told the suites are a lot bigger.

Moderate price resort (by Disney standards), still expensive. The atmosphere is fantastic, the facilities first rate. Definitely a family destination, kids love it. We are here for three nights with grandkids 7 & 10 and haven't been in any park yet and they are having the time of their lives. It's too hot for most activities, but swimming is perfect. The pool has areas for all age groups and 4 active and 3 passive guards. It's only 5' deep in the deepest part and little ones are able to walk in to the depth that they are comfortable at. There are life vests available for no charge and the non-swimmers love them. Well worth the cost for a fun family vacation.

There's a lot of good with this "budget" Disney resort option, including: - Awesome location, the Skyliner stop alone is worth staying here for (it makes it much easier to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios) - The rooms are very comfortable and the beds are good, including the surprisingly firm pullout couch - Great water pressure/showers - Big shop, arcade and food court option, the store and arcade in particular are nicely sized vs some other Disney properties - Swimming pool + splash park on the property - Rooms are clean and big and plenty of sleeping options (bed + Murphy bed + pullout sofa) - Helpful and courteous staff at all times (outside of the food court) A few things were meh: - The food quality at the food area was okay. It's not terrible but it's not something to write home about, but then again this isn't a premium property so the food wouldn't be upscale - The pool gets really crowded, it's not as big as I thought it would be - AC was kind of weird, it gets either really cold or if you tune it up to 70F the room would get stuffy as it wouldn't trigger very often - Parking was a little weird where we were, got to go into a side door to get in I still recommend this place as the ease of Skyliner transport and generally comfortable stay is worth the money overall

This is my favorite Disney World hotel! It has such a fun atmosphere. There are different themed sections with different themed rooms. There is The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. I've stayed in the Cars section and loved it! They have family suites at this resort. All the different themed swimming pools are fun too! Every night they do an outdoor movie which is so much fun! They have a really good food area here called Landscape of Flavors with yummy food options. You can get on the Disney Skyliner from this Reaort and it will take you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. I recommend staying here it's amazing!

We've stayed here three times. Cars & Lion King suites are cute. The Little Mermaid room will make it our last stay here. Zero storage (3 drawers). There's room for more storage but they went with a small dresser with half being the fridge. The curtain between the room and bathroom is pointless. It's the furthest from everything. Plan to do some extra walking to get to the main pool, main building, skyline, etc. The first bed is very close to the door, fall right into bed. We had a better experience at All Stars Movies & All Stars Music for less money.

This was our 2nd time staying at the Art of Animation Resort and we had a great time. The cast members really went out of their way to ensure we had a great time and we did! They were so courteous and helpful. Our kids enjoyed the spacious Big Blue Pool as well as the Cozy Cone Pool and the Little Mermaid pool. The character details all throughout the resort are what really made the experience memorable. The Cars area in particular is really special. We were also able to board the Skyliner directly from the property and visit other Disney properties and attractions, which provided a nice change of pace. I would definitely recommend staying here.

This is my first time at a Disney Resort. I have only been on the cruise. I expected far more for the price we paid. We had a suite and outside of a bigger room there were no perks. The floors are not carpeted, I prefer that and they were clean but there was a thick layer of dust in a lot of places. There is a lot of updated items in the rooms but they still have a ways to go. The pool was great but often hard to get a lounge chair. The store in the resort was stocked and had many options. The playground and yard games were a great addition although I think more yard games would be wonderful. Front desk was helpful and the characters that visited were fantastic. I just feel like for the price we pay the rooms could use some more perks like better coffee machines, less dust and maybe some bottled water for that first day.

Very cute resort. We stayed in the Lion King family suite and was worth every penny. My husband and I had our own room with en suit bathroom while the kids had plenty of room to sleep in the living area with bathroom. After a full day of park walking and kids fighting you need space away from the kiddos (Just being real). We found that the restaurant downstairs was just as good and cheaper than the restaurants at the parks so we ate downstairs alot. We bought the free refillable cups which made life easy. The resort pool was great and the kids enjoyed the mini arcade. Staff is very friendly and always available to help. Love the busses that take you straight to the parks.

stayed here for a couple of days pre & post disney cruise. the resort is large & there are no trolleys or anything to take you around the resort. I had a sprained ankle and our room was a long walk to the back end of the resort. if you have mobility issues, do not stay here. the food hall reminds me of yucky school cafeteria food if you have to stay here, don't stay for more than a couple of days

First timer at this resort and being from Hawaii it was worth it. As a family as 5 we loved the Car's theme the space we had great transportation to the park's everything was just so convenient and of course all staff members absolutely helpful and friendly.

The food here is terrible. Basically the same food as the other resorts, but just terrible service, and the food was terrible. The food court staff has no idea what they're doing. 3 people working the ice cream counter, but only taking one order at a time. Not very smooth at all. Don't come here!

Room in Nemo was filthy. Janitorial staff hastily pushed their cart past me and my Goddaughter giving us very little room to squeeze through while I was wheeling her wheelchair to our hotel room. Had cupcakes sent to the resort by a friend out of state and although she called bell services asking if they would be delivered to the room and bell services confirmed that they would and such was standard protocol. They did not. Overall customer service at the parks is not what it used to be. Very sad. Paying your employees better wages (which they can absolutely afford with overinflated ticket prices) might solve this, but overall it is probably a culture/management problem.

Location is good. Food is okay. Nothing to go to the food area for something particular Transportation is better than most because of Skyliner access. Issue was the room. Upon entry it still had used towels and trash in it from previous guest. Cast members at the front desk didn't really seem to care. But in short that is overall the Disney ethos at this point. The days of getting the "Disney experience" are no longer there. In a side note I was told that from a rep of the Disney Vacation Club that the DVC was meant for people who "love Disney and if you can't justify the cost you don't love Disney". I took offense to that being I was going to Disney at least twice a year. It's too bad that Disney is no longer the place people would go to because the service and treatment was unmatched.