

Art of Animation
At the higher end of the value resorts, you’ll find Art of Animation. With the most intricate theming of the value resorts, this is sure to be a favorite for a lot of people. From the Cars section, with a life size Lightning McQueen, to the Big Blue Finding Nemo pool, you’ll love walking around and looking at all the little, or giant, details. The resort is located in World Wide of Sports area and the closest theme park is Hollywood Studios. It shares its home on Hourglass Lake with Pop Century, my favorite value (review here). This is a great value if you stay in the Little Mermaid section and want to spend a little more time at the resort. The multiple pools have a lot to offer and there is a small splash area and themed playgrounds for the littles. Not to mention, all the theming elements make for great photo ops.
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Art of Animation is a great option year round and does not really do anything special for the holidays. It is also not used as a convention resort, like the All-Stars, so you will not be competing with sports teams or dance squads. As with the other values, the corridors in the Little Mermaid section are outside and very far from the main building, so if you don’t want to deal with the rain when going to and from transportation or to and from the main building, I would skip this resort during the summer and fall or opt for one of the suites. The suites have interior corridors, however, they are very pricey for a value, especially if you don't have more than four people.
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Number one perk of Art of Animation for me? It is one of the stops on the new skyliner. Therefore, you have an alternative to bus transportation when going to and from Hollywood Studios and Epcot. This is huge if you have small children and will be traveling with strollers, as most do not need to be folded up to board. More on the skyliner below.
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RESORT LAYOUT
Art of Animation has a layout that is similar to all of the value resorts. The main hall, Animation Hall, is home to the food court, gift shop, check-in, and arcade. This is also where you will find bus transportation and the Magical Express. Once you walk out of the back of Animation Hall, you'll see the pool bar and the main pool area. In this area is the Big Blue pool, the splash area, and the playground. The rooms directly around the pool are the Finding Nemo family suites. This is considered the preferred section. If you walk straight through the Finding Nemo section, you'll find yourself on Generation Gap Bridge where the skyliner station is. Beyond that is Pop Century. If you go to the right once exiting Animation Hall, you will make your way to the Cars section and the Cozy Cone Pool. If you go to the left, you will find yourself in Pride Rock, home of the Lion King family suites and the Elephant Graveyard play area. Walk all the way through the Lion King section and you'll be in the Little Mermaid section, which houses the traditional hotel style rooms and the Flippin' Fins pool.

ROOM CATEGORIES
This resort offers two main room categories: standard hotel rooms and suites. The hotel style rooms sleep four and are all themed like the Little Mermaid. Unlike with the other value resorts, where the theming is only outside the rooms, at Art of Animation, the rooms are done to match the section of the resort they are located in. The suites are themed like the Lion King, Cars, or Finding Nemo.
The Little Mermaid rooms come with either two queen beds or one king. There is no option to pick a view. You will either get views of the pool, courtyard, or parking area. The room is equipped with a TV, a small table, coffee maker, and a refrigerator. They have also been recently remodeled and look gorgeous. They are themed to match the section, so any Little Mermaid fan will be in heaven in these rooms. The bathroom is separated from the main area by a curtain and there is a door to separate the sink area from the actual toilet and bathtub. Rates for these start in the low $200s and go up depending on the time of travel.
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The family suites are a good option if you need a space to sleep six and want a little more than the suites in All-Star Music. However, the suites are very high for a value resort. The cabins at Fort Wilderness also sleep six, are a moderate, and start over $100 less per night. The suites are themed like the section they are found in and feature one queen bed, one double murphy bed, and one double sleeper sofa. They have a small kitchen area with a mini refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and sink. The queen bed is located in a bedroom that is separated from the other two sleeping spaces. Under the murphy bed, is a small table that seats four. The other benefit to the suites is that they are closer to the main building than the Little Mermaid rooms.





Art of Animation offers two forms of transportation: buses and the skyliner. The buses, which are found in front of the resort, will take you to any of the four parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs. The buses to Hollywood Studios and Epcot are extremely limited, so if you do not wish to take the skyliner, I would skip this resort. Art of Animation has designated buses so there are no stops between the resort and the parks and vice versa. Also, if the bus lines are long at the parks for Art of Animation, just take the Pop Century bus. The walk over isn’t bad and totally worth it if you have small children and do not want to wait. Normally, these two bus stops are close to each other so you’ll be able to catch easily the other one if needed.
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The skyliner will take guests to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It also allows access to Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera, and the Disney Boardwalk. The skyliner station is located on Generation Gap Bridge in the center of Hourglass Lake. While Art of Animation does not share a bus system with any other resorts, it does share the skyliner with Pop Century. If your stoller is smaller than 30 inches by 48 inches, you do not need to fold the stroller to enter the skyliner, as you do on buses. Each cart fits up to 10 people, unless traveling with a wheelchair or ECV and then the limit is 6. Having the skyliner is definitely a positive for Art of Animation and will cut down on the time it takes to get to the parks. Just note that the skyliner will drop guests off at the International Gateway entrance of Epcot and not the main entrance where the buses and monorail are located.
TRANSPORTATION


As with all Value resorts, there is only quick service dining available at Art of Animation. Landscape of Flavors serves up American cuisine three meals a day. It is open 6 am to midnight. If you are lounging by the Big Blue Pool, check out the Drop Off Pool Bar. It serves beverages and snacks. Please note, that the Big Blue Pool will be closed for renovations in Fall 2020. It is not stated on the website if the Drop Off Pool Bar will be affected by the renovations.
DINING



AMENITIES & RECREATION
Art of Animation has the same basic perks of all on site hotels: ability to select fastpasses 60 days out from check-in, to book dining 180 days out from check-in, transportation to and from Orlando International Airport, and free transportation around Walt Disney World Resort. Just like with the other resorts, there are many options for recreation at Art of Animation. Make sure the check the daily schedule found near the Big Blue pool.
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There are three pools at the resort. The main pool is the Big Blue pool located right outside Animation Hall. This pool is themed like Finding Nemo and is the largest pool on Walt Disney property. It features a zero depth entry that is great for littles and people with disabilities. There is always something going on at this pool, including trivia and movies under the stars. Around the pool, there is tons of seating, a small splash area, and the Drop Off pool bar. The other two pools are quieter. There is the Cozy Cone Pool in the Cars section and the Flippin’ Fins pool in the Little Mermaid section. Note: The Big Blue pool is closing for refurbishment in the fall of 2020. I would avoid this resort during that time if you were planning on a rest day or wanted to stay in the Finding Nemo section as the construction might get loud during the day.



For other outdoor recreation, you’ll find a jogging trail and two themed playgrounds. The jogging trail is a 1.3 mile loop around Hourglass Lake. You’ll be able to see the back sides of both Pop Century and Art of Animation. Along the path, are fun facts about the different decades on the Pop Century side and about animation on the Art of Animation side. The main playground is located behind the Big Blue pool in the Finding Nemo section and is themed to fit into the section. There is a smaller Elephant Graveyard for children to play in, in the Lion King section.
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Looking for something else to do? Just walk around this fun themed resort. The theming is cute and there are numerous photo ops. I, personally, love the Cars section the best, but all four sections have fun things to see and explore. Also, Art of Animation features free drawing classes open to anyone, not just guests staying there, though preference is given to the resort guests. Finally, there is the Pixel Play arcade inside Animation Hall.
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While I love the theming at Art of Animation, it is not my pick for a value resort. If you are looking for a classic style hotel room, I would pick Pop Century. The rooms are updated, the price point is lower, it is still on the skyliner, and you can get rooms closer to the main building. However, if you have a Little Mermaid lover or want to spend time at the resort, then maybe the slight price increase is fine. The suites are not the best option either, in my opinion. The cabins at Fort Wilderness offer more for over $100 less per night. However, you won’t find the theming and Fort Wilderness is a very large resort. Also, the family suites here feature two bathrooms, while the cabins only have one. The convenience of the location of the suites and the skyliner here might be worth the extra cost. If I did stay in the suites, hands down, I would pick the Cars section. It has its own pool, is close to Animation Hall, and is much quieter than the other two sections.
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Some amenities may be reduced or unavailable during your 2021 stay as a result of safety measures to stop the spread of COVID 19. Please always check Know Before You Go on the Walt Disney World website before traveling for the most up-to-date information.
