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Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Scheduled to Open in 2012

Thomas Smith

by , Editorial Content Director, Disney Parks

If you cheered when we unveiled plans to open Disney’s Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World – then take a look at this. It’s a new artist rendering showing the one-of-a-kind resort with a few faces you should certainly recognize. The image is part of a new web page that we’ve just launched on the WaltDisneyWorld.com site.

Artist Rendering of Finding Nemo at Disney's Art of Animation Resort

On the page there are some details you may not have seen yet and more will be coming. Booking dates haven’t been announced but the resort is still scheduled to open Summer of 2012. Let us know if this resort has your attention.

Comments

  • Looking forward to 2012! It looks amazing!!!

  • I am a huge fan of Finding Nemo, I have a lot things that are Finding Nemo and I absolutly cannot wait for this to open. But I do not like the idea that only basic rooms will be The Little Mermaid, I think that they also need to be the others movies as well. And I only live an hour away and am going in January for a weekend, I’m glad I live this close to Disney World.

  • OMG i can not wait we are going in 125 days but my hubby says no more Disney after that. Then he read about this and said we can go back in 2013 Yeah Yeah….

  • I can’t wait to stay there! It looks absolutely fab!

  • Can’t wait to see this new resort! The only way our family is able to afford Disney is at the Value resorts! Hope to try one of the suites next time! Great themes-LOVE IT-it has something for my son and my daughter!

  • That looks amazing I can’t believe it’s a value resort it looks to good to be true!

  • Going back to WDW in the fall of 2012! Will definately have to check this out. I am more of a Deluxe resort kinda girl…but this would be fun to go visit!

  • They look beautiful. I wonder what the price point will be. As of right now, it is more affordable for my family of five to stay at Port Orleans Riverside. The price of the family suites are a bit too much for us. I suppose we could take advantage of the kitchenette and skip the restaurants for breakfast and lunch to stay in one.

  • As always, Disney never ceases to amaze me. Now I want to see a portion of the Polynesian resort become DVC!!! That would really be amazing!!!!!

  • I think that this resort looks wonderful! I love the movie themes. My only suggestion would be to have the non-suite rooms themed with a more gender-neutral movie, like Lion King or Finding Nemo, rather than the Little Mermaid. Boys will not want to stay in the Little Mermaid section. Cars and Mermaid should be in the suites so that families with girls or boys can pick their theming. Nemo would be a great choice for the regular rooms, since it is sea-themed as well. Just a thought.

  • No doubt about it. This definitely has my attention. We were thinking about hitting Universal studios next summer and renting a house. Nerds to that. I am telling the wife we are going here in the Fall of 2012 instead.

  • Can’t wait to check this resort out when it opens. I would love for some of the suites to be set up a little differently. We don’t have kids, & we love to bring family members with us when we visit the World. Having 2 queens or 2 doubles in the main BR would be wonderful – we could all stay together.

  • There is something of note in the picture. There are no external walkways and the central hubs of the hotel blocks are enclosed. This is a great improvement over the Pop Century and All Star resorts… internal hallways cut down on noise, traffic, slip and fall accidents and are better for security reasons. Bravo, Disney! It looks like it will be another fantasmic resort to stay at.

  • It looks great, we stay at Pop Century alot and love it. We will be trying this one out next time!

  • OMGOSH! I am so excited I can’t even stand it! Just got back from Disney 3 weeks ago with my 3 year old and will be having another baby this coming March. So happy that they are building a bigger value resort when we go back for Halloween 2012! Thanks Disney for always making my day brighter!

  • Will this resort have interior hallways??

    I know the existing buildings you are using do not, but at looking at the concept art, it looks like there are no doors on the outside.

  • I can’t wait to see it in 2012! That’s awesome to see!

  • that looks amazing! i absolutely can not wait till i visit the walt disney world resort i hope to go before this opens but it would be cool to come back when it does open

  • I have stayed at Pop Century several times and love it. I am an annual passholder and DVC member. Suites in this resorts should be fantastic and I look forward to booking there sometime in late 2012 or 2013. Thanks for the continued creative innovative thinking!

  • This place looks amazing so far! I hope I can get a room for my honeymoon in 2012!

  • It looks nice. I hope this means bigger family and the cheerleader groups will stay there because they will be able to fit more people into a room for less cost. I do have to say though I don’t count Finding Nemo or Cars as classic disney movies. I mean they were made by Pixar pre merger. Plus aren’t the CR rooms decorated in Finding Nemo themed sheets already?

  • This looks GREAT! I am thrilled that those empty buildings behind Pop Century are finally being made into something so exciting, it makes the wait worthwhile. I will defintely be staying there when it opens!

  • Can’t wait for this!! I stayed at Pop Century on opening day and would love to do so with this resort! It looks amazing!

    Is that interior hallways I see??

  • This resort does have my attention! by 2012 my children will be a little older and will not want to stay in the same room with mommy and daddy! Not to mention we have one boy and one girl and again at an older age (10 and 8 by then) they are not going to want to sleep in the same room either! I think more family suites on property is a brillant idea and we can’t wait to check it out!

  • Can’t wait to book this resort! I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for the dates to be released. Yay to WDW for opening another value resort with an impeccable theme & decorations 🙂

  • Look so great! I can’t wait to be there, where the dreams come true!

  • We are annual passholders at Disneyland and have been for years. But when I got my spring 2010 D23 magazine and saw the article about “Fantasyland Forest”, opening fall 2012, I knew it was time for our first Disney World trip! We hadn’t decided where to stay yet but I think I know now where we will stay. 🙂 I can hardly wait!!!

  • I LOVE IT! So will my autistic daughters who are very much into Disney Animation and who prefer a family suite! We were trying to decide between a November 2011 and a December 2012 visit.
    Will they have ongoing art classes as part of the theme? If not, that might be something for Disney to consider.

  • This is good news! Glad to hear that there is a plan for the other side of Pop. Definitely gonna book when it is available.

  • This resort does have our attention. Disney has never built a bad resort. And this one is sure to be a winner.

    Personally I cannot wait.

    I feel very spoiled lately with an expanded Fantasyland, a new resort, a new Star Tours. We have a lot to look forward to.

  • As many of you know,this new value resort,was originally going to be,The Legendary Years Resort,adjacent to POP Century.A walkway has already been built across hourglass lake,joining the two resorts together,for foot traffic.This resort,would have represented the decades from 1900’s-1940’s.With the long-awaited opening of POP,which has become a huge hit with guests,including my family and I,many of us,have been waiting for some time,to see the Legendary Years open as well.But sadly,this resort never opened.Whether it was due to economical problems in the early 2000’s,the several hurricanes that came through central Florida a few years back,the tragedy on sept 11,2001,the decline in visitors to WDW,or just whatever,we are now awaiting the grand opening of a completely newly themed resort.Not to say that the original theme would not have worked,because with elder folks that have lived through some of those years represented,it would have been a nice resort for them.But sadly,not everyone that comes to WDW are elderly,senior citizens,that grew up in those legendary years,and sad to say,there is not very much of history taught from those years to our kids in school these days.So for younger families,the theme would mean nothing to them,especially younger kids,and staying there would probably have been a horror story for the younger generation.So in conclusion,I think Disney dudes in charge,made a good choice decision to change the theme,as to accommodate all ages.We have stayed in POP twice,and are looking forward to staying at this new resort as well.(On the down side:I really hope it doesn’t become another allstar movies resort,with the majority of families with smaller,younger kids staying there like it is at the movies resort.We stayed there once when our girls were in their teens and we found it to be a little too crazy with all of the younger kids there.I guess the older you get,as well as your own kids,you find staying at a resort that is a little more quieter is preferred).Anyway,that’s my two cents worth.

  • Looks amazing. If you can please push things along I would love to stay there in March 2012 for my 40th birthday! :o)

    See you in October…and then again in December!

  • I can’t wait for this resort to open! We are looking forward to staying here in 2012!!

  • WHOA!!! I have a trip in April of 2011, but now we’re going to have to come right back in 2012. Thank you Disney for this gift!!!

  • Awesome!! We were planning a trip for March 2012, but I may have to try to squeeze in another trip. My younger daughter would love this resort!!

  • I can’t wait for this resort to open. Planning a Grand Gathering in Sept 2012… families of 5, so the suites will be a blessing in trying to control the budget!!!

  • I am looking forward to this, cause I am a family of 3 and I am also in a wheelchair so, I can get the handicap suite. Instead of booking 2 rooms at other resorts.

  • Super excited! Now that we are 5, this looks like a great option. Also love the theme and the fact that it’s non-smoking.

  • Looks very fun. Great addition to the value level of resorts.

  • Loving the family-size rooms. Hopefully there will be a way to request a certain wing of the resort. My older boys would not be thrilled about Little Mermaid themed rooms, but Cars and the Lion King would be fantastic.

  • I hope they also have some standard rooms. We are only 2 of us and a suite would be too much! I saw it being built next to the Pop Century grounds.

  • Oooohhh, we are planning to return in 2013, I will definitely look at this as an option for our visit!!!!!

  • this looks awesome, we will definitely stay there once it is open…I bet my Mother In Laws sig other is working on it

  • I am very excited about the theme, plus it is a value resort, plus it will be mostly suites. As our kids get old we find ourselves staying in more hotel suites.

  • This looks fantastic and fun! It’s really nice to see Disney opening another value resort, especially one with direct inspiration from classic Disney films!

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