On our first trip to Walt Disney World, we stayed in Disney's Art of Animation resort. Of all the Disney resorts we have stayed in, this one I can say is one that is just such great fun it feels almost like stepping straight into a cartoon. It was back in 2023, and we based ourselves here for the whole trip, quite the introduction for first-timers like us.
The whole resort is built around four animated classics: The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King. The theming is everywhere you look, which is exactly the point of a resort built to celebrate animation. The larger-than-life characters dotted around made it such a fun environment to come back to each day: a 35-foot King Triton over our corner, a whole Radiator Springs in the Cars wing, Pride Rock in the Lion King section, and the queen villain of the seas, Ursula, waiting to steal your voice.
Those small touches made it so magical, and the detail was fabulous right down to Nigel and the seagulls piping up with "mine, mine, mine" every so often as you walked past.
Our room
We were in a Little Mermaid room, the resort's standard room type rather than one of the family suites. They're the cheaper option here and the only rooms that aren't suites. Ours had two queen beds (you can request a king instead) and slept four, at around 270 square feet. We were really impressed: the theming carried right into the room and made the whole thing feel like part of the story, not just a place to sleep.
The Little Mermaid buildings sit furthest from the main building, so there's a walk to the food court, the buses and the Skyliner station. In practice it was never too bad, even after a long day on our feet in the parks. One thing to know: the standard rooms don't have a kitchenette like the suites do, though there are microwaves in the food court.
The main building
Reception was a fun place to be in its own right, done out a little like Nemo's Reef, so even checking in felt part of the experience. The Landscape of Flavors food court was very good. Over at the Ink & Paint shop you'll find dedicated Art of Animation merchandise alongside the usual classic Disney products, plus a small section of treats and sweets to take back to the room, and yes we did do a bit of shopping while we were there ,
The pools
There are three pools, and you can use any of them wherever your room is. We used Flippin' Fins in the Little Mermaid section most, since it was nearest, but we made the trip over to the Big Blue Pool in the Finding Nemo area too. It's the largest pool at any Walt Disney World resort, plays music underwater while you swim, and every night they showed Disney films under the stars beside it, which was a lovely way to wind down after a day in the parks. The Cars area has its own pool, the Cozy Cone, and the Lion King wing has a playground instead of a pool.
Getting around
The Skyliner is the big draw here. From Art of Animation you glide straight to Epcot, landing at the International Gateway, and to Hollywood Studios, both via the hub at Caribbean Beach. The station is shared with neighbouring Pop Century and sits out over Hourglass Lake, so you get a lovely view on the way. For Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs it's the buses instead, since the Skyliner doesn't reach those. We've covered getting around the parks properly in our Disney World transport guide.
The verdict 
Disney files Art of Animation under its Value resorts, even if the suite prices often nudge it into Moderate or Deluxe money. The Little Mermaid standard rooms keep it affordable. For a first ever Walt Disney World trip it was a brilliant pick: colourful, full of character, and the kind of place we actually looked forward to coming back to each evening. We'd recommend it to families without hesitation, and to grown-ups like us who never plan on growing up. Our score 4 out of 5 mickey heads.
