Art of Animation: Finding Nemo Family Suite

The Big Blue Pool (with underwater music!)

This time last summer, I was on vacation at Walt Disney World with Todd and a few members of our family. When we were planning this trip, we crunched and re-crunched the numbers until we figured out that Art of Animation was the best idea. And we are so glad that we did. It was awesome!

Say hello to your old pal, Bruce!

The theme in this area is just as awesome as the Cars section. Little details are everywhere! This is especially true at the pool area, where the music can be heard when you swim underwater, as well occasionally the voices of Nemo, Dory, Crush, Squirt, etc. At the pool there's the Drop Off, a drink and snack bar, which has mug refill and wash station. We were really close to the pool, so we walked over and filled up our mugs a couple times a day! At the furthest end of the pool (closest to the splash park) it's zero entry, which I always enjoy.

Mine!

Mr. Ray was swimming outside of our building!

Big "sketchpad" backing up to Hourglass Lake.

View across the lake of Pop Century.

Once we got into the room, the details only continued. Not to mention the extra space that was previously superfluous to Todd and myself was now incredibly useful to the bunch of us!

 The master bedroom had a standard queen sized bed, nightstands, etc. That you would find in a typical Disney hotel room, as well an en suite bathroom with a standing glass door shower.

 

 There is also the usual dresser / television stand combo, complete with reef design!

Closer look at the adorable headboard!

Bubble lights on the ceiling.

Jellyfish lamp.

 Out in the living room there is a Murphy bed that pulls down, making the headboard a picture of Nemo and Marlin! Too cute.

 This couch folds out into a full bed. Also, look closely: the fish above it is actually all the little silver fish shaped like Marlin from the film!

 The living area also has a bathroom with a bathtub and shark themed curtain.

 I wasn't able to get a picture, but in the living room instead of a short coffee table, there are actually two flat stools can be either sat on or used as a table. Pretty clever!

The splash zone area.

Overall, we had absolutely zero complaints about staying at Art of Animation! Of course, it's important to keep in mind that this resort is geared to families, and would probably not be terribly conducive to a romantic getaway for most people in couples (unless of course you're Todd and me, who came here on our Honeymoon!). But if your goal is to stay at a well themed Value Resort, this one will cost a little more for a standard room that at Pop Century or an All Star, but it's well worth it!

Art of Animation Review

     Last Wednesday, Todd and I took a spontaneous two day mini-trip. We logged on to the Disney website and somehow snagged a reservation in the Little Mermaid wing of Art of Animation. Having stayed at every other value resort on Disney property, we were excited to see how this one compared. Right away, I will say that this resort stands above Pop Century and all of the All Stars by quite a bit. 
     For those who don't know, Art of Animation is a new value resort that was built right next to Pop Century, and is actually connected by a bridge. The resort is separated into four themed wings: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King (all three are family suites), and the Little Mermaid (standard rooms.)

     The front of the main building is very bright and contemporary, and immediately sets the tone of the resort. 

Raining, but still so exciting!

There are "sketches" denoting the four wings of the resort to the left of the main sign.

 The lobby contains a row desks, each of which has a computer and Cast Member behind it to provide each guest with a personalized check in experience. Throughout the whole check in area, there are both black and white and color sketches. 

So many amazing colors.

It's amazing to walk around and just see the artwork.

It's crazy how well all of different animation styles blend together.

      Next, it was off to check out our room. The whole Little Mermaid area was covered in impeccable details.

The plants all appeared to be floating, as they would underwater. Ursula overlooks the Flippin' Fins pool and pieces from Ariel's grotto are scattered about.

A sketch of King Triton on another giant "sketchpad."

      Inside the room, the elaborating theme continued:

Of course, we should have anticipated Ariel would be swimming near our shower.

The shower is Ariel's grotto. I was literally amazed.

      After dropping off our things, we went back to the main building to eat some dinner at Landscape of Flavors. The food in this food court was one huge factor that made Todd and I say that Art of Animation was on a different level then any of the other value resorts. There was an endless amount of meal choices, very few of which were simply burgers or chicken fingers. Bonus: They accept Tables in Wonderland. And, of course, the atmosphere of animation is carried through beautifully.

Light fixture in the Finding Nemo dining area.

Another piece of animation art.

Light fixture in the Cars dining area.

My delicious Caprese sandwich.

Very intensely flavored coleslaw.

Todd's huge pulled pork sandwich. He also had in-house made chips, but he ate them too fast for a picture! 

      When we returned back after taking a run to Epcot (new Test Track!), we realized we forgot our refillable mugs in the room. Todd ran to the get them, and I took advantage of the time to run around and take some more pictures.

Chandelier of sketches in the main lobby.

Christmas tree in the lobby.

Sketches are even embedded in the Christmas tree!

The Big Blue Pool.

Luigi's in the Cars area.

Postcards "for sale" in the Cozy Cone.

Sketches on the Finding Nemo building. 

      It's safe to say that, based on this trip, Art of Animation has become one of our favorite Disney Resorts, and we plan to stay there many times in the future.