As a family, we have stayed at a variety of the resorts that Walt Disney World has to offer. Our vacations have included the Grand Villas at the Grand Floridian to Disney’s Coronado Springs all the way to Disney’s All-Star Music resort. We have never once been disappointed (and I’m serious when I say that!)
We have found, however, that they type of resort you stay does impact your state of mind in regards to the type of vacation you are having. For example, the Grand Floridian makes you feel as though you are at an elegant Victorian bread-and-breakfast, while Pop Century makes you feel as though you’re taking a walk down memory lane.
Disney Resorts are Unique
Each resort offers a unique theme that makes the resort..well, unique! The resort theme starts the minute you walk into the resort lobby, carries over into the guest common areas and restaurants or food courts and extends into the rooms and the resort grounds. It’s almost as though you’ve stepped into a Disney movie, and, in true Disney fashion, not a detail is overlooked.
All this, and more, is especially true when it comes to Disney’s Art of Animation. Disney’s Art of Animation, or AOA for short, has what I like to call the quintessential ‘Disney design’ throughout the entire resort. The whole place is ‘work of art’ (pun kind of intended).
What then, sets it apart and what will make your kids go nuts for it? The grounds. Pop Century and all the All-Star resorts all have larger than life characters, but some of them might not be what your kids are familiar with or can relate to. While all the resorts large characters are fun, Art of Animation’s character selection is what sets it apart from the rest.
Art of Animation
While, we could go into a great explanation of every last detail of what makes Art of Animation unique, instead let’s explore my favorite parts of the grounds of Art of Animation.
Disney’s Cars (1, 2 and 3) are all on par with some of my favorite animated Disney movies. I know some people may have differing opinions regarding the movies, but overall I love the Cars. It might be because we once took a trip to the Grand Canyon and along the way saw where imagineers were inspired when creating cars. The life-sized Cars characters are spread throughout the grounds of the Cars section of Art of Animation. You’ll see Mater, Lighting, and even the Sheriff. Be careful not to go to fast or else you might get a ticket…
Cozy Cone Pool
The pools at Disney’s Art of Animation are some of the coolest around. There are three pools in total and each one is unique. The Cozy Cone pool is located in the Cars area. It features super cute ‘cone’ cabanas that are available for all guests. The pool is on the smaller side, but often isn’t as populated as other pools. I love the relaxing vibe the Cozy Cone pool gives off and love nothing more than to relax underneath a ‘cone’ cabana.
Flippin’ Fins Pool
The second pool, the Flippin’ Fins pool, is located near the Little Mermaid area of the Art of Animation resort. Sebastian and the gang are the stars around the Flippin’ Fins pool. As a mater of fact, the whole crustacean band hangs out pool side. This pool isn’t the largest pool at the Art of Animation resort. It is, however, a perfect pool if you are staying in the Little Mermaid rooms due to its proximity.
Big Blue Pool
The BEST pool at Art of Animal is, hands-down, the Big Blue pool. The Big Blue pool is located in the Finding Nemo section (and right behind the food court) of the resort. The pool is huge and has a super unique feature: you can hear music under water when you are swimming. As a zero entry pool, the Big Blue pool is very accessible for all ages and stages. It’s reserved for AOA guests, so be sure to book a stay to check out the pool!
Schoolyard Sprayground
My final favorite thing about the grounds of the Art of Animation resort is the cute splash pad they have near the Big Blue pool. The splash pad is a family favorite due to the accessibility it offers to all members in my family. There are no steps to enter and kids can run in and out as they please.
My oldest loves splash pads and the Schoolyard Sprayground is no different. The splash pad is super cute as it follows along with the Finding Nemo theme. Bonus, the Schoolyard Sprayground is super close to the The Drop Off bar. Here is one of the few places you can find a beloved Dole Whip on Walt Disney World property.
I really like a majority of Art of Animation. There is one thing that I think could be improved upon, however. Originally, Art of Animation was supposed to be a part of the Pop Century resort. The hotels were going to be called the ‘Legendary Years’ and connected to the ‘Classic Years’ (the name of the Pop Century hotel buildings we know and love). The connection was to be made by a bridge called the Generation Gap bridge.
Obviously, since we have Art of Animation as we know and love here today, the ‘Legendary Years’ never happened. The bridge, however, did happen and Disney stuck with the name ‘Generation Gap Bridge’. It doesn’t really fit in with the theme as Pop Century transitions into Art of Animation instead of the ‘Legendary Years’. It could be argued that the movies featured at Art of Animation appeal to a different generation, but this is a little bit of a stretch. Not the worst thing in the world, but I do like cohesiveness and the name just don’t flow super smoothly.
Overall, the ground at Art of Animation are great! I love them as an adult and my kids can’t get enough of the larger than life characters. Additionally, since we are a sucker for pools in my home, Art of Animation gets a big stamp of approval for its awesome pools!
