Ursula with Flotsam and Jetsam

Ariel and Flounder

The conga line fish are everywhere

Guests being surveyed on their experience

King Triton

Many of Ariel’s belongings are scattered around

I love the lampposts

How many older guests will climb this to get a picture of them smoking it?

We are about the size of Sebastian at this wing

The plants will eventually grow in and block the supports at the bottom

A look inside the rooms

While the exterior is very similar to all of the other value resorts, I still think the rooms are much nicer than any at All-Star or Pop Century. What guests wouldn’t rather stay in a room based on a Disney animated film over a sport or a decade?

Completing the picture
‘The Little Mermaid’ joins Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
BY DANIELLE IGLESIAS

When “The Little Mermaid” opened in theaters in 1989, it brought the classic musical fairy tale back to the Walt Disney Animation Studios and ushered in a string of films that marked the “renaissance” of Disney animation. Besides making a splash at the box office, the film chronicling a young mermaid’s dream to become part of the human world also gave young fans a new aquatic heroine to admire.

On Sept. 15, “The Little Mermaid” will do more than round out an already colorful hotel; it will introduce three buildings of 846 standard rooms and a new pool to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, as well as mark the completion of a resort region that began nearly 10 years ago with Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Opened Dec. 14, 2003, Disney’s Pop Century Resort debuted as a larger-than-life tribute to the fads, phrases and cultural icons from the 1950s through the 1990s. So it’s fitting that the final buildings in the “pop art” region will pay tribute to such an iconic film from the late 20th century.

Unlike the family suites in the “Cars,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Lion King” wings of the resort, the standard rooms feature a more traditional layout that’s perfect for smaller families with ambitious little princes and mermaids of their own. They sleep up to four Guests and feature distinct themed décor that will place them right into King Triton’s kingdom, with details like seashell chairs and a grotto in the shower. Sebastian and his undersea orchestra can be found in the courtyard where they prove that they’re devoting full time to floating at the Flippin’ Fins Pool. As the resort reaches completion, Rick Allen, general manager of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, has enjoyed hearing impressions from Guests and Cast Members.

“As each theme has opened, we have had so much fun hearing from Guests and Cast Members which is their favorite room, whether it be because it is their favorite movie or has their favorite character in it,” he said. “The Little Mermaid rooms will be a perfect addition with Ursula, King Triton, Sebastian and, of course, Ariel … . We couldn’t be more excited.”

All of the characters look great

building entrance

Wall art in the hallways

The elevator

Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba left tracks on the carpet

There they are

They all lead to the middle of the hallway

We can clearly see The Little Mermaid wing now

A look down the path

Back to Lion King

Zazu

Rafiki!

We’ll have more photos and video from this new wing coming up soon, so stay tuned!

Disney has released another video in their “From the Drawing Board” series of videos, this time taking a look at the yet-to-open Lion King wing of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort:

Welcome to Radiator Springs

Doc Hudson

Sheriff

Ramone

One building enters through Tow Mater’s junkyard

Flo

The Cadillac Range

The Cozy Cone office has restrooms

Another building enters through Casa Della Tires

Unlike in the movie, the sign spins

Luigi

Guido

The Cozy Cones are first-come first-serve cabanas

The back building is the Wheel Well Motel

Lightning McQueen

Sally

Fillmore

Sarge’s Surplus Hut

Sarge

The interior hallways look great

Hidden mickey in the carpet

A look inside the rooms

The sink area looks like a car wash

The table has a map of Route 66

Convertible sofa… GET IT?

Awww, Mater is sleeping

The Lion King wing opens August 10th

Rafiki!

Back to Cars

Flo’s license plate

Ramone’s plate

Hidden car

Alright… that’s too cool

Looking back towards Nemo

Here’s a video of the new wing:

Sheriff sits below a billboard from the film

The back of one of the Cars buildings

Doc Hudson

Flo

Yes, the Cozy Cone Sign has neon, and unlike the one in the movie, it spins…

Ramone

Mater

Cozy Cone cabanas around the pool

The back of another building

The Cozy Cone cabanas will be first-come, first-serve

Sarge’s Surplus Hut

The Wheel-Well Motel in the very back

In the windows of the Cozy Cone Motel, we spotted postcards…

And the little alarm clocks from the film

Great signage

Gas pumps at the Wheel-Well

Lightning McQueen and Sally

A peek inside a cabana

Pulling up to the resort

One of the large sketches on the exterior of the main building

A palette of colors dominate the check-in area, while early character concepts cover the opposite wall

An animator at work in the lobby. I hope this is a regular thing and not just something they were doing for the special event…

Some of your favorite characters looked a little different at first

Storyboard artwork covers a chandelier

This one is actually signed by hand by John Lasseter

More artwork on another wall

Landscapes of Flavor has 4 themed sections like the resort – Cars

The Little Mermaid

Finding Nemo

Lion King

The Ink and Paint Shop looks ready to go

The back of the Cars wing

Even the staircases are themed to the different films

The Lion King section is coming along nicely

I can kind of see Simba there…

Finding Nemo is ready to open on May 31st

A look inside the rooms

The bathroom looks like the sunken ship where the sharks live

Shower curtain

Squirt’s Righteous Reef

Ha…

Welcome to Radiator Springs!

A little bit of Cars Land in Florida

Sheriff hiding near the billboard as always

A picture with Doc Hudson

The Cadillac Range is on the buildings

Some of the town establishments were built

They even have the Cozy Cone sign

Sarge’s Surplus Hut

Guests are staying at the Wheel Well Motel

I didn’t know Luigi sold Lightyear tires

Another building has an entrance through Casa Della Tires

Guido!

The Cozy Cone motel

A look inside the rooms

The TV is on a toolbox

brilliant

The bathroom is a car wash…

Thanks for the report Katey!

Disney has provided some fantastic video looking inside the Art of Animation Resort. From the main lobby, to the Finding Nemo wing themed elements, to the interiors of each room, no corner has been left unexplored:

With just a month left to go, Disney has released a video showing off some incredible details you’ll find at the Finding Nemo wing at the Art of Animation Resort when it opens May 31st:

So… who’s excited?