Need vacation planning advice quickly? Join our Facebook group and get your questions answered!
Skip to Content

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero

Family suites that are Disney themed from top to bottom, yes please! Disney’s Art of Animation Resort takes theming to the next level by making you feel like you stepped into an animated movie. When you stay at this resort you take “staying in the magic” to the next level! From larger than life character statues, to actual themed buildings, we can’t stop smiling when we enter this resort.

The Art of Animation Resort was named after a book penned by Bob Thomas called, “Walt Disney’s Art of Animation: The Story of The Disney Studio Contribution to a New Art” written in 1958. While the suite's buildings are all themed to the animated features themselves, the lobby is dedicated to the process. Using animators’ sketches of various characters, Imagineers created works of art by scaling them up and artfully arranging them on the walls and ceiling.

There are 4 sections of the Art of Animation Resort: Finding Nemo, Lion King, Cars, and Little Mermaid, though the Little Mermaid rooms are just standard size rooms while the rest are family suites.

But why is it that since it has been open Nemo is getting all the glory?

Listen, we love Nemo and all of his fishy cuteness, but Lightning McQueen brings his own sizzle. From the second you make your way down the path to Radiator Springs, I mean the Cars building, you have stepped into the world of Cars. With larger than life character statues around and desert-like landscaping, I was sold. Photo ops galore here! I personally enjoyed egging on my son to tip Gino’s tires.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero 4

Walking into the building, Disney found even subtle ways to continue this in-your-face theming. We had a blast finding cones the way one would find hidden mickeys. (Hint: floors, walls, and ceilings are all free game here!) Even our room number placards were interstate signs. Clever, Disney, very clever. My favorite was the wall sconces that were traffic cones.

Inside Photos of Cars Family Suite

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero 5

The room, just like the other themed family suites in Disney’s Art of Animation, boasts a master bedroom (with a door!!!), living area with a fold-out couch, and a kitchenette with a dining table/murphy bed set up. When the resort says this room can sleep 6, it truly can. If you are hoping for a blast of Disney morning, noon, and night, this resort is perfect. Notice, that there is even heavy theming in the bathroom!

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero 6

Personally, I love it. With kids, without kids, whatever, when I leave reality behind and go to Disney, I want the full experience! However, if you are Disney’d out at the end of a long park day, this probably is not the resort for you.  Any Lightning McQueen fan will be over the moon to experience this resort. As a person who didn’t really care for the Cars movies, (sorry, Stickers!) I still loved all of the details that went into every aspect of this resort and would stay there again. Side note: Because Cars has a smaller pool than Nemo, it was MUCH less crowded than the Big Blue Pool, in my experience.

Can we just take a minute to talk about the amazingness of a door? Seriously. That door on the master bedroom made a world of difference for this vacation versus that of other trips. All cool theming aside, that door is more than a door. It is privacy. It is also a moment of sanity. We love our kids and our family vacations, but as all moms know, privacy is in short supply. Now put your whole family in one small room and privacy is in more demand than 50th Anniversary Starbucks cups!

The fact that you can get that magic door in a value resort is just shy of amazing. The only other place to have a closed master bedroom is in Disney Vacation Club Villas. So, to recap: Cars at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort has the best theming of any resort on Walt Disney World property, value pricing, and a magic door that locks so you can get dressed in peace. I’m pretty sure that’s what Lightning McQueen meant when he said, “Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer”.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero 7

Speaking of privacy - Since so many people flock to the Finding Nemo section of the resort, the Cars section was completely EMPTY all the time. We went out for photos with no people in our backdrops. It was so empty that when we went swimming, there was no one else in the pool. It was June. Meanwhile, the Finding Nemo section can get quite crowded and loud.

Disney’s Art of Animation is the most recent value resort to open on Disney property next to Disney’s Pop Century Resort. If the idea of a value priced family suite wasn’t enough for you, Art of Animation Resort is also able to use the newest transportation in Walt Disney World, the Skyliner. The Skyliner can take you to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, and there is a bus loop that can take you to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

Art of Animation Dining

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Cars Suite: The Unsung Hero 8

The Art of Animation has one of the best resort quick service restaurants in Disney World. The landscape of Flavors is a large quick service on site with many options to appease everyone in your party. This quick service can get a little fancier than its counterparts, as well.

My favorite thing to eat almost daily was a grilled caprese sandwich that had fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sin ripened tomato, all melted together between two pieces of grilled bread, with balsamic glaze drizzled on top. It was a sandwich that basically said, “I want to be a fancy grown up, but really I’m just a tall child”.

 All Disney resorts have daily activities and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is no exception. There are nightly movies, smores, yoga, poolside games, and more! Be sure to ask the front desk for the schedule. Don’t get too caught up in the go, go, go. Enjoy your resort!

Next time you are booking a Walt Disney World vacation be sure to check out my new pal, Lightning McQueen, over at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Ka-Chow!