We have our first details of the upcoming guest room refurbishment at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
Redesigned Art of Animation Resort Rooms
WDW Magazine got a first look at concept art and toured a test room. Though they were not able to share photos, they did offer descriptions of the changes. According to WDW Magazine, the rooms will look “dramatically different” and “significantly more elevated” while retaining Art of Animation’s distinct storytelling.
The existing interiors will essentially be stripped down and rebuilt. Walls and doorways will remain while everything else is replaced.
According to WDW Magazine, concept art for The Lion King family suites shows warm savanna browns, cool jungle greens, light woods, and organic textures, creating a calmer, more sophisticated setting.
The current cartoon-ish imagery will be replaced by artwork with a painterly quality. Imagineers are incorporating silhouettes alongside animated character elements. They worked closely with Walt Disney Animation Studios to ensure characters and environments were represented accurately.
WDW Magazine described the result as similar to newer rooms of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows or the Incredibles rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
The family suites will still sleep up to six guests. The dining table will continue to convert into a Murphy bed and now the sofa will fold out.
A new large architectural arch in the primary bedroom will frame the bed and nightstands. On either side will be round sculptural sconces resembling oversized African beads, replacing the lamps currently in the room. The sculptural dresser and nightstands will be made of light wood and faux stone featuring rounded recessed shelves.
A semicircular painting depicting a waterfall will be above the bed. Another piece in the suite features Pride Rock.
Artwork of Simba and Nala next to a waterfall is designed to extend beyond a wall, the waterfall appearing to cascade over the dining table. There are reeds around the base and the dining chairs incorporate a leaf motif. The kitchenette will rotate 90 degrees.
The living room’s organic details include a sculptural green chair with a leaf-shaped cushion and tree trunk legs. A tall floor lamp will resemble a palm frond. And the sofa will incorporate green tones and a leafy texture.
Check out our 2020 tour of a Lion King family suite.
WDW Magazine toured a fully constructed test room for the new Little Mermaid rooms. These will be “brighter and more playful” than the Lion King suites. They feature blue, aqua, purple, and coral colors. The painted art style is inspired by illustrated The Little Mermaid storybooks.
These rooms will still sleep up to four guests with one standard queen bed and one queen-size Murphy bed that converts into a dining table.
The primary bed will be framed by a seashell-inspired headboard featuring Ariel and other characters. Dimensional silver seaweed sconces with three glowing “pearls” will be to the sides.
The dining table depicts the fish from “Under the Sea.” When the bed is pulled down, the fish appear tired. The nightstands and dresser resemble blue stone.
The dresser drawers will have dinglehopper handles. Wall hooks resemble Triton’s seahorses wearing neck ruffs. Ariel’s music box is among the decorations. There are hidden Mickeys among the room’s bubbles.
Two red chairs inspired by Ariel’s hair will have seashell-shaped backs. An additional shelf near the coffee maker features a backdrop of dark blues and bubbles resembling Ariel’s grotto. The curtains will be seafoam-colored.
The bathroom will have a dark seafoam color scheme like Ariel’s tail with wavy shelves and mirror edges. The mirror will be decorated with frosted seagrass. Colorful artwork around the bathtub features coral and underwater plants. The vanity countertop has a sandy terrazo-style finish embedded with green sea glass pieces.
Imagineers intentionally designed some of the room with toddler eye level in mind. Kids will notice details that adults might miss, like fish in the recessed openings of the nightstand.
Check out our 2020 tour of a Little Mermaid room.
WDW Magazine seemed optimistic about the reimagined rooms, saying they “are more polished and residential, but they remain playful, colorful, and filled with characters.”
The refurbishment is scheduled to begin in mid-June 2027 and last through October 2028. The work will happen in phases, with one themed area being refurbished at a time, starting with The Lion King family suites and followed by The Little Mermaid rooms.
Designs are still subject to change before completion.
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The post First Details of Reimagined Disney’s Art of Animation ‘Lion King’ & ‘Little Mermaid’ Rooms appeared first on WDW News Today.
