Art of Animation and Pop Century are two value resorts operated by Disney at Walt Disney World. These two hotels are priced similarly—just above the All-Star resorts but below the moderate resorts.
Because they are located near each other (they’re separated by a bridge of about 200 feet), and priced similarly, people often wonder what the differences between these two resorts are. In this post, we cover minor differences, major differences, and choosing between Pop Century and Art of Animation.
If you haven’t already, you’ll also want to check out our reviews, which have plenty more photos, as well as videos of the rooms (links open in new tabs):
You also want to read our ranking of the Disney World value resorts. We also have a guide to all the hotels of Walt Disney World.
Minor and Non-Differences Between Pop Century and Art of Animation
Right off the bat, it makes sense to clarify some things about Art of Animation and Pop Century that won’t be used to distinguish the resorts.
Not Differences
Perks. Regardless of which you choose, you’ll get all the perks associated with staying at a Disney hotel, including access to Early Theme Park Entry and the ability to book your individual Lightning Lanes at 7AM (as opposed to when the parks open).
Location. These resorts also have near identical location. They’re separated by a small lake, and you can easily walk across a 200-foot bridge between them.
Transportation. Both resorts rely on buses and the Skyliner to get to and from the parks and Disney Springs. The two resorts share a Disney World Skyliner station, making both great options for visiting Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Next let’s cover a few things that are mostly the same but slightly different about the resorts. These don’t influence our analysis, but they’re worth knowing.
Minor Differences
Pools. Back in the day, the Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation played music underwater, and this was a big difference for lots of people. That stopped, and nowadays, the pools are more alike than different. Arguably, the theming at the Art of Animation pools is better, and the splash pad for small children at Art of Animation is significantly better.
I’ll concede that, with a 3 year old in tow, if I were planning on spending more than an afternoon or two in the pool / splash pad, I’d probably heavily lean toward Art of Animation. But I think other factors matter more for most guests.
Food Courts. Art of Animations Landscape of Flavors food court is definitely the best food court of any value resort. But a slight difference in options isn’t likely to make a big difference, and if it does then you can easily walk there from Pop Century (we sometimes do). Indeed, as we discuss more below, some Pop Century rooms are closer to the Art of Animation’s food court than some Art of Animation rooms.
Major Differences Between Pop Century and Art of Animation
Now let’s cover the major differences between Pop Century and Art of Animation—the rooms and pricing. We’ll go over choosing between the two resorts in the next section.
Art of Animation Family Suites
This is the biggest difference between the two resorts—full stop. Art of Animation offers “family suites” themed to Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and Cars. In fact, most of the rooms at Art of Animation are family suites. Pop Century has no such rooms, and all of its rooms are essentially identical. So if your family is interested in booking a suite at a value resort, they’ll need to book at Art of Animation or All-Star Music. We’ve Reviewed the Art of Animation Family Suites here.
Rooms at Pop Century and Art of Animation
There are several differences to note between the rooms at Pop Century and the standard rooms at Art of Animation. We’re going to compare three sets of rooms: the standard rooms at Art of Animation, the standard rooms at Pop Century, and the preferred rooms at Pop Century.
A room at Pop Century with the Murphy bed up
Price. In 2024, standard rooms at Art of Animation start at $209 per night. Standard rooms at Pop Century start at $183 per night. Preferred rooms at Pop Century start at $202 per night. Most nights you’ll be able to get a preferred room at Pop Century for less than a standard room at Art of Animation.
Theme. The standard rooms at Art of Animation are “The Little Mermaid” rooms. They are themed to…The Little Mermaid!
A Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation
The Pop Century rooms all have pretty plain theming.
A room at Pop Century with the Murphy bed down
Space. According to the DIS, the standard rooms in Art of Animation are 17 square feet bigger than the rooms in Pop Century. While we love the Pop Century rooms, we do find the space difference noticeable. With the Murphy bed down, the Pop Century rooms get very cramped.
Quality. It’s not a stretch to say that the Pop Century rooms are higher quality than The Little Mermaid rooms. Yes—some people find the design of the new rooms off-putting (“hospital room” look, they say), but that’s more of a “theme” issue than a quality issue. When it comes to quality, the Pop Century rooms—with their better use of space, more prevalent outlets, bigger vanity areas, and bigger televisions—are clearly better.
Location. This is an interesting one. The Little Mermaid rooms are the worst location at Art of Animation, about seven minutes from Animation Hall.
There are standard rooms at Pop Century that are that far away from Classic Hall. However, preferred rooms are much closer (2 to 3 minutes walking) and some preferred Pop Century rooms are closer to Animation Hall (at Art of Animation) than The Little Mermaid rooms.
Choosing Between Art of Animation and Pop Century
Many guests—particularly first timers—will be looking to choose between Art of Animation and Pop Century. It’s common to ignore the All-Star Resorts because they’re “too” value. While we think this is wrong, the Skyliner and superior bus transportation give Pop Century and Art of Animation a clear edge over the All Stars.
Obviously, if you’re interested in a family suite, you’ll want to book Art of Animation. There’s no comparable option at Pop Century.
The real difficulty comes in choosing between The Little Mermaid rooms and Pop Century. All the discourse above can be boiled down to three points: theme, space, and quality.
Space is a tricky one. There’s no couches in either of these rooms. If you’re in them, you’ll either be sitting at a desk or on your bed. When the Murphy beds are open at Pop Century, you lose your desk, but you’ll still have enough surface space around the room for storing things like maps and personal accessories. To us, space just isn’t a huge factor in deciding between these two rooms.
Room quality matters less than it used to. When the Pop Century rooms were first refurbished, they were leagues ahead of Art of Animation. But the Art of Animation have gotten upgrades in recent years as well. The Pop rooms are still better in this regard (increased vanity space, solid vanity door, more storage), but the Art of Animation rooms are functional enough that I don’t hesitate to book them.
Theme is straightforward, but probably the biggest factor. The photos above (and more in our review) show what to expect from The Little Mermaid rooms. If that’s what you’re looking for, then go for it. Here are a few more:
The price difference between these hotels isn’t huge. When I’m in a budget mindset, I’ll go with my old favorite—Pop. But with a 3 year old, I find myself pulled to the Little Mermaid theming. The rooms are functional enough that I’m not frustrated with them anymore, so as long as its in budget, we’ll usually take Art of Animation.
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