Walt Disney World has officially set a timeline for the first-ever hard goods refurbishment at Disney's Art of Animation Resort, with work scheduled to run from mid-June 2027 through October 2028. The project will cover all room types at the property, including the Little Mermaid standard rooms and the Cars, Finding Nemo, and Lion King family suites. Renovations will happen in phases, tackling one themed area at a time, and guests staying during the project may notice daytime maintenance activity or adjusted walking paths through the resort.
Having opened nearly 15 years ago, Art of Animation is considered overdue for this kind of comprehensive update. A hard goods refurbishment — as opposed to a lighter soft goods refresh — typically means a full gut of furniture, flooring, fixtures, and other physical elements, resulting in rooms that look and function meaningfully differently than before. Disney's Imagineering and Facilities Asset Management teams have been collaborating on the project with the goal of preserving what makes the resort special while upgrading the guest experience.
One of the most concrete improvements involves the Little Mermaid rooms, which will finally receive the fold-down Murphy bed that doubles as a table — a feature already popular in refurbished rooms at Pop Century and all three All-Star Resorts. Disney Tourist Blog reports that the new Little Mermaid design draws inspiration from both the Caribbean Beach Resort's Under the Sea rooms and the recently redone Pop Century layout, with a style that blends fun theming with a slightly more sophisticated feel. Guest satisfaction scores at Pop Century reportedly rose by at least 5% after even a smaller-scale soft goods refresh there, suggesting the Art of Animation overhaul could be equally well-received.
Less is currently known about the planned updates to the Cars, Finding Nemo, and Lion King family suites. Those 565-square-foot units are purpose-built accommodations that already differ significantly from standard Value Resort rooms, so the scope and direction of their renovation remains to be seen. Disney has not yet released photos of the new room designs publicly.
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The project's timing — starting when resort occupancy is typically at its lowest and wrapping up before the busy fall 2028 season — makes significant schedule changes less likely than with some past refurbishment announcements, according to Disney Tourist Blog, which first reported the details.
