Why Disney World’s Art of Animation Refresh Is More Than a New Coat of Paint

Disney World is preparing a substantial room update at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, with changes aimed at two of the hotel’s best-known room types. The project is expected to reshape both the look and day-to-day function of stays built around The Lion King and The Little Mermaid.

The planned refurbishment is expected to begin in mid-June 2027 and run in phases through October 2028. The first rooms in line are The Lion King family suites, followed by The Little Mermaid rooms. Those dates are not final, and the plans could still change before the work is complete.

What appears to be changing most is the interior style. The Lion King suites are expected to move away from some of the bolder cartoon-inspired visuals and toward a palette built around warmer earth tones, green accents, lighter woods, and artwork with a more painterly feel. Even with that visual shift, the suites are still expected to sleep up to six guests, keeping the larger family setup that has made this room category a draw for bigger groups.

The Little Mermaid rooms are expected to stay more colorful. Proposed design details include aquatic blues, purples, and coral shades, along with a headboard inspired by a seashell, character art, and smaller touches meant for children to notice. These rooms are described as sleeping up to four guests with one queen bed and one queen Murphy bed.

For guests, the biggest change may not be color at all. Updated furniture, more flexible sleeping arrangements, and better storage could have as much impact as the character styling, especially for families juggling luggage, devices, strollers, and the usual park-day clutter. Art of Animation has long stood out for bold, animation-heavy theming, so the question hanging over the refresh is how far Disney can modernize the rooms without making them feel too generic.

The timeline matters for future trips. Anyone booking Art of Animation during 2027 or 2028 may want to watch which sections are under refurbishment and whether their preferred room type is available while work is happening. No related pricing change has been announced, but the renovation period could still affect room availability and the on-site experience before the finished spaces fully roll out.