Disney invited us inside Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for an exclusive first look at its upcoming room refurbishment—and these are far more than simple cosmetic updates.

Big changes are coming to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Beginning in summer 2027, Disney will start rolling out a massive refurbishment of the resort’s guest rooms, starting with The Lion King family suites and The Little Mermaid rooms.

WDW Magazine was invited to preview Disney’s plans alongside Walt Disney Imagineering. We toured an existing Lion King family suite, viewed pieces of concept art for its transformation, and stepped inside a fully constructed test room for the new Little Mermaid design.

Disney hasn’t released the concept art publicly, and the Imagineers emphasized that some details may still change during testing. However, based on what we saw, these rooms will look dramatically different (and significantly more elevated) while retaining the colorful Disney storytelling families expect from Art of Animation.

Art of Animation Room Refurbishments Begin in Summer 2027

Construction on the updated Art of Animation rooms is expected to begin rolling out in summer 2027. Disney will first focus on The Lion King and The Little Mermaid sections, with the Finding Nemo and Cars rooms expected to follow afterward.

That means guests still have time to stay in the existing rooms before the transformation begins.

Photo by Courtney Reynolds

And make no mistake: This is not a simple soft-goods refurbishment involving new curtains, bedding, and paint. Imagineers told us the interiors will essentially be stripped down and rebuilt. The existing walls, doorways, and fundamental room layouts will remain in place, but nearly everything guests see and use inside will change.

The result is a more modern and polished version of Art of Animation, one that still feels playful and unmistakably Disney.

The New Lion King Family Suites Feel More Refined

The reimagined Lion King family suites use warm savanna browns, cool jungle greens, light woods, and organic textures to create a calmer and more refined setting.

If you’re worried that Disney is removing the personality from these rooms, the concept art should offer some reassurance. The design is certainly sophisticated, but it doesn’t abandon the characters or story.

Instead of the current room’s bright, cartoon-like imagery, the new design features artwork with a more painterly quality. Imagineers described the style as incorporating silhouettes alongside animated character elements. The result feels closer to the rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows’ Island Tower or the Incredibles-themed rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort: modern and upscale, but still filled with recognizable Disney details.

Imagineering also worked closely with Walt Disney Animation Studios to ensure the characters and environments were represented accurately.

The Lion King Suites Will Get Two Murphy Beds

The refreshed family suites will retain their capacity to sleep up to six guests, but Disney is making some important functional changes.

The existing dining table that converts into a Murphy bed will remain. However, the current sofa will also become a Murphy bed, allowing it to function as seating during the day and a sleeping space at night.

Current The Lion King Room (Abigail Nilsson, Photographer)

It’s a setup Disney has already used successfully at resorts such as Disney’s Riviera Resort, and it should make the suite feel more spacious and practical when the beds are put away.

The kitchenette will also be rotated 90 degrees from its current position, placing it perpendicular to the wall near the secondary bathroom.

Inside the New Lion King Design

In the primary bedroom, a large architectural arch will extend from the wall to frame the bed and both nightstands. Round sculptural sconces on either side resemble oversized African beads, replacing the more traditional freestanding lamps currently found in the room.

The finishes shown in the concept art included light woods and stone-look surfaces across the dresser and nightstands. Even the nightstands have an elevated, sculptural appearance, with rounded recessed shelves and clean, modern lines.

Current The Lion King Room (Abigail Nilsson, Photographer)

Above the bed, a semicircular painting depicts a waterfall cascading from the rocks. Elsewhere in the suite, artwork featuring Pride Rock uses cooler gray tones, while another piece depicts Simba and Nala near a waterfall.

The Simba and Nala artwork is designed to extend beyond the wall, with the waterfall seemingly cascading over the dining table and down its side. Reeds appear near the base, while the accompanying dining chairs incorporate a leaf motif.

More organic details appear throughout the living area. A sculptural green chair features a leaf-shaped cushion and legs resembling tree trunks, while a tall green floor lamp looks like an unfurling palm frond. The sofa also incorporates green tones and a subtle leafy texture.

The New Little Mermaid Rooms Are Packed With Personality

While the Lion King suites have a refined, fine-art quality, the updated Little Mermaid rooms take a brighter and more playful approach.

The rooms are filled with shades of blue, aqua, purple, coral, and seafoam, creating an unmistakably under-the-sea atmosphere. Imagineers said the art style was inspired in part by illustrated Little Mermaid storybooks, giving the space a hand-painted, storybook-like quality.

Current The Little Mermaid Room. (Abigail Nilsson, Photographer)

The Little Mermaid rooms will continue to sleep up to four guests. Each room will have one standard queen bed and one queen-size Murphy bed that converts into a dining table during the day.

The primary bed is framed by a seashell-inspired headboard featuring Ariel and some of her friends. The Murphy bed depicts the sea creatures from “Under the Sea” preparing to perform – but the scene changes when the bed comes down. On the sleeping side, those same fish appear tired and ready for bed.

It’s an adorable bit of visual storytelling that makes the room’s transformation part of the theme.

Look for Dinglehoppers and Other Hidden Details

Some of the best details in the Little Mermaid room are also the smallest.

The dresser drawers have handles shaped like dinglehoppers, while a series of wall hooks resembles the tiny yellow seahorses with purple tufts seen in the film. Ariel’s miniature music box depicting a dancing couple also appears among the decorative objects.

Current The Little Mermaid Room. Photo by Danny Shuster

Disney has even hidden Mickeys among the bubbles decorating the room.

The dining area includes two red chairs inspired by Ariel’s hair, each with a seashell-shaped back. Near the coffee maker, an additional shelf creates useful storage while a backdrop of dark blues and bubbles makes the nook resemble Ariel’s grotto.

The primary bed is flanked by dimensional silver seaweed sconces. Each piece winds up the wall and holds three glowing “pearls.” Meanwhile, deep blue stone-look surfaces across the nightstands and dresser resemble waves reaching the shore.

Even the seafoam-colored curtains contribute to the underwater palette.

The Little Mermaid Bathroom Might Be the Highlight

The bathroom was one of the most striking parts of the Little Mermaid test room.

Dark seafoam tones evoke the colors of Ariel’s tail, while gently wavy shelves and mirror edges create the sense that everything is moving underwater. Frosted seagrass details decorate the mirror, and colorful artwork featuring coral and aquatic plants continues around the bathtub.

The countertop has a sandy terrazzo-style finish embedded with green pieces resembling sea glass. It’s a sophisticated detail that helps the bathroom feel themed without relying entirely on obvious character imagery.

Some Details Were Designed for Art of Animation’s Youngest Guests

Imagineers told us they intentionally designed portions of the room at a toddler’s eye level. Younger children may notice surprises that adults overlook simply because they experience the space from a different height.

When we crouched down to test that theory, we spotted tiny fish hiding inside the recessed openings of the nightstands, appearing as though they were preparing to peek out.

It’s a clever reminder that these more polished rooms are still being designed with families (and particularly young children) in mind.

Our First Impression of the New Art of Animation Rooms

The current rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort are unapologetically bright, bold, and heavily themed. For many families, that larger-than-life design is exactly what makes the resort special.

After seeing the upcoming designs, however, we don’t think Disney is stripping away that personality. The new rooms are more polished and residential, but they remain playful, colorful, and filled with characters. Instead of eliminating the Disney details, Imagineers have incorporated them more thoughtfully into the furniture, lighting, artwork, and architecture.

Of course, these rooms are still in development, and elements may change before the refurbishment begins in summer 2027. But if the finished spaces remain true to what we saw, Art of Animation could soon offer some of the most imaginative, and surprisingly beautiful rooms in Disney World’s Value Resort category.

Thank you to Disney for inviting us to a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Art of Animation room refurbishment.