Disney Announces Major Room Refurbishment Timeline for Art of Animation Resort

Walt Disney World has officially posted a refurbishment notice for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, revealing a detailed timeline for a major room refresh. The extensive project is scheduled to begin in mid-June 2027 and will continue through October 2028.

Originally opened in 2012, the value-tier property has not experienced a refurbishment of this magnitude since its debut. While the resort has previously undergone smaller soft-goods updates over the years, such as replacing room carpets with laminate flooring and updating the lobby floor between 2019 and 2021, the upcoming undertaking will mark the first major hard-goods room overhaul in its history. The project is expected to bring all-new furniture, fixtures, and decor to the accommodations.

To minimize disruption for visitors, the renovations will be conducted in phases. Crews will update one themed area of the resort at a time, allowing the property to remain open and fully operational for guests throughout the duration of the project.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is divided into four distinct themed sections. Three of these areas house larger family suites, including Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King. The fourth area comprises The Little Mermaid wing, which offers traditional value category standard rooms. The refurbishment will include updates to both the family suites and The Little Mermaid guest rooms. These updates will introduce pull-down Murphy beds that can function as either a second bed or a table based on guest needs, while preserving the animation quality of the spaces.

While Disney executives initially revealed during a media briefing in May 2026 that a room and suite refresh would begin in summer 2027, the newly released notice provides the official schedule. Disney has not yet specified which themed section will be the first to undergo refurbishment, nor has it broken down the timeline into individual phase dates. Public concept art has also not been released, though Walt Disney World did share a piece of concept art with media earlier in the year.

Guests planning a stay at the resort during the multi-month project should anticipate some impacts. Disney notes that visitors may see or hear maintenance work taking place in active areas during daytime hours. Additionally, alternate paths of travel may be in place around the resort until work is fully complete.