Potential New Resort: Disney's Animation Inn & Suites

[Figment!]

Walt Disney Imagineering has recently filed construction permits to build a model room for a project titled "Disney's Animation Inn & Suites".

A notice of commencement has been filed with the General Description of the Improvements listed as, "Construction of 2,500 square foot model room (inside existing Commercial Building)" and the Description of Property listed as "Section: 21, Township: 22 S, Range: 26E (Legal Description)-Disney's Animation Inn & Suites". A second permit has been filed for the same Description of Property with the General Description of Improvements listed as, "Construction of mock-up wall panel, incl. hat channel, sheathing, lath, stucco, paint".

Although various rumours are now circulating as toward the overall plans for this model room, the only concrete information at this point is that the Walt Disney World resort is planning to build a model room in an existing structure that will serve as a test unit for a project with the tentative name of "Disney's Animation Inn & Suites".

Rumour wise, the most credible rumour floating around is that this potential project could replace the formerly planned Legendary Years section of the Pop Century Resort.

Further updates or developments will be posted to this thread.

[TinkerbellT421]

That is very exciting! Thanks for the news!

[WDWFanatic]

Sounds like a great idea for the other side of Pop Century.

[January-2007]

I hope they don't end up changing the theme to the other side of the Pop Century resort, we were really looking forward to the cool stuff those decades would showcase.

[TheRustyScupper]

It makes good sense that this could be at POP.
. . . family suites at AS sell out quickly, and without discounting
. . . POP needs family suites
. . . easier to re-do an unfinished resort than rehab existing rooms

[JPL]

I would love to see them finish the other section of Pop no matter what they do there since it will be much nicer looking at a finished resort than the ghostly empty buildings. It sounds like a cool idea

[EeyoresBestFriend]

My only hope is that it will be offered to everyone not just as a DVC option.

Fingers crossed . . . .

[big blue and hairy]

If it is true about the Animation Inn going where the Pop Century Legendary Years was going to go, I guess they decided theming to years that old would not have mass appeal.

There was also a rumor about the Animation Inn being a Moderate level resort. Granted, it was from Jim Hill.

That brings me to another question. JHM claims that the All Stars have a higher occupancy rate than Pop Century. Weeeeelllll, if that is true, why do I always have trouble getting a room at Pop, but am usually told, we have the All Stars available... Sounds like another highly accurate post by Jim Hill...

[lockedoutlogic]

I'm going to guess that this is...in fact....where they're going with the POP segment unfinished...

but i bet it goes further....

POP has now been open for 5 years,....by the time anything gets off the ground...it will probably be more like 8....

I think the whole pop complex gets the overhaul....and they may...in fact....do tiered pricing to create a moderate/value hybrid.

That would be in their best interests going forward......and would create more flexible space in busier times and down times


I was at CBR during most of POP's construction....and it never seemed liked the theme would work.....never seemed like the Disney people working on it were convinced.....

Another Eisnerian shaky decision.....

they might just go ahead and make it more brand oriented.....as that never gets old to guests in orlando....unlike fussball and the rubic's cube

[Jasper]

And then again, if it is like so many other things that big companies do, this may not ever amount to anything at all. I know that many folks will comment about how expensive it is to build a mock up and then not go ahead with the project, but in the whole scheme of how much Disney spends in a year, the cost of a room mock up is negligible.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to see this happen as much as anyone, but until I see an official announcement I am going to hold off having any celebration!

[big blue and hairy]

An awful lot of people, me included, much prefer Pop to the All Stars. There is nothing wrong with the theming, other than the fact that's it's half a century.

It would seem to me to be a silly investment to retheme a resort that is very in demand. Like I said earlier, I've been told numerous times, "Pop is completely sold out, but we have rooms at All Star Sports and All Star Movies..." I just don't see where they're not successful. I could see using ther Animation theme for the other side of the lake, at which time it would be it's own resort. I hope it is a value resort, because althoug I've been told All Stars are available sometimes when Pop isn 't, I've also been told that no values are available.

[kakn7294]

Interesting! I'm excited to see how this plays out - hopefully whatever it is will be in my price range! If it does happen to be a finishing or retheming of POP, I think that would be great. I would be very angry if I had to stare at the unfinished buildings across the lake, even if I did pay a rock-bottom price.

[lockedoutlogic]

An awful lot of people, me included, much prefer Pop to the All Stars. There is nothing wrong with the theming, other than the fact that's it's half a century.

It would seem to me to be a silly investment to retheme a resort that is very in demand. Like I said earlier, I've been told numerous times, "Pop is completely sold out, but we have rooms at All Star Sports and All Star Movies..." I just don't see where they're not successful. I could see using ther Animation theme for the other side of the lake, at which time it would be it's own resort. I hope it is a value resort, because althoug I've been told All Stars are available sometimes when Pop isn 't, I've also been told that no values are available.

it's not to say that POP has been a failure....it's been good...i've stayed there a few times and enjoyed it....

But if one thing can be determined about the way things have been moving with Iger and Lassetter calling the shots....it's that characters are good.

After 35 years and all kinds of development.....they still don't have a 'disney" place to take the kids and stay....
They skirt around it....afraid not to turn anyone off.....but at some point....they'll just do it.

This could be it....

or it could be nothing, as others have rightly pointed out.


As far as POP being "more in deman"...i can give you a couple of possible explanations:

1. It's newer than All stars.....typically people will book newer hotels out of habit.
2. It's "closer" as deemed by the Weblic.....such as this board.
There has been a conscious 15 year campaign to paint AKL, Coronado, and All Stars as being located in far out, Disney purgatory....
That has had a cumulative effect on the "demand" for those locations

[Ian]

I've stayed at Pop a couple times and it's always felt like a Motel 6 to me.

Anything they can do to blow that out and upgrade it would be fine with me.

[pdrlkr]

Sounds cool! Thanks Jason!

[IloveDisney71]

I would love to see them finish the other section of Pop no matter what they do there since it will be much nicer looking at a finished resort than the ghostly empty buildings. It sounds like a cool idea

I totally agree.

[big blue and hairy]

it's not to say that POP has been a failure....it's been good...i've stayed there a few times and enjoyed it....

But if one thing can be determined about the way things have been moving with Iger and Lassetter calling the shots....it's that characters are good.

After 35 years and all kinds of development.....they still don't have a 'disney" place to take the kids and stay....
They skirt around it....afraid not to turn anyone off.....but at some point....they'll just do it.

This could be it....

or it could be nothing, as others have rightly pointed out.


As far as POP being "more in deman"...i can give you a couple of possible explanations:

1. It's newer than All stars.....typically people will book newer hotels out of habit.
2. It's "closer" as deemed by the Weblic.....such as this board.
There has been a conscious 15 year campaign to paint AKL, Coronado, and All Stars as being located in far out, Disney purgatory....
That has had a cumulative effect on the "demand" for those locations

For whatever reason, it seems to be more in demand. I can give you reasons why I prefer Pop over the All Stars. The decor is better, being four floors instead of three it's not as spread out for the amount of rooms, the food court and store are much nicer. All of that is opinion, of course, my point is just that I think it would be a foolish investment (unless it's a smaller investment that I realize) to re-do Pop. Putting the Animation Inn across the lake is certainly a cool idea. I just don't think they'd tear up the existing resort.

[Bethanymouse]

It doesnt surprise me that this would take over the lengendary years. They will have to be careful to style it somewhat different than the movies resorts. I think with the economy the way it is, the values are becoming more and more popular and probably necessary.

[Aggie97]

It sounds like a pretty cool theme to me!

[big blue and hairy]

Another positive about this I just thought of... If Animation Inn happens over ther and it's value, most people will want to stay at the new resort, and I can get a FREAKIN' ROOM AT POP.