Pop Century & Art Of Animation – My (Unofficial) Disney World Guide

Disney advertises Pop Century and Art of Animation as separate resorts, but I consider them as more or less the same resort: both resorts share a Skyliner station, often share the same Magical Express bus, and Art of Animation was actually once intended to be part of the Pop Century resort.

I liked this YouTube clip of Art of Animation resort.

Both of these resorts are similar to the All Star set of resorts: as Value resorts, they have limited amenities: multiple pools, arcades, and a fast food restaurant. The fast food restaurant (Landscape of Flavors restaurant in Art of Animation; Everything POP in Pop Century) are set up as food court stations: one station serves burgers, another serves pizza, yet another serves healthier fare such as chicken tikka masala, etc.

A view of Pop Century’s restaurant, Everything POP.

The real selling point for Art of Animation and Pop Century is the Skyliner station. Skyliner is a gondola system that carries you high above Disney World to either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Instead of taking the bus transportation (which are still available for free transport to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom), Skyliner can take you from Art of Animation/Pop Century to Epcot in 20 minutes, or to Hollywood Studios in just over 10 minutes.

View of Skyliner travel from Art of Animation/Pop Century’s shared Skyliner station to Hollywood Studios. At the beginning of the movie, note that Art of Animation is on the left side of the lake (note the blue colored buildings) and Pop Century is on the right shore.

I love these two resorts because Skyliner is a great perk: you can quickly return to your resort in the middle of the day, eat/nap/swim, and then return to the parks for fireworks. The fast food restaurants are a big plus as well: food comes out fast, freshly prepared, and delicious: there’s very little waiting. I’ve stayed in Deluxe resorts such as Animal Kingdom Lodge, and there are honestly times I miss Art of Animation/Pop Century restaurants because deluxe resorts are often slower in serving fast food compared to the Value resorts.

Recommendation: Both Art of Animation and Pop Century are great resorts to pick if you spend most of your time in the theme parks, or want to save your dollars. Art of Animation (AoA) has family suites if you’re bringing a big group (more than 4), and it has the largest pool on Disney grounds. For AoA, if you want a family suite, ask for a Finding Nemo-branded suite; otherwise ask for a Little Mermaid themed room. For Pop Century, ask for a room in the “60s” buildings – they’re the closest to the Skyliner station.