Art of Animation vs Pop Century (2026)

Disney's Art of Animation Resort seen from outside — Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Disney's Pop Century Resort seen from outside — Disney's Pop Century Resort

The short answer

These two sit across a lake from each other and share a Skyliner station, so transport is identical. Two things set them apart. Art of Animation has family suites that sleep six, where Pop Century's rooms sleep four, and it scores 7 out of 10 for things to do against Pop's 4. Pop Century is about $40 a night cheaper on average. If there are five or six of you, it's already decided: one suite beats two rooms. If there are four of you and budget is the point, Pop Century is the better value.

Choose Art of Animation if there are five or six of you, or your kids are young enough that the theming is part of the fun.

Choose Pop Century if there are four or fewer of you, you want the Skyliner, and you'd rather put the difference toward park days.

Pop Century is about $43 a night cheaper on average, about $301 over a seven-night stay.

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Side by side

Category	Art of Animation	Pop Century
Nightly rate, on average	$281	$238
Sleeps	6	4
Pools	5 / 10	4 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	7 / 10	6 / 10	7.7
Things to do on site	7 / 10	4 / 10	7.0
Suits toddlers	9 / 10	7 / 10	7.4
Suits ages 4 to 6	10 / 10	7 / 10	7.3
Suits ages 7 to 13	3 / 10	2 / 10	5.9
Themed rooms	7 / 10	0 / 10
Overall average	6.9 / 10	4.3 / 10

Averaged across the scored categories, Art of Animation wins by 2.6 points, 6.9 against 4.3 out of ten. That is a summary and not the answer: a single line you care about can outweigh it. Green marks the better of the two on that line. Counts of restaurants, bars and beds are quantities, not scores. The average across all 32 resorts is pools 7.0, splash pads 7.7, things to do 7.0.

The case for each

Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Value · about $281 a night on average · family suites sleep 6

GoodThe family suites sleep six, with two bathrooms and a kitchenette, the cheapest way to keep a family of six together on the Skyliner. It also has the most immersive theming of any Value resort, scoring 7 for themed rooms against Pop Century's 0.

Less goodThe pool scores 5 and there's no waterslide. Ages 7 to 13 score 3 out of 10, so older kids won't find much for them. One food court and no sit-down restaurant.

Pick this one if: there are five or six of you, or your kids are young enough that the theming is part of the fun.

Dining on siteLandscape of Flavors food court and one bar. No sit-down restaurant.

What there is to do on siteScores 7 out of 10, level with the average of 7.0 out of 10: the Fish Are Friends aquarium craft, a mosaic craft, nighttime trivia six nights a week and a nightly campfire at Pride Rock.

Disney's Pop Century Resort

Value · about $238 a night on average · sleeps 4

GoodThe cheapest way onto the Skyliner, at about $238 a night on average, about $40 less than Art of Animation. The rooms were refreshed more recently, and the resort is a single loop, so nothing's a long walk.

Less goodThings to do scores 4 out of 10, tied with Caribbean Beach for the lowest on property. Rooms sleep four, so a family of five needs two. The pool scores 4, the lower of the two, and there's no waterslide.

Pick this one if: there are four or fewer of you, you want the Skyliner, and you'd rather put the difference toward park days.

Dining on siteEverything Pop food court and one bar. No sit-down restaurant.

What there is to do on siteScores 4 out of 10, tied with Caribbean Beach for the lowest on property: a campfire, movies under the stars, an arcade, a playground and a jogging trail.

Neither is a good fit for a grown-ups-only trip. Both score 1 out of 10 on our adults measure, and neither has a sit-down restaurant or a waterslide. These are resorts for families with young kids on a budget, and both are good at that. Pool and splash pad scores are our judgment, and room sizes and rates come from Disney.

Your family will rank these differently

Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the order. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.

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Resort sold out for your dates? Set a room alert and we will email you when one opens.

Common questions

Is Art of Animation or Pop Century better?

Art of Animation if there are five or six of you, or if you want more for the kids to do on site: it scores 7 out of 10 for activities against Pop Century's 4. Pop Century if there are four of you and you'd like to spend about $40 a night less.

Do both have the Skyliner?

Yes. They face each other across Hourglass Lake and share a Skyliner station, so getting to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is the same from both.

Which is better for toddlers?

Art of Animation: it scores 9 out of 10 for under-fours against Pop Century's 7, and a full 10 for ages 4 to 6 against 7. Its pool scores 5 against 4 and its splash pads 7 against 6.

Are the family suites worth it?

If there are five or six of you, yes. A suite at Art of Animation sleeps six, with two bathrooms and a kitchenette, and it's the cheapest way to keep a family of six together on the Skyliner. All-Star Music's family suites cost less, with a bus instead.