So you’ve heard Art of Animation has these awesome suites…but now you have to pick between three fun themed options! With Lion King, Cars, and Finding Nemo themes, the Art of Animation suites are fan favorites that offer superfans of these movies just a little bit more. But if you’re on the fence, which suite is best? Read on to learn about the differences between the Art of Animation suites, including our pick for which is best!
About This Post and Related Posts
In this post we compare the three suite categories at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Art of Animation is a value hotel at Walt Disney World. We’ve reviewed the hotel, and its standard (non-suite) Little Mermaid rooms, separately here.
We also have reviews with more pictures and videos of each of the suite rooms here:
It’s worth noting that Art of Animation often has a generic “Family Suites” category available for booking. When you book this category, you’ll be assigned one of the three themes, subject to availability, when you check in. These are not separate different- or un-themed rooms.
Finally, while we have not yet reviewed them, there are Family Suites available at All Star Music resort, too. Those usually price about $150 less than the Art of Animation suites.
This post won’t talk more about Art of Animation generally (we’re fans, FWIW). Again, the hotel is covered in more detail in our review here. To compare the three suite types we’re going to focus on three aspects:
Pricing
Theming
Location
Let’s get to it.
Pricing of Art of Animation Suites
Generally speaking, the Finding Nemo suites are going to be $50-$60 per night more expensive than the Cars Suites and Lion King Suites. The “Family Suite” category is usually priced lower than the specific options. I think this post provides enough context for you to decide whether it’s worth it to “roll the dice” on those rooms, so I won’t discuss them further.
Looking at an October 2025 weekend, the nightly rates for the three themed options are:
Finding Nemo - $703
Lion King - $647
Cars - $647
So, when it comes to pricing, the win goes to both Cars and Lion King. Keep that in mind, because part of the context of this post is “are the Finding Nemo suites worth the higher price?”
Non-Factor: The Suites Themselves (Not Theme)
Besides them, the interiors of the suites are—as far as I can tell—identical. There’s no reason to expect any to have functionality the other two don’t. So, besides theme, all three options tie when it comes to room quality.
Theming of the Art of Animation Suites
This one is pretty easy for me, personally. I think the Lion King suites are a clear step below the Finding Nemo and Cars suites when it comes to theming. Between the Cars and Finding Nemo suites, I prefer the Cars option but I think the differences are so clear you’ll be fine deciding for yourself. This section has small galleries of all three options. More photos and videos are available in the individual reviews.
My problem with the Lion King suites is that they feel, for lack of a better term, too…tropical motel. These are heavy on pastel green, and the Lion King theming struggles to get deeper than “here’s some green, here’s some brown, those are natural savannah / jungle colors.”
I hope you’re laughing (“hahaha” - Simba laugh) and thinking “but the Nemo rooms are just BLUE!” This is true, but the pastel green hits me like every other “tropical”-themed hotel room I’ve ever seen, including too many in Florida. The Nemo (and Cars) rooms are a bit kitschy, too, but at least I can puff up my cheeks and pretend like I’m swimming in the Nemo rooms.
There’s simply something of a “wow” factor that hit me walking into the Nemo and Cars suites that I never felt in the Lion King suites. I’ll call this a tie for Nemo and Cars, with Lion King suites taking third.
Location of the Art of Animation Suites
Best to start with a map:
This is another one that’s fairly clearcut, and for all three options. The Finding Nemo suites have the best location. You’ll be between Animation Hall (the main building) and the Skyliner. You’ll be on either side of the Big Blue Pool (the main pool), the splash pad, and the playground.
Simply put, there’s nothing bad about this location other than that rooms facing the pool might not enjoy the noise (I can’t say how soundproof the windows are).
The Cars suites have the second best location. Like the Lion King suites, they are just to the side of Animation Hall, though the Lion King suites are slightly closer to the bus stop, and the Cars suites have an additional building that’s the most remote of the suite buildings.
But the Cars suites have an additional pool nearby—the Cozy Cone Pool. This more than makes up for any deficits the location might have compared to the Lion King suites, in my opinion.
So this one goes to the Finding Nemo suites, then Cars, then Lion King.
Which Art of Animation Family Suite is best?
Immediately, we can put the Lion King suites last. While I don’t avoid these rooms, I also don’t know that I’d be inclined to book them over, say, The Little Mermaid rooms or a room at Pop Century without really good reason, like actually having 5 or 6 people in my party. I can’t see myself “upgrading” to these rooms just for the experience.
On the other hand, if it weren’t for price, the Finding Nemo suites would be a clear winner. They took sole first when it came to location and tied for best (well, “not worst”, if we’re being honest) theme with the Cars suites. I’ll say that I’ll probably take a Finding Nemo suite, at its higher price, over a Lion King suite.
And the Cars Suites, with their not-Nemo location but their Cozy Cone pool and run theming, wind up in the middle.
So the question simplifies to are the Finding Nemo rooms worth the extra $50-$60 over the Cars suites? Or are the Cars suites really the “sweet” spot—being the better of the two less expensive options?
Personally, I would take the Cars suites over the Finding Nemo prices because of the price difference. The only caveat I’d add to this is that the extra walking from the Cars suites to the Skyliner and other amenities doesn’t bother me in the slightest. If anything, I prefer walking the exciting and fun grounds of Art of Animation for a few minutes each day.
One great thing about the Cars rooms is that I think you can pretty much look at the pictures and decide if they’re right for you. They work for me. I find the rooms to be a ton of fun. I find them to be a lot more fun than the Finding Nemo rooms which, as I alluded to earlier, strike me as sort of “just blue” sometimes.
Which is it for you? Ka-chow? The Pride Lands? Or do you Just Keep Swimming?
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