ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney World's Art of Animation resort opens
The Art of Animation is the newest place to stay at Walt Disney World.
The multimillion dollar project is the first new hotel there in 10 years.
With all the fanfare expected from Disney, the Art of Animation resort officially opened for business on Wednesday.
The resort has four areas themed after four Disney stories: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.
The experience for guests starts in the lobby, where there are original sketches of Disney characters as they morph into the images that were in the films.
"When they get here, they'll immediately notice how immersed they are in the worlds of our Disney animated films," said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World operations.
But for Central Florida, the resort is more than another place for tourists.
The resort also created hundreds of jobs.
"We had 800 jobs we created as we built the resort first of all, for two years, and now we're in the middle of hiring 750 cast members," said Walt Disney World Vice President Kevin Myers.
The property will open throughout the year in phases, starting with the Nemo part of the park, which also includes the largest pool of any Disney resort.
By Sept, 15, Disney expects the entire resort to be up and running with about 2,000 rooms and suites.
WFTV
