Resort Rundown: Disney’s All-Star Movies Overview

Lights, Camera, Action! For many Disney visitors looking to save some money without missing out on the magic of staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel, All-Star Movies might be a box office hit. One of the first Disney Value hotels ever built, the All-Star Resort hotels marked a new era in Walt Disney World owned and operated hotels. Prior to this resort the Value category did not exist. The theme of Disney’s All-Star Movies is the most popular of the three All-Star Resort Hotels. You’ll be surrounded by Disney characters and larger than life movie moments. For many, it is a great choice allowing families to keep a tight budget, but still surround themselves with Disney touches.

Location

Being a Value resort, the location can seem less than desirable. Disney’s All-Star Resorts is located on the western side of Walt Disney World property. The three hotels are located next to each other as one large complex: Movies, Music, and Sports. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is super close by, just over five minutes via Disney’s complimentary bus transportation.

There aren’t any theme parks or attractions within a safe walking distance, though there is a McDonald’s that at the time of this publication is being completely redone. It is located just outside the entrance of the All-Star Resort and is the only remaining instance of McDonald’s on Disney property.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach is just down the road, almost walkable. The remaining theme parks and attractions are about 10 minutes away with Disney Springs and Magic Kingdom being the furthest distance from this hotel.

Rooms

The rooms at Disney’s All-Star Movies were renovated from part of 2018 through part of 2019. Some guests critiqued the new design as being too generic and lacking Disney touches, while others enjoy the cleaner lines and modern touches. There are Disney touches in the wall decorations, as well as the backboard of the pull-down bed. As a Value resort, the rooms are small, 260 square feet, but make fairly efficient use of space.

Rooms will have either one king bed or two queen beds – one of which is a pull-down bed that is a table with chairs when not in use. This new pull-down bed provides much-needed floor space when not in use. There’s also a flat panel TV with a dresser underneath, a beverage chiller / mini-fridge, and a bathroom with shower and tub combination and a separate sink area. The shower / tub combination now has a glass door rather than a traditional shower curtain, giving a little more space in the bathroom.

The buildings have exterior hallways so you’ll enter your room from the outside. There are two room types, Standard and Preferred. The Preferred rooms feature a closer proximity to the main building at which the lobby, food court, merchandise shop, and bus stop are located. There are no view types; rooms can overlook the parking lot, courtyards, or pool, though the Preferred Rooms do not have parking lot views. You can use the TouringPlans Room Finder to help you narrow down the exact room location you would like. Plug in your preferences and find rooms that match your needs. Then when you make your reservations and check in you can request your desired rooms. This tool is free to use!

Take a tour of a guest room at Disney’s All-Star Movies in our video:

Dining

Value resorts are a little skimpy on dining options, in fact, there is just one food court counter service at each one, and one poolside bar. The counter service option at All-Star Movies, World Premiere Food Court, has a nice variety of choices in its food court style setup. The dining locations at All-Star Resorts have started to feature specialty cupcakes and other treats to enhance their offerings. The Silver Screen Spirits Pool Bar is a decent place to grab a cold one, with seating around the bar outside, and an ordering window inside the food court.  When you’re ready to just relax in your room you can opt for pizza delivery.

You can also walk to Disney’s All-Star Music and All-Star Sports to visit their counter service locations, which are very similar, but have different menus.

Pools

At All-Star Movies you can splash around in the feature pool (the Fantastia pool) or the smaller, quieter pool (Duck Pond pool, themed after The Mighty Ducks). A kiddie pool is also part of the feature pool area. There isn’t much to the pools here, but they are a nice place to relax and take a break from the parks. The Fantasia Pool features a Sorcerer Mickey-themed fountain, a popular photo opportunity.

Recreation

Guests can also enjoy movies under the stars at each of the All-Star hotels. Each hotel plays a different movie each night so if All-Star Movies isn’t playing a movie you are interested in then you can check out Music or Sports. A regular playground helps kids get out any energy they have left. You can jog or run along the walkways and jogging trail throughout the entirety of the All-Star Resort hotels. An arcade is fun for kids and adults as it a mix of a few classic games, but mostly new ones.

Transportation

Complimentary bus transportation is the only option for any of the theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. There is one large bus stop for each All-Star hotel (Movies, Music, and Sports). Sometimes the hotels share buses but often the resorts are so busy that this is not the case.

More Information

It is worth noting that all of the All-Star hotels are very popular with youth groups, youth sporting groups, and travel tour groups. These resorts can get very busy and sometimes feel chaotic and loud. Just something to be aware of.

We sure ran through a lot of information about Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, so here’s a handy-dandy infographic that sums it all up: