Pop Century is a Wonderfully Weird Resort that Disney Would Never Build Today

It’s time to POP!

There are nearly 20 Disney-owned hotels at Disney World, ranging from Deluxe resorts like the Grand Floridian to Moderate-level properties like the Caribbean Beach Resort, and finally the cheapest Value-level resorts. Over the course of my time visiting Walt Disney World, I’ve been lucky enough to stay at at least one hotel in each of these tiers, and – – believe it or not – – my absolute favorite is at the value level, and it’s a hotel Disney would NEVER build again: Pop Century!

The story of Pop Century really begins in the early 1990s, as the Michael Eisner and Frank Wells-led Walt Disney Company entered what they thought would be their crowning achievement: the Disney Decade. This period was marked by a slew of ambitious projects – – some of which were built, the majority of which were not – – designed to expand Disney’s resort footprints around the world. One of the key focuses? Hotels, specifically at Disney World.

When Eisner and Wells had taken over leadership of the company in 1984, there were only four Disney-owned accommodations at Walt Disney World: The Polynesian Village Resort, the Contemporary Resort, the Fort Wilderness Campground, and the hotel then known as the Disney Inn (which was later sold to the U.S. Government, and currently operates as the armed forces-exclusive Shades of Green). The duo, keen to keep guests on Walt Disney World property longer with projects like the Disney/MGM Studios and Pleasure Island, decided to change that.

They opened both the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and the Caribbean Beach Resort in 1988, the latter of which launched what we now know as the Moderate tier. Over the next few years, the company opened several more hotels, including the Old Key West Resort, the Beach Club Resort, the Yacht Club Resort, and the current Port Orleans Resort (which at the time was two separate hotels: the original Port Orleans was built as Dixie Landings). However, that wasn’t enough.

Eisner and Wells decided to go further, creating the Value tier to appeal to cost-conscious families and consumers. In 1994, Disney opened the All-Star Sports and All-Star Music Resorts. As opposed to the heavily-themed preexisting Disney hotels, these designs featured buildings made up of motel-style open hallway rooms surrounding a central lobby building and several pools. Each building featured massive icons such as a football helmet at Sports or musical instruments at Movies. The hotels were a massive success, and a third value resort – – All-Star Movies – – with a similar design opened in 1999.

Planning for the fourth value resort began in the late 1990s and called for something slightly different. While the general concept – – motel-style buildings surrounded by massive icons – – would remain the same, the new hotel would be a supersized version of the others. The hotel would feature two sets of buildings separated by a massive body of water. On one side of Hour Glass Lake would sit buildings themed the 1950s-1990s (the Classic Years), while the other featured the 1900s through the 1940s (the Legendary Years). The properties would be linked by the Generation Gap Bridge.

Construction began in the early 2000s, with plans for the Classic Years to open in December 2001, while the Legendary Years would follow shortly thereafter. However, that wasn’t meant to be. Due to the catastrophic terrorist attacks of September 11th and their massive effect it had on tourism, the opening of Pop Century was delayed while work on the Legendary Years was outright halted.

As the travel downturn continued into 2002, the opening of the Classic Years portion of Pop Century was repeatedly delayed several more times, while the Legendary Years portion sat half-built and untouched at this point. (SPOILER: we’ll circle back there soon enough.)

Despite these construction setbacks, the hotel finally opened in December 2003, and to elder millennials like myself (I first stayed at the hotel on a family vacation the following summer at the age of 16) it was magnificent. The hotel, like the Disney company itself did during the late 1990s, embraced popular culture. Each of its themed decade areas were represented my massive pieces of pop cultural ephemera that represented more how each decade was viewed pop culturally at the time than they did then they did accurate history. These include bowling pins and jukeboxes for the 50s, hippy counterculture for the 1960s, 8-Track tapes and toys for the 1970s, a Walkmen and Rubik’s Cube for the 1980s, and a massive computer for the 1990s.

This theming was – – and is – – a treat for those of us who enjoy examining pop culture through a sociological lens. However, it’s also something Disney would likely NEVER do again. Why? Well, for starters, there’s very little Disney intellectual property at the hotel. There are a few massive Disney icons (these include Lady & the Tramp in the 1950s area, Jungle Book characters in the 1960s, a gigantic replica of the classic Mickey Mouse phone in the 1970s area, and Roger Rabbit in the 1980s, and a massive laptop trend to Disney’s GO.com homepage in the 1990s) however they’re more supporting aspects of the overall decade narratives than they are the central focus.

On top of that, there are many theming elements including massive icons that represent products like Play Doh, which are owned by other companies, and general concepts like the 1960s counterculture that Disney has no stake in.

Given the modern Disney company’s push to infuse everything with IP they own at the forefront, it seems highly unlikely that they would ever build an entire hotel build around pop culture and intellectual property that they don’t fully own and control.

Due to its value-level prices – – and I’d argue its unique theme – – Pop Century was a success during its initial years, to the point that many wondered when Disney would complete the Legendary Years portion of the hotel, and finally complete the initial vision. Rumors continuously spread amongst the fan community that work was imminent, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be.

In 2010, Disney announced that the previous Legendary Years – – including the remnants of its partially constructed buildings – – would be reconstructed into the new Art of Animation Resort. This new Value tier hotel would eschew the pop cultural theme and – – surprise surprise – – be based on Disney IP, specifically four of Disney and Pixar’s most popular films: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. The hotel opened in 2012, with the Generation Gap Bridge being the only link between them.

In 2017, Pop Century underwent a massive renovation that modernized its rooms and grounds, while 2019 saw the opening of a Disney Skyliner station on the bridge to serve both Pop Century and Art of Animation.

Pop Century remains one of Disney World’s most popular hotels – – and in case it was obvious, my personal favorite – – even with its tumultuous history, and a theme Disney would arguably likely attempt again. Stay tuned to AllEars for more deep dives on Walt Disney World history.

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What are your thoughts on Pop Century? Let us know in the comments below.

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