Eight Reasons You’ll Love Pixar Place Hotel

The newest hotel at Disneyland Resort opened this year.

Okay, technically, this place opened in 1984, but Disney didn’t own it then.

Your favorite company acquired the former Pan Pacific Hotel in 1995 and then renamed it multiple times.

During the past year, Disney re-themed the property to make it decidedly more thematic in nature.

Now, this hotel should be on your bucket list as one of the best places to stay at The Happiest Place on Earth.

Here are eight reasons why you’ll love Pixar Place Hotel.

The Theming

Close your eyes and envision your favorite Pixar movie.

What’s the first image that pops into your head?

No matter how you respond, every answer shares a similarity.

Bright colors define the entire setting.

Whether you’re remembering Woody and Buzz, the Incredibles, or that unforgettable moment in WALL-E with the outer space zero gravity rescue, it’s all the same.

Pixar movies employ shapes and colors to support heartwarming stories that have defined 30 years of animated mastery.

Pixar Place Hotel takes that premise and uses it as a design strategy.

You’ll notice this when you approach the hotel lobby, where the promenade includes several colorful squares, circles, and rectangles.

Inside the lobby, you’ll notice hanging mobiles of your favorite characters, artfully recreated as stained-glass shapes.

When you stay at this hotel, you’re experiencing a condensed version of the entire Pixar catalog.

You’ll smile each time you walk through your hotel.

The Charming Lobby

I already mentioned one part of the lobby, but there’s plenty more to find here, such as the wall-sized murals from films such as Cars, Monsters, Inc., Inside Out, and WALL-E.

There’s even a delightful sitting area where one wall uses fuzzy illustrations of Finding Nemo characters to provide comfort while you relax.

You’ll also find statues of various Pixar characters and other murals, some of which include computer-rendered images of characters like Mei, Edna Mode, and Remy.

The visuals paint a clear picture of how a single image becomes a computer-generated moving picture in the Pixar style.

This lobby is far from Art History 101, though. It’s an inviting space that extends the Disney bubble to your hotel.

The store is even named STOR-E. How great is that?

Fittingly, there’s an area in STOR-E where children can color in the store and express their artistic creativity.

Finally, don’t miss the hotel elevator! It makes you believe that balloons are elevating you high in the air a la Up.

The Childhood Friend

You’ll find a unique character at Pixar Place Hotel.

When I say unique, this character has only appeared in one Pixar film, even though the movie had a sequel.

While Riley outgrew Bing-Bong, the rest of us never did.

Thankfully, hotel management kept us in mind when planning the resort.

You can hang out with Bing-Bong at the hotel, making this location the only place that can currently say that in the entire world.

Disney created this character greeting exclusively for Pixar Place Hotel.

The Familiar Pianist

Joe Gardner won our hearts in the movie Soul.

As the pianist finally got his big break, he had a chance to show a famous jazz singer what he could do.

Alas, the floor fell out from under Joe, which led him on a long adventure that determined what happened to his soul.

If you’ve watched the film, you know that the soul of a jazz musician never leaves, as their art defines them.

So, Joe plays some smooth jazz just off the hotel lobby in the afternoon and evening to hone his craft.

This is legitimately one of the best things Disney does at any of its American resorts.

You’ll want to make time for this performance.

The Game Court

Imagine if some of your favorite Pixar shorts became life-sized outdoor games.

That’s what you’ll find at Pixar Shorts Court by the rooftop pool.

Disney has themed four different competitive games to some of its most memorable short films.

For example, you could play Bao Toss, Follow the Leader, themed to For the Birds, or Shuffleboard, themed to La Luna.

There’s even a Burrow-based game named Burrow Path.

Once you’re done with this activity and need a break, you can snack and grab a drink while sitting under the shade at Blue Umbrella.

This place is like living inside the world of some of Pixar’s best shorts.

The Maple Dining

Disney introduced a new restaurant as part of the conversion to Pixar Place Hotel.

This place doesn’t feature a Pixar theme, though.

Instead, it’s a popular Southern California restaurant named Great Maple.

Walt Disney World can think of this as the West Coast’s answer to Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’.

I say that because three of the signature dishes are buttermilk fried chicken, cheddar biscuit benedict, and maple bacon donuts.

I will tell you now that you NEED to order the maple bacon donuts.

This place has quickly become one of the most popular restaurants on the Disneyland campus.

After one bite, you’ll totally understand why.

The Secret Path

One of the most important aspects of staying at Disney resorts is that you receive better logistics.

Disney improves your ability to get to and from the parks as efficiently as possible.

This is especially true at Pixar Place Hotel, as a walking path guides you directly toward a hidden entrance at Disney California Adventure.

You can exit the lobby of the hotel and be at security in five minutes.

I’m not joking. Even if you want to take your time and walk slowly, it will probably take less than ten minutes.

This path alone justifies a stay at Pixar Place Hotel.

The Splash Pad

Fittingly, Disney has themed Pixel Pool and the splashpad to include Finding Nemo elements.

You’ll notice Crush ready to have a good time on the waterslide, which is a sure sign of fun to come.

After all, that century-old turtle is an adrenaline junkie!

Beneath him is the pool and lounge area, plus a splashpad that your kids will adore.

Named Nemo’s Cove, it features bright colors, familiar characters, and lots of sprinkling fountains.

So, parents traveling with children can park their kids in this area while enjoying a beverage and lounging by the pool.

As an FYI, Pixel Pool does have cabana rentals.

They even include interactive HDTVs where you can cast media from your phone.

So, you have plenty of phenomenal reasons to stay at Pixar Place Hotel!

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