Pixar Place Hotel Celebrates Storytelling While Making You Feel Like a Guest

Disney has a different way of making you feel like a guest at one of their hotels. And with the new opening of the Pixar Place Hotel, they can expect to be fully immersed in the creation and production of their favorite Pixar films, all the while feeling like a character in one of those stories.

This isn’t the first time that this location has received a facelift and remodel from Disney. It orginally opened as the Emerald Hotel of Anaheim in 1984. When the building was acquired by Disney in 1995, the company changed its name to Disneyland Pacific Hotel, as the park expanded into a resort. Later when Disney opened Disney California Adventure in 2001, it was renamed Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. Then in 2021, it was announced that the hotel would undergo another reimagining and be turned into the Pixar Place Hotel.

Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., weaves the artistry of Pixar into a comfortable and contemporary setting where guests gain a new perspective on some of their favorite Pixar worlds and characters. Through carefully curated artwork and décor, Pixar Place Hotel evokes the inspiration and humor that goes into every Pixar film, while celebrating the artistic process. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

The bones of the 15-story hotel remains the same, however, it will have more of a Pixar spirit to it as everything from the lobby, atrium, hallways, floors, pools, fitness centers, and front desk will be adorned with characters from your favorite Pixar films like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Coco, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Turning Red, and other Pixar characters.

A sculpture of the iconic Pixar Ball and Lamp welcomes guests at the front lobby entrance of Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., with an abstract mobile of Pixar characters floating from the skylight above. (Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort)

Guests walking into the lobby will first notice how the sliding doors have characters in squares. When the doors slide open, they will pair some of those characters together. So if Wade and Ember are on opposite ends, they well eventually meet when the doors open. As guests walk in, they will see the Pixar Place Hotel’s pièce de résistance: the Pixar Lamp bouncing on the Luxo ball. Mobiles of Pixar characters in abstract form are suspended right above it. Their colors give it a special kind of shimmer.

At select times, Joe Gardner from Pixar’s “Soul” drops by the hotel lobby to play piano for passing guests at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Joe Gardner gets lost in the music surrounded by deep purple walls and drawings of jazz musicians and counselors from “The Great Before.” (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

Before you check-in at the front desk, you might hear Joe Garner play some jazz. He is in a different part of the lobby and will be one of the Pixar characters that you can find at the hotel. And if he isn’t playing, then you’ll hear some familiar themes played to the tune of chill hop.

Guests may encounter Bing Bong from Pixar’s film “Inside Out” at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., where he makes his worldwide debut and first appearance at any Disney property. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

Bing Bong will also make his debut at the Pixar Place Hotel. Giant concept art and character wireframes of Turning Red‘s Mei Mei, Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear, The Incredible‘s Enda Mode, and Ratatouille‘s Remy can be found. The lobby itself is dedicated to celebrating all art forms of Pixar films, from their iconic “awakening” looks to the concept art that you would find in “The Art of” books. And if you are staying, watch your step as 16 silhouettes of Pixar friends randomly embedded in the porcelain tiles. This is supposed to be a nod to the floor at Pixar Studios in Emeryville, CA.

With whimsical nods to Pixar Animation Studios such as lighting reminiscent of the Pixar Lamp and pillows inspired by the Pixar Ball, guests can enjoy themed guest rooms in a comfortable and contemporary setting at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. (Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort)

There are several different room and view types you can choose from. One room we got to preview can sleep up to five, and is directly connected to the pool, making it easier for guests to access. More on the pool later. The suites can sleep up to ten. Both the basics when it comes to bedding and sheets. There are Luxo Bloster Pillows, and the blankets have Luxo balls woven into them. The headboards will also feature Pixar concept art. And if you look down, you’ll see the the Pixar lamp woven into the carpet. There are also Lamp lighting fixtures, “The Art of Pixar” books, and Pixar character illustrations made just for the hotel decorating the space.

Opening in early March, Small Bytes will offer salads, wraps, assorted cheese plates, signature beverages and more on the rooftop deck at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Adjacent to the Pixar Shorts Court, it will feature pixel-art style portraits of 22 Pixar characters. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

Over at the third-floor pool deck, guests can find an assortment of wet and dry fun. Families can play shuffleboard, cornhole, and follow the leader over the Pixar Shorts Court. These games are inspired by Bao, La Luna, Burrow, and For the Birds.

Hungry guests can head over to Small Bytes, where they can chow down on sweet and savory eats like pizza bagels or a limoncello float – fyi, you can ask for an alcoholic version of this. Now if you want to cool down on a hot summer day, then you might want to hit the Pixar pool. Not too far from the pool is Nemo’s Cove, a Finding Nemo-themed splash pad where inexperienced swimmers can have aquatic fun without having to worry about getting into the water.

And if it is still too hot, guests can find shade underneath one of the cabanas – which have to be reserved in advance – or “The Blue Umbrella.” the third-floor pool deck is also one of the best places to watch the Disneyland Resort fireworks. And you can enjoy that nighttime experience while sitting by one of your favorite hotheads, like Inside Out‘s Anger, The Incredible‘s Jack-Jack, and Elemental‘s Ember, all of whom have been reimagined into fire pits.

Modern American eatery Great Maple operates a flagship restaurant on the first floor of Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Great Maple specializes in upscale comfort food, serving fresh takes on American classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

There are also elegant yet simple eats that can be found at the Great Maple Restaurant and Sketch Pad Cafe. And former won’t be completely disconnected by the hotel, as patrons will be able to find black and white photos of their favorite Pixar characters who appear to be in deep thought.

The gift shop STOR-E at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., offers Pixar-themed apparel and toys, plus more Disneyland Resort souvenirs and sundries. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)

Stor-E, is Pixar Place Hotel’s gift shop is a play on the word story and inspired by Wall-E. Guests will be able to find even more concept art on the wall, some of which may be available for purchase as well as other Pixar apparel and toys, and Disneyland Resort souvenirs and sundries.

It should be noted that guests staying at the hotel who plan on going to the park have the option of going to either park 30 minutes before it opens its gates to the public. That means you get to have an entire half-hour taking the rides before they get crammed with long lines.