The Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are in the middle of a full refurbishment, and Disney has just given us our first real look at what’s coming to one of Walt Disney World‘s most unique accommodations.
Before getting into the new look, it’s worth appreciating just how much history these villas carry. The original Treehouse Villas first opened in 1975 as Treehouse Villas Accommodations at Lake Buena Vista with standalone units built on pedestals tucked into forested glens on Walt Disney World property. They operated for nearly three decades before closing in 2002, with a stint as part of The Disney Institute beginning in February 1996. After closing, the villas were repurposed to house international College Program students from November 2005 through January 2008. Then, following a major remodeling, they reopened in June 2009 under their current identity as Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
Now, more than 15 years after that reopening, they’re getting another significant update.
Walt Disney Imagineering released a video walking through the redesign process. The refreshed units lean into natural materials, organic color palettes, and detailed wood carvings that feel right at home in the treehouse setting. The design team drew inspiration from over 100 years of Disney animation history, including Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Fox and the Hound, Tangled, The Rescuers, and Sleeping Beauty.
The video also pulls back the curtain on how the Imagineering team approached the project from concept to construction. The process moved through three stages: a virtual model room where digital designs were built out in 3D to visualize the full space, a functional model room where the layout and guest interaction points were physically tested, and finally a contractor model room, which is the built-out physical reference that every subsequent villa update is based on.
The refurbishment is running in phases through mid-September 2026, which means the 60 standalone octagonal villas are being updated one cluster at a time. Guests can still book available units while others are under construction, with refreshed villas debuting over the next few months.
Watch the video below for the full first look:
The updated features are little love letters to classic Disney animation, and the treehouse setting seems like a perfect fit. But we want to know, what do you think of the new look? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
Header image: D23
