We also stayed in the Dalmation area. It is very close to the main building. We requested a room on the bottom floor. We had a four year old with us, and although there is an elevator, we didn't want to have to worry about stairs/elevator at the end of the day. Our room was on the back side. We didn't request it that way, but it was nice to not be on the main route for traffic.
People say that you need to fax your request in. I've never done this. They aren't going to guarantee your choice, but if you make the request and then call back and make sure it is on your reservation, I believe that they will try to accommodate you. I've gotten what I wanted both times. I think you will be happy with the dalmation buildings. All Star Movies is set up in a way that nothing is really to far away from the main building. At least that is how I saw it.
Be sure to walk to the Toy Story building and get some pictures. There are a lot of great photo ops there.
Also, I think that the curtains don't quite close. Since people walk by often, we used clothes pins to fasten our curtains closed at night so that no one could see in while walking by. Seeing me change would definitely not be considered "Disney Magic". There is also a clothes line in the bathroom that you can hang wet clothes on, so clothes pins are good. Sorry, that got a little off topic, but thought I'd throw it in there.
