First off congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!
If you are staying at Riviera, Art of Animation, Disney's Pop Century, or Caribbean Beach, then the busses don't run to Hollywood Studios or Epcot as long as the Skyliner is up and running. The busses still run to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs and the water parks.
If you are going to stay at any of the resorts, then the Quick Service locations will have typical American fare, like burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and other things as well. Is your son into pools or water parks? I would think about staying at one of the crescent lake resorts, either the Boardwalk, Beach Club or Yacht Club. If your son likes pools, then Storm Along Bay is going to be great for him, and if not, then The Boardwalk is a great place for you guys to stay with a Boardwalk view room since it is your 25th Anniversary.
The food options at one of these resorts are going to be a good thing for your family from the sounds of it. For your son, you can go to Beaches and Cream, which has typical American Diner style food, the Boardwalk has their own pizza window available, and Trattoria Al Forno has classic Italian-American food (chicken parm, lasagna, pasta etc.). For you guys, you can go to Flying Fish or Yachtsman Steakhouse for your Anniversary, even Trattoria Al Forno has some good food. They are centrally located so generally wherever you stay you are going to be somewhat close to the main building without having to walk through a big resort.
I don't know if sound or crowded places are an issue with your son, but if they are and you are looking to stay at one of the monorail resorts, then Polynesian is going to be the loudest and most busy, followed by Contemporary and then Grand Floridian so that might be something to keep in mind. I found Contemporary to be slightly less loud than Poly whenever I was in it. One other option I would consider would be Boulder Ridge or Copper Creek (Wilderness Lodge Resorts), as the food options there are a bit more American style with Geyser Point having a great burger, and Whispering Canyon having classic American BBQ (it can be a bit loud at times, and is one of those restaurants where the waiters cnan be a bit much, but you can ask them to tone it down), and there is also Storybook Dining at Artists Point, plus it is a quietish resort. Copper Creek is located directly in the main building as well so you aren't going to be walking around a whole bunch.
Seeing the animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge can sometimes be a hit or miss obviously, but you are more likely to see animals from your room at Jambo House as, IIRC, all of those rooms face the Savanna. One thing I would recommend is to book through
DVCrentalstore.com or davids vacation club and save some money compared to booking direct through Disney if you choose AKL, Contemporary, Boardwalk , Beach Club or the two Wilderness Lodge Resorts (any of the DVC resorts really).
