AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

I was watching a video of JTTCOTE at TDS the other day and was thinking about how much the glowing flora resembled Avatar....

RadioHead said:

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Such an innovative landscape, it has an almost Roger Dean on a Yes album cover quality.

Perhaps Yes can do the area music.

RadioHead said:

Yes it's a bunch of pretty trees and rivers, but to me I see disney approaching a very unique alien esq atmosphere. It'll be as if we've been transported into another world. They can create elaborate abstract trees and plants and whatnot. They really have no limit as to what they can do with the land scape.

Plus this will give a huge reason as to why it should be open late.

Imagine this landscape, fluorescent, and glowing. Wow.

But that's just me. I understand where your coming from though....

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another world full of trees and rivers. It's really not much of a stretch in terms of construction.

some of you dont think this wouldnt be awesome to walk through in the center of pandora?

The Board Nazis are Out

You have to be careful what you say, or the Board Gestapo will go after you.

God forbid if you aren't a senior member and say something or post something that they would rather not read...then they will attack you with venom.

Bring it on ladies!

Rumor has it the next expansion at DAK will be for Cameron's "The Abyss".

stitchcastle said:

another world full of trees and rivers. It's really not much of a stretch in terms of construction.

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You'd rather something different in a park that's supposed to be about nature?

Thessair said:

I fully understand some people's excitement even if I don't share it. However, just because something is the highest grossing film of all time it doesn't mean it's GOOD. It just means it's popular. I guess that will translate into dollars at the gate but I still think they could have chosen something with a little more proven staying power to go with.

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Whether a movie is good or not is a matter of personal taste. I tend to think that if people spend their money to see the same movie multiple times like Avatar, then they must have thought it was pretty good.

I thought Avatar was decent - not great; and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn't get over-hyped. But it was definitely entertaining, and I think the theme of the movie fits perfectly with Animal Kingdom.

I can't wait to see what they come up with. Maybe I can visit Animal Kingdom in the future and NOT be ready to leave by noon.

cynic710 said:

some of you dont think this wouldnt be awesome to walk through in the center of pandora?

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Heck ya it would be!!

Isn't this the movie where the human dude gets it on and does it with the blue chick? I hope that experience is included in one of the NEXGEN Meet and Greets. I'll be getting a FP for that one.

Master Yoda said:

The entire theme of this movie was conservation. How does this not fit in at AK? Besides they have loads more room at AK.

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I get the "doesn't fit with AK" argument. I don't necessarily agree with it. But AK is (I thought) about the animals (both real and imaginary) and nature of our planet... BUT, this still works in my book.

Tigger1988 said:

Kids don't know the film exists because Disney won't release it on video. How is that anywhere near a valid comparison?

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I've always wondered why they just don't release it with a Foreward by Leonard Maltin reminding us that "it was a different time back then" and "remember that things that are considered racial epitaphs today were generally accepted in the time period that this film portrays."

MAF said:

I couldn't agree more. The movie was way overhyped and frankly I thought it was boring. I know Disney thinks this will be the answer to Harry Potter, but I just wish they chose a franchise that I actually cared about. Oh well, I'm sure they'll come up with something "neat".

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It's not about the storyline though and the quotes from Iger hit on that. It's about the World that was created for the film. Who cares if the film was "overhyped". It is still the highest grossing film today and has a lush and wonderous world that will fit well thematically with Animal Kingdom. I hope that the Imagineers are allowed to expand on the universe and create attraction(s) based on their own interpretation and expansion, not just what we've seen or will see in the films. If this is the case then there is literally a world of possibilities here.

DisneyInsider said:

Whoa...how did this not get picked up earlier by any insiders.

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Actually...it kinda did.
It was told to me about a month and a half ago....I simply didn't believe it.

I will take this opportunity to apologize to the imagineer who told me. Sorry I didn't believe you and sorry for any four letter words I may have let fly in your direction.

AtHomeBoy_2000 said:

Via InsideTheMagic: The project is said to cost around the same as the Cars Land expansion of Disney California Adventure, around $200 million.

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Forget than number. Radiator Springs alone is costing double that.

Bairstow said:

Wonder why they didn't drop this at D23...

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It wasn't done.

Scuttle said:

I was thinking the same thing. It made no sense at all when Iger was spotted at AK 3 weeks after he was in town for the Star Tours opening. I posted my opinion a few months ago and was shot down by Lee, but I think this has been what the lockdown at WDI has been about and obviously they did a good job since none of our insiders knew.

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Yes. Very likely why he was at AK. (But not his only reason for being at the resort.)
This was a very well kept secret. Nothing was on the radar about it at all.

My only tip off, as I mentioned above, was an email from an imagineer.
I laughed it off and declared it to be bu1l$h1t.:lol:

My bad...

wdwmagic said:

I'm really interesting in hearing what the budget is for this. No doubt to do this properly it is going to require big money. Any guesses?

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North of $500 is where it will start. Could go either way from there, depending on who is championing it.

Master Yoda said:

Will Joe Rhode be making a trip to Pandora to make sure the expansion correcty reflects actual Navi culture?:lol:

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Yep. And dragging a dozen other imagineers along for a month-long trek through the jungle. (That is about $1mil of the budget right there.)

wdwmagic said:

It is either going to be in the Camp Minnie-Mickey area or in the expansion area north of Asia.

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If I was betting, I'd say the big area north of Asia. I'll try to find out.

MAF said:

Does this mean that they can finally close down E:E to fix the damn Yeti? :shrug:

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Or shave off some spare $ from the budger for the poor thing...

Kamikaze said:

I really can't see taking four years to build a land in an unused section of the park.

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Lot of work yet to do on design and engineering. Also the budget will be split up over several years.

I think the next expansion should be for a "Dances with Wolves" attraction in Frontierland.

Has Disney mentioned any plans for rides or a major anchor attraction?

RadioHead said:

It's more in the line of the fact it generated 2.8 billion dollars. Sure the characters are memorable, and neither is the plot. But the audience loved Avatar because of Pandora, and it's incredible atmosphere. The film felt organic, and alive in some aspects. That's why my family, and quite a few of my friends went to see Avatar 3-4 times.

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2.8 Billion dollars thanks to all the hubbub about 3d plus its high ticket prices.

If audiences loved Avatar then it would ubiquitous in popular culture and widely revered, not the butt of jokes everywhere with people calling it Smurfs or Pocahontas in space.

You want a world that has incredible atmosphere? watch Star Wars, or even Harry Potter. EVERYONE knows who Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are, EVERYONE knows Harry, Ron and Hermione.

I highly doubt anyone even remembers what Jake Sulley looked like or even can properly spell Neytiri if they even remember or pronounce it correctly.

RadioHead said:

It's more in the line of the fact it generated 2.8 billion dollars. Sure the characters are memorable, and neither is the plot. But the audience loved Avatar because of Pandora, and it's incredible atmosphere. The film felt organic, and alive in some aspects. That's why my family, and quite a few of my friends went to see Avatar 3-4 times.

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This.

The plot wasn't good, but the visuals in the film were incredible. Really, that's what it comes down to when it comes to making a great ride. Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are beloved attractions, but their plots aren't very well established. Haunted Mansion's story is "This house is haunted and Madame Leota is going to wake up the ghosts so they can party," at its core. There isn't much of a backstory (not officially). It's just all about the sights and sounds that you pass on the ride that make it so memorable.

Honestly, if the Imagineers (and more importantly, the accountants) do this right, Avatar should make an even better theme park land/attraction than a movie.

stitchcastle said:

2.8 Billion dollars thanks to all the hubbub about 3d plus its high ticket prices.

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I'll give you high ticket prices, but there had been a couple 3D movies before Avatar. Even when 3D was a novel thing, you couldn't take a crappy movie and split the visual and make billions. There had to have been something that made the movie good. For Avatar, that something was an beautiful world.

You want a world that has incredible atmosphere? watch Star Wars, or even Harry Potter. EVERYONE knows who Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are, EVERYONE knows Harry, Ron and Hermione.

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I'm not sure that we're talking about the same movie at this point. If you weren't astounded by the beauty of Pandora, I'm amazed.

I highly doubt anyone even remembers what Jake Sulley looked like or even can properly spell Neytiri if they even remember or pronounce it correctly.

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I just went through the "characters and plot don't matter in theme parks" spiel. They matter in movies, but like I said, Haunted Mansion is one of the most beloved attractions of all time, and Madame Leota, the Ghost Host, Constance, and maybe Master Gracey are the only real developed characters there. The general public probably doesn't know those names either, but generally speaking, they enjoy the ride. The Disney fan community knows the characters, but absolutely worship the mansion, despite its lack of plot.

Again, Avatar is a better theme park property than a movie.

the arguement of the staying power of the land has to go out the window. its the imagineers job to create something the builds up its own staying power. ala ToT or even aerosmith...i happen to be a big aerosmith fan, and that may be a minority especially to the younger crowd who seem to have no problems riding the ride even though their ipod has miley cyrus and brittany spears on it. what im saying is despite what the movie is or was or eevn will be, my money is on the imagineers creating an AWESOME experience.

Florida Dreamin said:

You have to remember, Potter only added a ride two shops, and a restaurant. Everything else was already existing.

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Indeed. Which is what this project could end up being, and is what Beastly Kingdomme in essence was.

Fact: regardless of love or hate for the title, this will bring in more average guests. As Potter deservingly has.

Fact: if the project is like Potter it'll probably go in Camp M&M. If it's a true epic expansion it'll be north of Asia. WDI have long wanted a way and a reason to have guests be able to walk to Conservation Station.

Fact: this project did get out over a month ago. It was dispelled as improbable.

Fact: privately TDO and even Burbank admit a) they've been doing most things in Orlando too cheaply in the past 10-12 years and b) that they would have loved to have their own Potter equivalent.

Fact: Potter phase two will be complete before this. As will the next E ride for USF.

The next 5 years are certainly going to be interesting in Orlando.

cynic710 said:

the arguement of the staying power of the land has to go out the window.

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And yet when people brought that up as a defense of WWoHP, the Disney fans ridiculed them.

Fievel said:

You'd rather something different in a park that's supposed to be about nature?

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the park's not about Nature, that's secondary to the park. It's about Animals.