Doubting Avatar

walt-sent-me

Member
Original Poster
In so many posts that I read, there seems to be some question about the fruition of Avatar Land. There's lots of evidence to support this announced project, yet so many doubt it will come to be. Why is this?
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
In so many posts that I read, there seems to be some question about the fruition of Avatar Land. There's lots of evidence to support this announced project, yet so many doubt it will come to be. Why is this?

Turf wars is my guess. Listen to the owner of this site. If he says it isn't happening or is being gutted then you can believe it. Otherwise bring a block of salt with you.
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
In so many posts that I read, there seems to be some question about the fruition of Avatar Land. There's lots of evidence to support this announced project, yet so many doubt it will come to be. Why is this?
There are quite a lot of threads on this. Do a search on Avatar to have a read.
 

nepalostparks

Well-Known Member
Care to share all of this evidence?

There was the official announcement from Disney.
There was the announcement to the shareholders, that while domestic spending will be reduced, the Avatar project is still planned.
The character meet and greets in Camp Minnie Mickey are being moved to Discovery Island into what is now Beastly Bazaar.
A reliable source has posted that Festival of the Line King is likely moving to Africa.
The last two combined basically empties out CMM, which was one of the rumored possibilities for Avatar-land.
 

PirateFrank

Well-Known Member
In so many posts that I read, there seems to be some question about the fruition of Avatar Land. There's lots of evidence to support this announced project, yet so many doubt it will come to be. Why is this?

Like what?

Listen, I'm not taking a side under the the wdwmagic politics of this. I've personally been back and forth on this, and I currently feel Avatarland, while not the answer to the WWOHP I was hoping for, would be a huge benefit to the AK...

....but from an objective perspective, I've seen far more reasons to doubt this than believe its happening. When Fantasyland was announced, there was art. Eventually, we got a full scaled-down mockup. At every turn, TDO and TWDC brass took the opportunity to talk up this expansion, etc. Same thing goes for expansion at DCA. When DP announced the Dream and the Fantasy, they had scale-models behind custom glass showing the two new ships.

Contrast that with Avatarland. One single, surprise announcement made over Rhode's head. Rumors of design and money struggles between WDI and Cameron. No art, at all, it's been almost a year. No mockup. After the CEO spent a great deal of time talking up each of DP's capital improvements at the recent shareholder meeting, he didn't volunteer jack$#!% about Avatarland....and when pressed about it, he looked like he would rather have a surprise colonoscopy than talk about it.

I'm sorry and please don't take my post as argumentative, but am I missing something here? Has there been some announcement between now and the shareholder meeting with art? Has a sign gone up somewhere in AK posting "future site of Avatarland"? Because all I see are signs that AL is never going to be built.
 

PirateFrank

Well-Known Member
...There was the announcement to the shareholders, that while domestic spending will be reduced, the Avatar project is still planned...

Sorry, wasn't an announcement. It was a reluctant response to a shareholder question, after Iger spent a considerable amount of time detailing all of DP's current capital improvements, while excluding Avatarland.
 

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
There were some discussions yesterday about the moving of FotLK to Africa from some of our more "in the know" friends here in preparation for Avatar. Nothing set in stone, but it sounds like information is starting to move and early physical site prep work will start in the near future.

At this point we need to hope that this will be a blow you away/cutting edge type experience and that when the project starts to roll that the plug does not get pulled. I will remain optimistic until otherwise let down!
 

ellie-badge

Well-Known Member
I personally wouldn't mind if Avatar Land winds up not happening. I thought the movie was okay at best, especially when you take away all of its fancy and cutting-edge special effects. Without all of that, I found it to be rather boring and unusually similar to Pocahontas, minus the mass genocide of the Na'vi and all of the violence in general.

With that being said, having an entire area based on the film seems a little out-of-place in a Disney theme park, at least it does to me. I don't doubt that it would be beautiful to look at, especially if the area were to extend the park's hours. I could just imagine how beautiful everything would light up during the evening, but... I see little logic as to how it'd fit in with the general theme of the rest of the park: animals. If anything, Avatar was a word to the wise about nature. I think that sort of thing would have fit better in Epcot, if that were the case, but even if it were to relocate in Epcot, it'd still be one massive leap over the metaphorical shark. Yes, it featured a few mythical animals, but they weren't a primarily huge part of the movie, I thought (then again, I've only seen the film twice, neither of which were very recent, so I could be wrong).

Also, I'm concerned about the possibility of WDI building a replica of Hometree. I don't doubt that it'd be gorgeous, but... I don't want it to outshine the current icon of the entire park, the Tree of Life. There's also been buzz about them including a nighttime show quite similar to the other three parks, if this area were built. Wasn't the whole point of closing Animal Kingdom early was to not frighten or scare the animals with nighttime entertainment?

Berate me all you'd like, but this is the first time I've never liked something that WDI had in the works. I'm sorry if I've upset anybody because of my lack of excitement.
 

nepalostparks

Well-Known Member
Berate me all you'd like, but this is the first time I've never liked something that WDI had in the works. I'm sorry if I've upset anybody because of my lack of excitement.

No berating from me :)

I agree with you, while the visual effects in the movie were pretty good, I just couldn't get into the story. And until I'm able to see some more concrete plans, or at least some concept art, I too am unsure of whether or not I'll like what the proposed Avatar-land will be.

I am hopeful, though, that it will give Animal Kingdom the boost it needs to stay open later and make it a "full day" park for those who don't think it is (I can spend half my day along Pangani and Maharajah, but then I enjoy that type of an attraction). It can certainly be done very well... if the budget and direction will be there.
 

Ignohippo

Well-Known Member
In so many posts that I read, there seems to be some question about the fruition of Avatar Land. There's lots of evidence to support this announced project, yet so many doubt it will come to be. Why is this?

To get to the heart of your question, I think many people hope Avatar doesn't happen. The belief is that there are better ways to spend $500 mil. and Avatar might not be a viable enough property to justify that kind of spending.

The Avatar deal with Cameron was struck completely out of the blue by Iger, so there are a lot of hurdles for it to go through with Imagineering. I think many here are hoping it falls apart. Since there hasn't been a single rendering or any info released, people are skeptical. That and the shareholders wanting less expenditures (which I believe Avatar is partly responsible for), gives people the impression this thing won't happen.

My honest opinion is that many are seeing the Lucas license languish and don't understand why they're spending on Avatar. If they'd move forward on getting a full LucasLand, I think you'd see much less backlash. Of course, I believe the issues are much bigger with Lucas than anyone here realizes.
 

Timekeeper

Well-Known Member
With that being said, having an entire area based on the film seems a little out-of-place in a Disney theme park, at least it does to me. I don't doubt that it would be beautiful to look at, especially if the area were to extend the park's hours. I could just imagine how beautiful everything would light up during the evening, but... I see little logic as to how it'd fit in with the general theme of the rest of the park: animals.

So, then how does Expedition Everest fit in with the general theme of the rest of the park?

If anything, Avatar was a word to the wise about nature. I think that sort of thing would have fit better in Epcot, if that were the case, but even if it were to relocate in Epcot, it'd still be one massive leap over the metaphorical shark. Yes, it featured a few mythical animals, but they weren't a primarily huge part of the movie, I thought (then again, I've only seen the film twice, neither of which were very recent, so I could be wrong).

Mythical animals like, perhaps, a yeti?
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I really do not consider the emptying out of Camp Minnie-Mickey as solid proof that this project is really happening. That was another example of a long standing temporary land. Clearing that land and then having AVATAR be a vapor expansion is not exactly a big loss.
 

ellie-badge

Well-Known Member
So, then how does Expedition Everest fit in with the general theme of the rest of the park?

Mythical animals like, perhaps, a yeti?

You're kidding, right? One ride, which heavily and primarily features the yeti, simply does not compare to an entire land based on a film that has little to do with animals. I fail to see your point, just as you appear to fail at seeing mine.
 

Timekeeper

Well-Known Member
You're kidding, right? One ride, which heavily and primarily features the yeti, simply does not compare to an entire land based on a film that has little to do with animals. I fail to see your point, just as you appear to fail at seeing mine.

Avatar has 10 times more animal references in it than Expedition Everest ...and that's JUST in the first film. The "land" will likely follow suit. So, if you feel that animal-association is the prerequisite for AK integration, then Avatar ought to replace Everest.
 

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