I just finished a three day trip to Disneyland (yay) and had a few thoughts about Avatar
that struck me while touring Cars Land. They are similar projects in that they are a single
land around a single theme, and one must assume that Disney is going to take some of the same
operational and design strategy with these two things. (and, by extrapolation, whatever they
decide to ultimately do with Star Wars.)
-I am no huge fan of Cars, but the land itself blew my mind, and my family agreed. It was
so cool to be immersed in something of that size and audacity that we just spent a bunch
of time sitting there "just because". I think that Avatar will be the same. We went back
many times during the day and night just to be immersed. Oddly, the land itself did not seem busy
or crowded. I think people walked through on their way to the ride, and then out, and not everyone
sits and 'drinks it in' the way our family did.
-That said, the idea of a land with one E-ticket ride is a bit problematic. The lines for RSR
got to over 90 minutes regularly. I think that when people see that, they stay away from
the land in general, to some extent. The lines were ridiculous--about a 20 minute wait for a
FastPass--which I know will be different with MM+, but still. (Note that Luigi's flying tires
had closed, being an operational failure, and something will replace it eventually. I think that's
needed. The Mater ride (rumored to be coming to DHS re-themed as Woody's Roundup) was a fun ride
for kids and adults, we all liked that.)
-The e-ticket, Radiator Springs Racers, is IMHO, one of the best things that Disney has ever done.
Incredible animatronics and 'Dark Ride' sections, onboard audio that was immersive and clear, just
the right amount of thrill to be appealing to all ages. The coolest thing about it, though was the
fact that a huge portion of it happens outdoors--you are racing through an incredible environment.
It made me yearn for the Avatar coaster everyone was talking about. There's something about the tangible
animatronics and the incredible environment that is totally Disney, and totally appealing. I am
sure the Banshee ride will be amazing, but not the same as being physically transported through
a physical space as RSR does.
-I am nervous about the boat ride, now, because RSR had such a long, long, long themed queue.
I don't know how they can fit a boat ride, and a queue of that length, into that space. I wonder
if it hasn't gone away. Time will tell, but a ride of that magnitude and popularity needs a lot of queue . . . and I really think a land like this needs more than one experience/attraction.
-Wow, did they have a lot of Cars merch. None of which interested us, even one bit. My 13 year old
lobbied slightly for a Luigi tire hat, but that was it. The impressive nature of the land did not make
us want to buy anything at all. I really wonder how they are doing with that. I can see 5-9 year old
boys wanting a shirt or a die cast car, but that's about it. I wonder if they've overestimated the
desire for merch. This would also apply to Avatar, because although the movie made a ton of money,
as has been pointed out here, it's not like people wear/collect/desire Avatar stuff these days.
I liked the film more than most people here, but am not sure what I'd buy. Perhaps a Banshee figure if it was done really, really well. A glowing potted plant? Who knows.
So there are the pluses and minuses that I see. Because of the immersive quality of this new technique of 'building a whole world' I am looking forward to Avatar, with some reservations based upon my Cars Land experience.
And if you're on the fence about visiting Disneyland and seeing Cars Land, GO!
that struck me while touring Cars Land. They are similar projects in that they are a single
land around a single theme, and one must assume that Disney is going to take some of the same
operational and design strategy with these two things. (and, by extrapolation, whatever they
decide to ultimately do with Star Wars.)
-I am no huge fan of Cars, but the land itself blew my mind, and my family agreed. It was
so cool to be immersed in something of that size and audacity that we just spent a bunch
of time sitting there "just because". I think that Avatar will be the same. We went back
many times during the day and night just to be immersed. Oddly, the land itself did not seem busy
or crowded. I think people walked through on their way to the ride, and then out, and not everyone
sits and 'drinks it in' the way our family did.
-That said, the idea of a land with one E-ticket ride is a bit problematic. The lines for RSR
got to over 90 minutes regularly. I think that when people see that, they stay away from
the land in general, to some extent. The lines were ridiculous--about a 20 minute wait for a
FastPass--which I know will be different with MM+, but still. (Note that Luigi's flying tires
had closed, being an operational failure, and something will replace it eventually. I think that's
needed. The Mater ride (rumored to be coming to DHS re-themed as Woody's Roundup) was a fun ride
for kids and adults, we all liked that.)
-The e-ticket, Radiator Springs Racers, is IMHO, one of the best things that Disney has ever done.
Incredible animatronics and 'Dark Ride' sections, onboard audio that was immersive and clear, just
the right amount of thrill to be appealing to all ages. The coolest thing about it, though was the
fact that a huge portion of it happens outdoors--you are racing through an incredible environment.
It made me yearn for the Avatar coaster everyone was talking about. There's something about the tangible
animatronics and the incredible environment that is totally Disney, and totally appealing. I am
sure the Banshee ride will be amazing, but not the same as being physically transported through
a physical space as RSR does.
-I am nervous about the boat ride, now, because RSR had such a long, long, long themed queue.
I don't know how they can fit a boat ride, and a queue of that length, into that space. I wonder
if it hasn't gone away. Time will tell, but a ride of that magnitude and popularity needs a lot of queue . . . and I really think a land like this needs more than one experience/attraction.
-Wow, did they have a lot of Cars merch. None of which interested us, even one bit. My 13 year old
lobbied slightly for a Luigi tire hat, but that was it. The impressive nature of the land did not make
us want to buy anything at all. I really wonder how they are doing with that. I can see 5-9 year old
boys wanting a shirt or a die cast car, but that's about it. I wonder if they've overestimated the
desire for merch. This would also apply to Avatar, because although the movie made a ton of money,
as has been pointed out here, it's not like people wear/collect/desire Avatar stuff these days.
I liked the film more than most people here, but am not sure what I'd buy. Perhaps a Banshee figure if it was done really, really well. A glowing potted plant? Who knows.
So there are the pluses and minuses that I see. Because of the immersive quality of this new technique of 'building a whole world' I am looking forward to Avatar, with some reservations based upon my Cars Land experience.
And if you're on the fence about visiting Disneyland and seeing Cars Land, GO!