AVATAR Concept Art released

[Bairstow]

I think anything with a screen will be labled Soarin' 2.0. Period. And some use it as a way to dimiss the attraction. I think even WDW1974 was a little less dismissive of it, which says something.

I for one will hold my opinion on that until I hear more, and see more.

Maybe they realized it was the best way to do what they wanted do with the attraction? I wish people would just stop making assumptions

And it's true (I really don't want to play the Uni vs. WDW game either, it's getting old). If Uni were putting this in, it would get praise up the you know what, and no one can tell me otherwise. But it's Disney and a screen and it's just awful before it even debuts.

I understand that the Soarin' ride itself may not be everyone's cup of tea but the negativity around it just astounds me. We have no idea what the completed experience will be. Of course my gut says TDO will be lazy and cheap but I'm really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt here. If it's a hangglider and a screen, then yes, it is Soarin 2.0 and I won't be that thrilled.

But it's also like saying Small World and POTC shouldn't exist because both are boat rides. It's about what's done with the finished product and the scenery and the experience. IMO. I just wanted to add that. (And that same argument can be used for Indy, Dinosaur, any coaster....)

I think it's the reliance on video and movie screens that bug people more than the fact that the attraction would be similar to an existing one.

 

[Kman101]

I think it's the reliance on video and movie screens that bug people more than the fact that the attraction would be similar to an existing one.

OK. That I totally understand.

I'm seeing so many 'screens' and projections, etc. in place of other 'live' aspects and it is kinda disappointing, I agree in that. I personally am NOT the most thrilled about it being that, but I'm also hopeful it will at least be a somewhat different experience. I also think using screens and videos and projections is somewhat of a lazy way to do an attraction, IMHO.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

What if the preshow had animatronic Banshees that interacted with you while you wait? (Kind of like R2 & C3P0 but with interactive ability). It's not always about the actual attraction...Soarin' lacks because of a good pre-show/queue and post-show.

 

[PeterAlt]

The only person saying that it will not be Soran' 2.0 is @Tim_4. I don't think that is a consensus. I hope he is right. I want to be wowed! Soran' 2.0 in 3D would be a huge missed opportunity.
The leaked blueprints show Soran' 2.0 (or some type simulator in front of a screen) and a boat ride that travels through the show building. The concept art and video seem to support this.

Disney already surpassed Soran' 1.0 back in 1983 with Horizons by suspending your ride vehicle through 2 separate Omni-Max domes as just a small part of a 15 minute long mega E-Ticket. I just want to see Disney out-do (or at least come close to) classic Disney.

Yeah, I miss my old friend...
Did you know the original plan for Space (the one designed by Ray Bradbury) was going to do the same thing that Horizon did with the Omnimax screens and Omnimover vehicles to simulate space....

 

[Atomicmickey]

What if the preshow had animatronic Banshees that interacted with you while you wait? (Kind of like R2 & C3P0 but with interactive ability). It's not always about the actual attraction...Soarin' lacks because of a good pre-show/queue and post-show.

For those of you who remember the film, they need to take an arduous journey up and over
the floating rocks to get to the Banshee Aerie. I wonder about a queue of some sort that mirrors
that journey up the rocks and to a ledge . . . where you finally tame the beast and take off.

I think that this "Soarin' 2.0" moniker . . . used as a diminutive . . . is extremely short sighted.

That said, no matter what they do, I'm sure there will be some who will always call it Soarin' 2.0
because even after the land has been open for 10 years, they'll still be in a snit about all this . . . :/

 

[WDWFREAK53]

For those of you who remember the film, they need to take an arduous journey up and over
the floating rocks to get to the Banshee Aerie. I wonder about a queue of some sort that mirrors
that journey up the rocks and to a ledge . . . where you finally tame the beast and take off.

I think that this "Soarin' 2.0" moniker . . . used as a diminutive . . . is extremely short sighted.

That said, no matter what they do, I'm sure there will be some who will always call it Soarin' 2.0
because even after the land has been open for 10 years, they'll still be in a snit about all this . . . :/

Exactly! Soarin' is a giant screen with rows of seats that tilt...in a large warehouse.
I can't imagine that's all we're going to get with this. It wasn't just about flying the banshees, like stated above, it was about the journey and being able to tame the beast before being ABLE to ride the banshees.

I would love to see a row of banshee animatronics that you can interact with (while you wait...that could be linked to the RFID chip in the Magic Bands) and your banshee "chooses" you.

 

[Bairstow]

For those of you who remember the film, they need to take an arduous journey up and over
the floating rocks to get to the Banshee Aerie. I wonder about a queue of some sort that mirrors
that journey up the rocks and to a ledge . . . where you finally tame the beast and take off.

That doesn't sound very handicapped accessible.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think it's the reliance on video and movie screens that bug people more than the fact that the attraction would be similar to an existing one.

So that's OK at Universal but not at WDW?

 

[ToTBellHop]

That doesn't sound very handicapped accessible.

Did you even see the movie? Handicapped people will be able to BECOME NA'VI!

 

[Bairstow]

So that's OK at Universal but not at WDW?

Who said that?

 

[ctxak98]

I think the world of Avatar is so unique and different that to get the essence of flying over the land on a banshee and still having it be realistic, the only way to do it is by simulation! Having a coaster wouldnt have the same effect because its limited to what you would see by going so fast!

The boat ride however will be that experience I think that will be more scenes, and actual AA creatures and set. In that kind if setting its easier to make the ride traditional with no screens. But for flying purposes....its too big of a world to come off real!

I for one try to find the positive in everything and I hope its a pandoras box system using screens! And the land itself im sure wil be a must see all together.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Who said that?

The people here complaining about everything WDW does but drooling over Universal like the Simpsons spinner is the 2nd coming?

 

[ctxak98]

Who said that?

I think people do praise rides like spiderman, transformers, and potter which all do rely in screens very much. Its ok though becauae the parts that do use screens, makes more sense and feels more realistic then say actualy show scenes.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think people do praise rides like spiderman, transformers, and potter which all do rely in screens very much. Its ok though becauae the parts that do use screens, makes more sense and feels more realistic then say actualy show scenes.

Any Pandora we can fly through will be much more impressive on a screen than in the real world. It would be prohibitively expensive to produce unless it was a 30 second ride.

 

[ctxak98]

Any Pandora we can fly through will be much more impressive on a screen than in the real world. It would be prohibitively expensive to produce unless it was a 30 second ride.

Exactly my point. Screens dont necessarily make for a bad ride, when used in the appropriate circumstances!

 

[SirLink]

It seems contradictory at first, but the problem is actually the opposite of what you state. The Resort is not looked at as a whole, but at each individual component, beyond the park level down to individual shops and restaurants and their square footage. What this means is that every little thing must justify its existence. This individualism created the generic landscape because everything stopped working together, but in competition. The shops had to increase profitability so they just copied the best selling merchandise from the stores with the biggest numbers. A similar story occurred with food service and many were shuttered for being unable to meet new expectations based on their being seen as an isolated restaurant.

Disney also has a pervasive and troubling culture of fiercely defending preconceived notions. This is why I see so much of this project as "damned if you do, damned if you don't." Disney likes franchises and mass merchandising and those are the positions they will defend. If unique merchandise sells it is not because it is unique, but because of the franchise. If it doesn't sell it is not because of lack of franchise appeal or poor marketing it poor quality, but because unique merchandising doesn't work.

But when talking about attractions its very much so - if you want a show go to DHS, if you want a thrill ride go to DAK, if you want dining go to Epcot, etc. That is what they have used as why they don't build stuff.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

For those of you who remember the film, they need to take an arduous journey up and over
the floating rocks to get to the Banshee Aerie. I wonder about a queue of some sort that mirrors
that journey up the rocks and to a ledge . . . where you finally tame the beast and take off.

I think that this "Soarin' 2.0" moniker . . . used as a diminutive . . . is extremely short sighted.

That said, no matter what they do, I'm sure there will be some who will always call it Soarin' 2.0
because even after the land has been open for 10 years, they'll still be in a snit about all this . . . :/

I can see the guests (us fools) seated in a row- maybe two rows-- attached to a high range Kuka and that taking place... the journey of going uphill (tilted seats) then jumping onto the banshee (stomach lurching bounce up and down a few quick times) then the Banshee taking off (Kuka arm soars left/right/down/up)


I'm rather smitten with the Pandora's Box model. I think something like this would work very well with the Pandora concept.

And from this point forward I'm refusing to call it "Avatarland". Pandora is better.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I can see the guests (us fools) seated in a row- maybe two rows-- attached to a high range Kuka and that taking place... the journey of going uphill (tilted seats) then jumping onto the banshee (stomach lurching bounce up and down a few quick times) then the Banshee taking off (Kuka arm soars left/right/down/up)

And then the dementors will appear?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Hmm..I think Disney has done pretty damn good with their Orlando theme parks as far as any cloning is concerned. I can't think of any direct duplications in the four parks.

Nothing against Universal (or either of these fun rides), but to counter your point:
Spiderman and Transformers both a stone's throw away from each other -- are nearly identical rides.

Star Tours and Body Wars?

And yes, Spider-man and Transformers are very similar, but there is a reason for that. It is a rather lengthy explanation for that. But I'll explain if you like.

 

[space42]

Exactly my point. Screens dont necessarily make for a bad ride, when used in the appropriate circumstances!

When they are just a part of a much larger experience (Horizons, Forbidden Journey, Spiderman, World of Motion, If You Had Wings) I have no problem. I am not a big Universal fan but I was just blown away by Forbidden Journey. This may be the best use of screens in an attraction yet.. and they even simulate flying Hey, they simulated flying on If you Had Wings, Dream Flight, and Horizons with screens too. The big difference is that they were all part of a much larger, more immersive experience and not the ONLY part of the experience.

I really hope that Soarin' over Pandora is more like Forbidden Journey and less like Soarin' over California.