News Avatar Experience coming to Disneyland

[britain]

I rescind my previous statement. I understand now that building Avatar in the lot south of Pixar hotel is in actuality the fastest thing they could do, as long as they don’t NEED those parking spaces.

 

[Professortango1]

I always found that DCA has, currently, one solid "Disney-level E-Ticket" in a way that reflects scale and artistic quality Disney has become known for, and that is Radiator Springs Racers. I suppose you can say Mission BO, but while they made the queue more elaborate, they made the ride experience even cheaper feeling with screens replacing the two practical scenes and effects. It feels like a Universal Studios E-Ticket like Kong Skull Island or Fast and Furious Supercharged. Great queue, physically a little exciting, but visually flat and feeling like a studio tour upgrade.

GRR, Soarin', and Incredicoaster have the scale of an E-Ticket, but lack the Disney quality of storytelling that we come to expect.

I've always considered Midway Mania a D ticket due to the queue Animatronic and just how fun the ride experience is. I wanted to hate it, but I do have a fun time on the attraction.

Monsters Inc is a definite C for me. Its figures are similar to what you would find in Fantasyland, the ride design is similar as well, the effects are fun and work within the ride's scale and scope. Its usually a walk on like most of the Fantasyland Darkrides.

As for Avatar, I HOPE it goes in Simba as I don't think it works in Disneyland and the transition from Hollywood Land to a lush alien jungle immediately leaves me very worried as that's not Disney's style.

But the idea that they would need to build it in Simba and then also construct a bridge/sink the street and theme that leaves me concerned that its too much work to get it open for guests to experience. If it is in Hollywood Backlot, they can just take down the walls when they are done and its open for guests, however jarring the transition is.

 

[Ismael Flores]

That's a good point, though I guess I'd call that Monsters Inc ride a C-ticket, but I totally agree that it's exactly the sort of smaller dark ride that the parks don't get enough of these days to really flesh out the experience between the E-tickets.

And certainly, insiders on the board have pointed to the backlot, but they've been wrong before. I think Bob's latest comments about Avatar being the first part of DisneylandForward, as well as the thematic issues with being a part of DCA proper and the matched up concept art with the Pandora land are all possible indicators that it may not be in Hollywood Backlot.



Where are you getting Bob's point of view? If it's done in Hollywood Backlot that is just not a part of the re-zoned land. You could argue moving the bus pick-up makes it indirectly related to the DisneylandForward zoning changes but that's not how I read it.

I think a hint could have been something Bob said several days back.

He said something about Avatar going to Anaheim but the size of the experience would be determined depending on whether disneyland forward was approved.

That statement sounded like no matter what they wanted to get Avatar in the parks. Problem most likely was that the area for it was not large enough for what they wanted to do.

The Disneyland forward approval now gives them the option to still build the land at an expanded footprint since the shuttle area can now be relocated as soon as the new shuttle area is built. They can do that before the parking structure is even finished.

If that is the case it will be interesting to see how quick they move on building the pedestrian bridge over Harbor because that would be a key element. The new shuttle area can be built fairly quick since it is mostly flat construction work on an existing parking lot

 

[BrianLo]

Locations can and do change. Especially since I think Pandora is still somewhat a bit earlier in the design process than alluded to. It was only really started from scratch in Jan 2023.

But I think given the recency of multiple sources spilling details on the land, that were really quite quickly verified by Disney indirectly with the new concept art, it's a bit foolish for us to speculate that it has moved. We'd need something a bit more concrete other than well wishes.

Pandora's connection to DL Forward was always tied into the Eastern Gateway project. So while Bob mentions it as tied to DL Forward, a project like Avengers, that theoretically should launch first, is clearly not.

 

[MagicWDI]

But the Eastern Gateway was never truly dependent on any rezoning proposals included in DisneylandForward. I mean, the project, albeit the smaller project that kept the former ICE building intact, was already rolling back in 2017. It would've been finished years ago if it wasn't cancelled (scary thought, indeed) due to pushback. The expanse pad for Hollywood Backlot was already in the works and would've been ready for any expansion by now. If Avatar was slated for this spot (not saying it is or isn't, was or wasn't) it could've gone thru even if the DisneylandForward rezoning didn't happen.

But now... now we have the possibility of an even bigger Avatar experience and the Hollywood Backlot expansion pad could be used for... Zootopia maybe? Just spit balling here.

 

[britain]

They also might be waiting for good news on the Marvel movie front to THEN say, “And we’re making progress on the E-Ticket!”

Way of Water was like the last box office hit they’ve had.

 

[MistaDee]

I think a hint could have been something Bob said several days back.

He said something about Avatar going to Anaheim but the size of the experience would be determined depending on whether disneyland forward was approved.

That statement sounded like no matter what they wanted to get Avatar in the parks. Problem most likely was that the area for it was not large enough for what they wanted to do.

The Disneyland forward approval now gives them the option to still build the land at an expanded footprint since the shuttle area can now be relocated as soon as the new shuttle area is built. They can do that before the parking structure is even finished.

If that is the case it will be interesting to see how quick they move on building the pedestrian bridge over Harbor because that would be a key element. The new shuttle area can be built fairly quick since it is mostly flat construction work on an existing parking lot

Yeah I think you're right on the money, will be interesting to see where construction begins.

But the Eastern Gateway was never truly dependent on any rezoning proposals included in DisneylandForward. I mean, the project, albeit the smaller project that kept the former ICE building intact, was already rolling back in 2017. It would've been finished years ago if it wasn't cancelled (scary thought, indeed) due to pushback. The expanse pad for Hollywood Backlot was already in the works and would've been ready for any expansion by now. If Avatar was slated for this spot (not saying it is or isn't, was or wasn't) it could've gone thru even if the DisneylandForward rezoning didn't happen.

But now... now we have the possibility of an even bigger Avatar experience and the Hollywood Backlot expansion pad could be used for... Zootopia maybe? Just spit balling here.

Isn't that "pushback" entirely the reason why DisneylandForward became such a carefully coordinated, marketed effort for Disney to work with Anaheim? From my limited understanding, the original Eastern Gateway plan still needed approvals from Anaheim that have now been folded into DisneylandForward.

So it's not entirely accurate to say it wasn't dependent on rezoning proposals specifically when it's more about Disney's overall strategy for managing the city of Anaheim and its constituents, which is much of what DisneylandForward represents.

They also might be waiting for good news on the Marvel movie front to THEN say, “And we’re making progress on the E-Ticket!”

Way of Water was like the last box office hit they’ve had.

This is my suspicion as well - seems like a very short-sighted way to manage very long-term park investments but maybe they're just hoping for the "synergy" an attraction announcement for a big box office Marvel film might provide DIS on the stock market...

 

[MagicWDI]

Isn't that "pushback" entirely the reason why DisneylandForward became such a carefully coordinated, marketed effort for Disney to work with Anaheim? From my limited understanding, the original Eastern Gateway plan still needed approvals from Anaheim that have now been folded into DisneylandForward.

So it's not entirely accurate to say it wasn't dependent on rezoning proposals specifically when it's more about Disney's overall strategy for managing the city of Anaheim and its constituents, which is much of what DisneylandForward represents.

I see this becoming a chicken and the egg scenario.

Let's just say this. If DisneylandForward did not pass, Disney could still move forward with an Eastern Gateway project. However, they could not continue with theme park expansion west of Disneyland Dr or retail into Toy Story.

So no, the Eastern Gateway is not dependent on DisneylandForward the same way the rest of the resort expansion is.

Disney conducted the whole process of the first project all wrong (as well as with the 4-star hotel announcement at the same time the original Easter Gateway project was cancelled), but that doesn't mean this project needed DisneylandForward to pass. They could've later revived the project with better outreach and workshops, which they should've done from the beginning.

 

[MistaDee]

I see this becoming a chicken and the egg scenario.

Let's just say this. If DisneylandForward did not pass, Disney could still move forward with an Eastern Gateway project. However, they could not continue with theme park expansion west of Disneyland Dr or retail into Toy Story.

So no, the Eastern Gateway is not dependent on DisneylandForward the same way the rest of the resort expansion is.

Disney conducted the whole process of the first project all wrong (as well as with the 4-star hotel announcement at the same time the original Easter Gateway project was cancelled), but that doesn't mean this project needed DisneylandForward to pass. They could've later revived the project with better outreach and workshops, which they should've done from the beginning.

Yeah I think we're on the same page - just semantics at some point.

Was just trying to say that Disneyland Forward is the better outreach and workshop approach. It's not just the re-zoning, it's the affordable housing and cash payments etc that represent the new approach to relations with Anaheim.