AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[NoChesterHester]

Seemingly the Sunshine Terrace now also offers some basic food options. However, what makes me wonder about the new offerings at Sleepy Hollow and Sunshine Terrace is that both are rather small venues and they have no indoor seating. So how much of a bonus those are in the busy summer months is debatable. I would think opening the Adventureland Veranda would add a better guest experience (and might even be more efficient and hence profitable).

I think they ripped out the kitchen however. I'm sure someone will correct me if that is wrong.

 

[unkadug]

I think they ripped out the kitchen however. I'm sure someone will correct me if that is wrong.

I thought that Adventureland Veranda used the same kitchen as the Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[The Duck]

Lee hit it: MK has never been a great Table Service park. Counter Service selection and variety at the park has been better in the past.

The reopening of Tortuga Tavern (formerly Pirate & Parrot) and the introduction of some new and unique items at places like Sleepy Hollow (waffle sandwiches) are positive developments as of very recent. At the same time we lost time tested unique items at Pinnochios Village House and locations like Adventureland Veranda and Tomorrowland Terrace have been shuttered.

Lee is right at the MK, the overall counterservice experience is diminished.

I tried the lobster roll sandwich at Columbia Harbour House recently and it wasn't bad at all. Lobster roll and bag of potato chips for $9.99.

 

[ChrisM]

The hummus sandwich at CHH was surprisingly decent, too.

I was shocked that the fish at CRT was actually very good, whereas the vegetable cassoulet was disgusting.

As a general rule, the food anywhere in the MK is wretched.

 

[djkidkaz]

So I noticed over on Orlando Attractions they have a video up of the premiere at DTD ( which took place 3 days ago ) of Disney Natures Chimpanzee movie. Joe Rohde was there and they asked him about Avatarland.

OA: How are things coming with the Avatarland project that many of our viewers are excited about? ( so he lied, so what!!? )

Joe: LOL! We are just in the very, very, very first moments of conceptual development. So we're really excited about the possibilities, but at this point theres endless possibilities, so its gonna be a LOOONNGGG time boiling and boiling it down to see where it really lands.

 

[Captain Neo]

this is such hogwash. Iger has done more for Disney (animation,films, and the parks) than Eisner did for most of his tenure. If Eisner or Rasolu was in charge we would have never seen Disney acquire Pixar and Marvel, forge alliances with George Lucas (who eisner allegedly ed off) and James Cameron, and start authorizing bigger investments in the parks like the DCA overhaul, Fantasyland expansion, Star Tours II, etc. He also revamped Disney's film division to stop producing lame family comedies with B-tier actors and instead focus on big sci-fi and fantasy films that had great potential for the parks like Tron Legacy, Prince of Persia, John Carter, etc.

I give Bob Iger alot of props. I realize that some of you grew up in the late 90s/early 00s and you think that was the "good days" for Disney but let me assure you those were actually the WORST years to be a Disney fan when we were subject to one cringe worthy decision after another and we watched the Disney brand slowly deteriorate.

 

[aladdin2007]

this is such hogwash. Iger has done more for Disney (animation,films, and the parks) than Eisner did for most of his tenure. If Eisner or Rasolu was in charge we would have never seen Disney acquire Pixar and Marvel, forge alliances with George Lucas (who eisner allegedly ed off) and James Cameron, and start authorizing bigger investments in the parks like the DCA overhaul, Fantasyland expansion, Star Tours II, etc. He also revamped Disney's film division to stop producing lame family comedies with B-tier actors and instead focus on big sci-fi and fantasy films that had great potential for the parks like Tron Legacy, Prince of Persia, John Carter, etc.

I give Bob Iger alot of props. I realize that some of you grew up in the late 90s/early 00s and you think that was the "good days" for Disney but let me assure you those were actually the WORST years to be a Disney fan when we were subject to one cringe worthy decision after another and we watched the Disney brand slowly deteriorate.

Um, can we say flops? well maybe not Tron but it didnt take off like they wanted. Iger is way too obsessed with franchise franchise franchise, and now hes pulling in all this outside material that is not Disney; Marvel/Avatar etc etc, instead of coming up with their own new things or back catalog of films that still have attraction potential, some. For me hes nothing but a banker and yes Eisner turned into a Scrooge at the end but he started out warm and with grand creative ideas that he did implement, until he turned. Iger has had positives over the years but his consolidation and franchise craze is disheartning and waters down the parks. But I would not call persia and john carter triumphs by any means, far from it.

 

[G00fyDad]

this is such hogwash. Iger has done more for Disney (animation,films, and the parks) than Eisner did for most of his tenure. If Eisner or Rasolu was in charge we would have never seen Disney acquire Pixar and Marvel, forge alliances with George Lucas (who eisner allegedly ed off) and James Cameron, and start authorizing bigger investments in the parks like the DCA overhaul, Fantasyland expansion, Star Tours II, etc. He also revamped Disney's film division to stop producing lame family comedies with B-tier actors and instead focus on big sci-fi and fantasy films that had great potential for the parks like Tron Legacy, Prince of Persia, John Carter, etc.

I give Bob Iger alot of props. I realize that some of you grew up in the late 90s/early 00s and you think that was the "good days" for Disney but let me assure you those were actually the WORST years to be a Disney fan when we were subject to one cringe worthy decision after another and we watched the Disney brand slowly deteriorate.

LOL :ROFLOL::lol::ROFLOL:


Sorry, that just slipped out. :lookaroun

 

[Captain Neo]

Um, can we say flops? well maybe not Tron but it didnt take off like they wanted. Iger is way too obsessed with franchise franchise franchise, and now hes pulling in all this outside material that is not Disney; Marvel/Avatar etc etc, instead of coming up with their own new things or back catalog of films that still have attraction potential, some. For me hes nothing but a banker and yes Eisner turned into a Scrooge at the end but he started out warm and with grand creative ideas that he did implement, until he turned. Iger has had positives over the years but his consolidation and franchise craze is disheartning and waters down the parks. But I would not call persia and john carter triumphs by any means, far from it.

I suggest you read Disney War by James B. Stewart for the facts on Eisner. He was woefully underqualified and got the job out of luck. The real brains behind the operation was Frank Wells who unfortunatly died in a helicoptor crash in 1994 and surprise surprise the company went to $h!t after his passing. Eisner's big claim to fame was growing out WDW for better or for worse. Animation was revied through the hardwork of Jeffrey Katzenberg, Don Hall, and many other talented individuals and the man who spearheaded all the sound ideas was Frank Wells.

I also don't see your problem with Avatar. Have you seen the movie? The World, music, and environmental themes mesh incredibly well with Animal Kingdom and considering that there may very well be life on other planets a land based on Avatar in AK would be a nice representation and reminder of that. I must assume you really hate the fact that there are Star Wars, Muppets, Indiana Jones, and Twilight Zone rides and attractions "infecting" the park. You must also dislike Hollywood Studios particularly the Great Movie Ride as it features scenes from such "out of place" franchises like ALIEN, Public Enemy, and the original Wizard of Oz from the 1930s. Your idea of doing movies based on Disney's own (mostly poor) library of films is a horrible idea. We already have too many rides based on animated films as it is.

Also Marvel, like Pixar, is part of Disney now wether you like it or not and your just going to have to live with it. I've come to accept Pixar and someday your just going to have to accept Marvel. The funny thing is they haven't even done anything with Marvel aside from putting their merchandise in stores and do a temporary cover on one of the Monorails.

You also single Iger out as being "Franchise hungry" but I can assure you Eisner was the same and any one who replaces Iger will think the same and honestly there really is nothing wrong with leveraging franchises if done correctly. I'd rather see Wall-E and Iron Man in the parks over High School MUsical and American Idol for example and I think most people would rather watch The Avengers or Tron or Pirates of the Caribbean over The Lizze Mcquire movie or Max Keebler's big move.

 

[aladdin2007]

I suggest you read Disney War by James B. Stewart for the facts on Eisner. He was woefully underqualified and got the job out of luck. The real brains behind the operation was Frank Wells who unfortunatly died in a helicoptor crash in 1994 and surprise surprise the company went to $h!t after his passing. Eisner's big claim to fame was growing out WDW for better or for worse. Animation was revied through the hardwork of Jeffrey Katzenberg, Don Hall, and many other talented individuals and the man who spearheaded all the sound ideas was Frank Wells.

I also don't see your problem with Avatar. Have you seen the movie? The World, music, and environmental themes mesh incredibly well with Animal Kingdom and considering that there may very well be life on other planets a land based on Avatar in AK would be a nice representation and reminder of that. I must assume you really hate the fact that there are Star Wars, Muppets, Indiana Jones, and Twilight Zone rides and attractions "infecting" the park. You must also dislike Hollywood Studios particularly the Great Movie Ride as it features scenes from such "out of place" franchises like ALIEN, Public Enemy, and the original Wizard of Oz from the 1930s. Your idea of doing movies based on Disney's own (mostly poor) library of films is a horrible idea. We already have too many rides based on animated films as it is.

Also Marvel, like Pixar, is part of Disney now wether you like it or not and your just going to have to live with it. I've come to accept Pixar and someday your just going to have to accept Marvel. The funny thing is they haven't even done anything with Marvel aside from putting their merchandise in stores and do a temporary cover on one of the Monorails.

You also single Iger out as being "Franchise hungry" but I can assure you Eisner was the same and any one who replaces Iger will think the same and honestly there really is nothing wrong with leveraging franchises if done correctly. I'd rather see Wall-E and Iron Man in the parks over High School MUsical and American Idol for example and I think most people would rather watch The Avengers or Tron or Pirates of the Caribbean over The Lizze Mcquire movie or Max Keebler's big move.

No reason to get so defensive, I was just merely stating my opinion on the former posters thought. And no I do not hate Hollywood Studios or The Muppets etc etc and I never suggested I did so please dont try and make it sound like I did. Yes Im not excited about Avatar its true (Im not the only one here who feels the same way), and could care less about Marvel, my choice. Yes I would much rather see Pixar and Lucas etc in the parks over HSM and Idol any day. And I do think Eisner started out with good intentions but as we all know went awry. Iger has kept the company very stable, its not that hes horrible or anything he just seems like a cold banker to me sometimes. I will however check out the book you mentioned for fun because I love Disney books.

 

[Captain Neo]

No reason to get so defensive, I was just merely stating my opinion on the former posters thought. And no I do not hate Hollywood Studios or The Muppets etc etc and I never suggested I did so please dont try and make it sound like I did. Yes Im not excited about Avatar its true (Im not the only one here who feels the same way), and could care less about Marvel, my choice. Yes I would much rather see Pixar and Lucas etc in the parks over HSM and Idol any day. And I do think Eisner started out with good intentions but as we all know went awry. Iger has kept the company very stable, its not that hes horrible or anything he just seems like a cold banker to me sometimes. I will however check out the book you mentioned for fun because I love Disney books.

It's a great book that gives the true story of Eisner's whole time at the company and some of the conflicts he faced up to the big shareholder revolt in 2004. Also goes into great detail of his relations with Roy Disney, Steve Jobs, and all the big hollywood bigwigs. Very enjoyable read.

 

[unkadug]

It's a great book that gives the true story of Eisner's whole time at the company and some of the conflicts he faced up to the big shareholder revolt in 2004. Also goes into great detail of his relations with Roy Disney, Steve Jobs, and all the big hollywood bigwigs. Very enjoyable read.

While it is a good book. I wouldn't necessarily call it the true story either. It is a little one sided.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Iger dont ruffling feathers does not mean he is best for running a creative company. He has revitalized squat, just looked for what is safe. It may be better than some bad ideas, but it is all still safe, which just makes a supposedly creative product stale and boring. As interesting as DisneyWar is, it is only one account, and opinions are best formed from multiple sources.

 

[NoChesterHester]

I tried the lobster roll sandwich at Columbia Harbour House recently and it wasn't bad at all. Lobster roll and bag of potato chips for $9.99.

Absolutely there are some micro improvements. How about the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow everyone is raving about?

The point is locations have been slowly shuttered. The one that bothers me the most is Tomorrowland Terrace... Such a visible location and dead transition off Main Street.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Absolutely there are some micro improvements. How about the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow everyone is raving about?

The point is locations have been slowly shuttered. The one that bothers me the most is Tomorrowland Terrace... Such a visible location and dead transition off Main Street.

How about demolishing that location and putting in an attraction? That area is the size of Buzz Lightyear.

 

[Scuttle]

How about demolishing that location and putting in an attraction? That area is the size of Buzz Lightyear.

Add an attraction without losing one!? That'll happen in about 30 years.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Add an attraction without losing one!? That'll happen in about 30 years.

Fine... demo or move Monster's Inc Laugh Floor and include that space too.

 

[devoy1701]

It's a great book that gives the true story of Eisner's whole time at the company and some of the conflicts he faced up to the big shareholder revolt in 2004. Also goes into great detail of his relations with Roy Disney, Steve Jobs, and all the big hollywood bigwigs. Very enjoyable read.

While it is a good book. I wouldn't necessarily call it the true story either. It is a little one sided.

unkadug beat me to it. To think that DisneyWar isn't a bit biased would be pretty nieve. I'm tired of having the "did Eisner do a good job" argument. But I would definitely suggest to Captian Neo to read a few more books including "Work in Progress" by Michael Eisner and "Storming the Magic Kingdom" by John Taylor. The "true" story lies somewhere between what those 3 books portray.

 

[Sir-Disney]

So, as off topic as everything is, I'd just like to comment on the Rohde statement from today about the Avatar area being under the very very beginning stages of development. Honestly I'm surprised more people haven't talked about that. Those of you with more experience, who have seen his "early stage" responses before... How do you feel about his response? Do you think he is confident in the follow-through potential for the Avatar area? We can obviously see how incredibly excited he is about the budget and limitless design posibilities. But was there anything about his statement that leads any of you to doubt his confidence?

 

[Captain Neo]

Iger dont ruffling feathers does not mean he is best for running a creative company. He has revitalized squat, just looked for what is safe. It may be better than some bad ideas, but it is all still safe, which just makes a supposedly creative product stale and boring. As interesting as DisneyWar is, it is only one account, and opinions are best formed from multiple sources.

It's not one account. It's backed up by numerous people, books, and articles. I suggest you also read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacberg there is a big section in that book that covers the same time period from a different perspective.

Also LOL @ the guy who suggested reading "Work in Progress" first of all it was written in the 90s long before the really bad decisions started happening (like maintenance cuts that led to broken rides and eventually customer deaths) and the big fallout with Roy Disney and alot of talent. Second of all it's written by Eisner himself while the books I recommend are written by independent third parties including multiple perspectives from different people and groups. On top of all thta, in the book Work in Progress Eisner even admits that he had difficulties running the company after Frank Wells died.