JEANYLASER
Well-Known Member
great info!
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Thread starter DocMcHulk
- Start date
MagicMike
Well-Known Member
I posted this awhile back but it still sums up my feelings for the addition of Avatar to Disney parks...
I think adding Avatar to the parks is a terrible idea. It was a knee jerk reaction by Disney to compete with Universals Harry Potter and net some media attention from their frenzy. I'll breakdown the initial board meeting for you...
Disney Exec 1 - "Holy Jeez, that Harry Potter park sure is something! Universal has people lined up for miles!"
Disney Exec 2 - "We need something big to announce ourselves. Something that will bring in people who like movies. If only we had a theme park dedicated to films, or perhaps a company that produces movies, then we would really be in business!"
Disney Exec 1 - "Sir, we already have both of those things, not to mention over 80 years of our own characters and films."
Disney Exec 2 - "What kinds of movies do kids these days like? What about The Matrix, people like those movies. Or Titanic, that was a popular one. That one with the big blue people, what was that called again?"
Disney Exec 1 - "You mean Avatar sir?"
Disney Exec 2 - "Yes, that's the one! My granddaughter loves that movie."
Disney Exec 1 - "Sir don't you think its a bad idea to sink millions of dollars into a park that is based on a movie whose sole success was driven by CGI technology? I mean, won't that seem like a bad idea 15 years from now when those graphics look dated and silly and the movie has no real story to fall back on? Won't people who visit the parks at that time just vaguely remember that movie at best?"
Disney Exec 2 - "Too late, I already called the press conference."
I think adding Avatar to the parks is a terrible idea. It was a knee jerk reaction by Disney to compete with Universals Harry Potter and net some media attention from their frenzy. I'll breakdown the initial board meeting for you...
Disney Exec 1 - "Holy Jeez, that Harry Potter park sure is something! Universal has people lined up for miles!"
Disney Exec 2 - "We need something big to announce ourselves. Something that will bring in people who like movies. If only we had a theme park dedicated to films, or perhaps a company that produces movies, then we would really be in business!"
Disney Exec 1 - "Sir, we already have both of those things, not to mention over 80 years of our own characters and films."
Disney Exec 2 - "What kinds of movies do kids these days like? What about The Matrix, people like those movies. Or Titanic, that was a popular one. That one with the big blue people, what was that called again?"
Disney Exec 1 - "You mean Avatar sir?"
Disney Exec 2 - "Yes, that's the one! My granddaughter loves that movie."
Disney Exec 1 - "Sir don't you think its a bad idea to sink millions of dollars into a park that is based on a movie whose sole success was driven by CGI technology? I mean, won't that seem like a bad idea 15 years from now when those graphics look dated and silly and the movie has no real story to fall back on? Won't people who visit the parks at that time just vaguely remember that movie at best?"
Disney Exec 2 - "Too late, I already called the press conference."
ChrisM
Well-Known Member
What a unique perspective on the Avatar announcement. I've never heard it critiqued in this exact way before.
Yes, because so many Disney attractions that aren't "driven by CGI technology" never end up looking silly and dated with a wafer thin "story" to fall back on. Oh wait, almost all of them do.
Mr_Incredible
Well-Known Member
Test track, mission space, space mountain, pirates, haunted mansion, rockin roller coaster, tower of terror, Everett, dinosaur etc
None of those rides are based off any movies, cgi based or otherwise, but they tell their own story
And hold up on their own as great rides and great themes.
I am giving Disney the benefit of the doubt to make avatar land it's own entity. And tell its own story based on the characters and back story of the avatar movie. From there, they can spin the theme, land, rides how they want. Sounds good to me.
menamechris
Well-Known Member
I can't help but not care at this point whether I think Avatar is a great or terrible idea for WDW. At this point - it's an idea. And that's a lot more than we have gotten from TDO in a long time... And if it's scrapped - well, it's just more of the same for the next decade. And quite frankly, IMO, the parks are getting stale and dated. The long anticipated Fantasyland expansion and Avatar seem to be all Disney has in the pipeline to fix that problem...which is worriesome
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Exactly--it's not as though we are getting Avatar or something else that is better. We are getting Avatar or nothing.
Sometimes nothing is preferable as it leaves the option for the future open. Even though I can have fun there, I often wish they hadn't built Walt Disney Studios Paris. Not saying Avatarland will be as ugly as that park (it most likely won't), just trying to explain the motive some might have that are so against Avatarland.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
If we're splitting hairs, Dinosaur was influenced by the movie of the same name. It was a synergy decision. Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster are tied to existing franchises (Twilight Zone and Aerosmith) as well, but again not a direct lift like say The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Having said that, the bulk of the recent additions have not been tied to existing franchises.
invader
Well-Known Member
Dinosaur is debatable as it was first opened as Countdown to Extinction, a ride surprisingly not based off of a movie.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
Have you seen the movie, Dinosaur? There are parallels to the movie in the ride.
The story as it goes was that Countdown to Extinction and Dinoland USA was approved over Beastly Kingdom because the movie Dinosaur was in development and Eisner loves synergy. When the movie came out the ride's name changed to Dinosaur.
invader
Well-Known Member
I've owned it on DVD since it came out and watched it like once, it was terrible. I can see what you're saying though. It's not like much changed in the ride either so I guess it could be counted.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
I think the connection can basically be that we're being brought back to the time when Dinosaur took place. Believe me, I'd love for the storyline of the ride to be re-done, add some more animatronics (perhaps take them from Ellen's Energy Adventure) and make it a true E-Ticket on the scale of Indiana Jones.
But back to the original argument, for the most part Disney isn't using the character infusion on E-tickets (he says on the day Radiator Springs Racers opens), they're using the character infusion to freshen up dying C-tickets.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
I wanted so badly to like the movie too... Dud.
menamechris
Well-Known Member
Yeah...for that idea that comes 20 or 30 years from now - if that? Avatar will be a new experience. I would like to think the lesson has been learned from DVC about doing something COMPLETELY half-a**, and thankfully they have a creative genius looking over their shoulder on this project. If it's not popular - WDW had shown that they have no problem shuttering whole pavilions - or completely repurposing areas to something different. In the meantime - something is coming. Something that at least will breathe some life into what has been an otherwise neglected park...
Mr_Incredible
Well-Known Member
I'll give you dinosaur. But tot and rnr can drop twilight zone and aero smith and continue with any theme and any name attached to it and still thrive as a ride.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
I disagree. If anything, I would think that Tower of Terror and RnR have a strong tie to their franchise than Dinosaur has to it's franchise. Either way, the detachment can be made but it's probably not necessary.
Yes I'm starting another Avatar thread and I will be criticized but I don't care.
There's a thought that comes up in every single Avatar thread and ends up monopolizing the conversation that needs to be explicitly shot down because it is totally false. Avatar IS coming to Disney parks, with construction starting at Disney's Animal Kingdom around 2013. Not "maybe" coming. Not "discussions about coming". IS. This is NOT the same as Hyperion Wharf. The key difference is that Hyperion didn't cost Disney a whole heap of money to license so cancelling it didn't cause any major problems. Disney paid James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment a truck load of cash to make this happen, and they're NOT going to back out.
To be sure, once they announce specific plans and attractions for Avatar Land, those plans are likely to change as the process rolls along (similar to Pixie Hollow being cancelled... Fantasyland Expansion was happening no matter what but specific plans were subject to change). But the conversation about whether Avatar is coming at all is misguided. Avatar is coming. Get over it.
(Yes, some catastrophic event COULD happen that causes it to be cancelled but my main point is that they're way beyond the "Iger changed his mind" phase.)
There's a thought that comes up in every single Avatar thread and ends up monopolizing the conversation that needs to be explicitly shot down because it is totally false. Avatar IS coming to Disney parks, with construction starting at Disney's Animal Kingdom around 2013. Not "maybe" coming. Not "discussions about coming". IS. This is NOT the same as Hyperion Wharf. The key difference is that Hyperion didn't cost Disney a whole heap of money to license so cancelling it didn't cause any major problems. Disney paid James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment a truck load of cash to make this happen, and they're NOT going to back out.
To be sure, once they announce specific plans and attractions for Avatar Land, those plans are likely to change as the process rolls along (similar to Pixie Hollow being cancelled... Fantasyland Expansion was happening no matter what but specific plans were subject to change). But the conversation about whether Avatar is coming at all is misguided. Avatar is coming. Get over it.
(Yes, some catastrophic event COULD happen that causes it to be cancelled but my main point is that they're way beyond the "Iger changed his mind" phase.)
DisneyparkFreak
Active Member
Um.... So what?
If THAT is how you feel about my post, why reply at all? If you don't care, move along. Some people might.