AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[ToTBellHop]

I agree that Avatar didn't have a lot of cultural staying power, but once reminded via marketing of it, people will remember it since a lot of people went to see it. This, and James Cameron's name can be used a very powerful marketing tools to get people interested. If they design a great land with innovative attractions, once the initial marketing push is done, the popularity of the attractions should sustain itself.

Agreed. Great attractions are always great attractions.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Not to mention Art of Animation and Philharmagic.

WDW doesn't need more Lion King, Nemo, Little Mermaid, Stitch, Princesses, Pirates or Beauty and the Beast. If you must use a Disney property, pick something else.

Better yet, make something new.

I would say Aladdin is the one that is lacking...and Agrabah would have been beautiful in Fantasyland.

 

[MattM]

or you could be like me who never watched a potter movie but went to IOA and went home to watch all of them

me too. never read them, never watched it, but had a great time at the attraction.

ETA: did not got home and watch them though.

 

[lazyboy97o]

agree maybe thats why disney isnt too worried what uni does..although i would

And yet, that is why Disney jumped into a deal for Avatar.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I would say Aladdin is the one that is lacking...and Agrabah would have been beautiful in Fantasyland.

That one was a tough choice for me to list or not. It does have multiple cases of representation in WDW, but that spinner falls very short of the movie's ride potential. Lion King and others? Not so much.

 

[ToTBellHop]

me too. never read them, never watched it, but had a great time at the attraction.

I didn't see Song of the South until a couple years ago and it honestly left very little of an impression on me, yet I've loved Splash Mountain since the early '90s.

 

[twebber55]

And yet, that is why Disney jumped into a deal for Avatar.

could be but they sure arent in any hurry to do anything be it avatar cars or star wars

 

[ToTBellHop]

That one was a tough choice for me to list or not. It does have multiple cases of representation in WDW, but that spinner falls very short of the movie's ride potential. Lion King and others? Not so much.

I would love to see the spinner leave. A dark ride for Aladdin (well funded) could be spectacular as I think the story would work very well dark-lit. Is Aladdin just not that popular any more? He seems to have been largely overlooked when it comes to spending.

 

[twebber55]

I didn't see Song of the South until a couple years ago and it honestly left very little of an impression on me, yet I've loved Splash Mountain since the early '90s.

i actually agree...as others have said in the past

 

[ToTBellHop]

Song of the South was well-known when Splash first opened in DL and WDW. Disney's self-imposed "ban" is a recent phenomenon; by now, the ride is a fixture in the parks kind of like Haunted Mansion, so the analogy is not really applicable.

I'm not sure I would consider Song of the South to be "well-known." It's never been released on home video in the USA, so it's only well known by people who saw it in theaters in 1946 or people who somehow procure it online.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I would love to see the spinner leave. A dark ride for Aladdin (well funded) could be spectacular as I think the story would work very well dark-lit. Is Aladdin just not that popular any more? He seems to have been largely overlooked when it comes to spending.

Jasmine has been deemed the only thing about the movie worth marketing anymore and she's not very good for building an attraction around. This and other more recent/popular titles have been acquired since 1992 for attraction potential leaving any Aladdin ride a low priority for park spending, unless it can be built on the cheap.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not sure I would consider Song of the South to be "well-known." It's never been released on home video in the USA, so it's only well known by people who saw it in theaters in 1946 or people who somehow procure it online.

Splash Mountain at Disneyland was given the green light following the successful 1986, US theatrical rerelease of Song of the South.

 

[Fox&Hound]

They built Mystic Manor without a franchise tie-in so there is still hope. I know, it wasn't here in the US of A but it is a start.

If they wanted a franchise/movie for AK, I keep saying that "Up" would totally fit. How beautiful would Paradise Falls be with a cliff canyon and the two chairs sitting on top of it. An "Up" house with the big colorful balloons that doubled as a ride?!? How awesome would that be? Gruffy ol' Carl telling you to sit down and buckle your seat belts as he drove the house through a tour of paradise falls. It could be a ride like Star Tours with projection screens and AA's.

I'm still holding out hope for Avatar because the park really needs some new experiences. It's the biggest Park (right?) and yet there is the least to do there. Shoot, I'd love an Avatar ride, a few restaurants, a night show like World of Color, 'Up" land, and some kind of jungle cruise type experience (maybe with mythical animals). That's my plan.

Indy could easily fit in there too.....

 

[ToTBellHop]

It was re-released five times in theaters after its initial run. Its most recent rerelease was two years before Splash Mountain opened in DL. The movie was as well-known as, say, Snow White was in the years before the home video market effectively ended theatrical rereleases. The controversy over Song of the South and its subsequent descent into obscurity is a recent phenomenon.

I only bring it up to make the point that the existence of Splash Mountain doesn't support the argument that the IP doesn't matter as well as some people think it does.

Fair enough. And it is a fair point that Splash has become such a quintessential Disney experience over time that it no longer matters what it was based upon (and perhaps it did matter at DL in the '80s).

I'll put it this way--I think the quality of the IP matters much less to the success of the ride than Bob Iger imagines. His attitude toward use of IPs for attractions makes it all the more incredible that Mystic Manor got built. Surely we will be seeing a cartoon with a monkey soon enough...

 

[luv]

I saw Song of the South as a kid (well after 1946 - not THAT old!), but didn't remember a thing about it when I first rode Splash. I loved the ride.

Someone else said that if Iger would trust that Disney is appealing enough, they could spend those billions elsewhere. ITA.

They don't need to go buy other things to try to compete with Uni. They just need to do their own thing.

People go to Disney for DISNEY.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I saw Song of the South as a kid (well after 1946 - not THAT old!), but didn't remember a thing about it when I first rode Splash. I loved the ride.

Someone else said that if Iger would trust that Disney is appealing enough, they could spend those billions elsewhere. ITA.

They don't need to go buy other things to try to compete with Uni. They just need to do their own thing.

People go to Disney for DISNEY.

That I agree with. I think Avatar has the potential to lead to some great attractions--but Disney didn't need Avatar to sell great attractions.

 

[SirLink]

They built Mystic Manor without a franchise tie-in so there is still hope. I know, it wasn't here in the US of A but it is a start.

If they wanted a franchise/movie for AK, I keep saying that "Up" would totally fit. How beautiful would Paradise Falls be with a cliff canyon and the two chairs sitting on top of it. An "Up" house with the big colorful balloons that doubled as a ride?!? How awesome would that be? Gruffy ol' Carl telling you to sit down and buckle your seat belts as he drove the house through a tour of paradise falls. It could be a ride like Star Tours with projection screens and AA's.

I'm still holding out hope for Avatar because the park really needs some new experiences. It's the biggest Park (right?) and yet there is the least to do there. Shoot, I'd love an Avatar ride, a few restaurants, a night show like World of Color, 'Up" land, and some kind of jungle cruise type experience (maybe with mythical animals). That's my plan.

Indy could easily fit in there too.....

So what unique Flora and Fauna are located in UP ... or Indy for that matter.

 

[Tim_4]

Fair enough. And it is a fair point that Splash has become such a quintessential Disney experience over time that it no longer matters what it was based upon (and perhaps it did matter at DL in the '80s).

I'll put it this way--I think the quality of the IP matters much less to the success of the ride than Bob Iger imagines. His attitude toward use of IPs for attractions makes it all the more incredible that Mystic Manor got built. Surely we will be seeing a cartoon with a monkey soon enough...

I think I agree with your premise but disagree with your conclusion. It seems like you're saying that franchisability is less important than credibility and immersion when designing a theme park land or attraction. I agree. However, I think this concept works in Avatar's favor, not against it.

Avatar wasn't successful because it had a kid friendly story or well known franchise characters or pillow-pet-ready critters. It was successful because it used groundbreaking technology to create a gorgeous environment with a unique feel and atmosphere. Those are EXACTLY the ingredients for great theme park possibilities.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I would say Kevin is wrong for Disney's Animal Kingdom for the same reason I consider Avatar or Star Wars or any other wholly fictional creatures to be wrong for the park.

 

[Nmoody1]

I would say Kevin is wrong for Disney's Animal Kingdom for the same reason I consider Avatar or Star Wars or any other wholly fictional creatures to be wrong for the park.

Bet you are pleased they never built a dragon coaster/quest for the unicorn!