AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[slappy magoo]

Horrible idea and horible movie! This has NOTHING to do with animal kingdom. ZERO. If you want mythological creatures that is fine but take them from actual earth cultures not this over hyped piece of fictional garbage. Really upset with WDI if this is true.

So...you're saying...make attractions based on real myths that take place on Earth and not crazy made-up outer space myths? So they're more "believable?" :shrug:

 

[devoy1701]

All I gotta say is...

fire zee insidas!!

for either:

a) keeping this from us
b) missing this

:lol:

Can't wait to here what's in store and if this is going to be replacing Minnie-Mickey or going where Australia was going to go.

 

[Disneygal1]

WOW! Not sure if I'm "sold" on the whole land idea, but hopefully it will turn out well. Is this taking the place of camp minnie and mickey land area?

 

[Sigmundooze]

3...2...1 until the fanboys who complained that there was no "Potter-swatter" complain that this is a "bad" "Potter-swatter."

I'm not a fan boy of either but this is not a potter swatter IMO. Harry Potter is MUCH more immersive than Avatar and harry potter is kid friendly. All of Disneys properties and they choose Avatar. SOOOOOO dumb...

 

[ToTBellHop]

Hilarious that people already say they won't set foot in a land they know nothing about...

This is a very surprising but welcome move. Regardless of the film's merits, which matter little here, Cameron created a visually-stunning world with tons of possibilities for a land. And ecological preservation is the central theme of the film (I would guess the complainers have not actually seen the film).

A new E-Ticket is guaranteed out of this. The correct response is "yay" or "finally." And once this opens, maybe they can close down Everest and finally do a refurbishment.

 

[Bairstow]

They've already signed the deals, and Sigourney Weaver has already agreed to come back for Avatar 2...which is strange if you've seen the first one.

It was weird enough that she came back for Alien 4.

 

[R W B]

"Talks" of sequel is inaccurate. The sequels are coming out in December 2014 and 2015. They are in pre-production now.

Really? Wow thats over 3 years away. (I know stating the obvious) I hate waiting for sequels but cant do anything about it. If construction really begins at the start of 2013 then some may be open by 2015 for the release of the 3rd movie. Who knows.

 

[Kamikaze]

3...2...1 until the fanboys who complained that there was no "Potter-swatter" complain that this is a "bad" "Potter-swatter."

Some people you can never please.

Its actually a better situation than HP. Avatar has at least two more movies coming out while Potter is done.

While I don't like Avatar, this is a huge get.

 

[DocMcHulk]

Via InsideTheMagic: The project is said to cost around the same as the Cars Land expansion of Disney California Adventure, around $200 million.

 

[Thessair]

They've already signed the deals, and Sigourney Weaver has already agreed to come back for Avatar 2...which is strange if you've seen the first one.

Thanks for information without being snarky. As I didn't enjoy the first one I haven't been following the sequel talks. I was wrong and I admit it. I still think this is risky. No telling how popular the sequels will be and I hope this doesn't bite them in the end. I imagine the rights weren't inexpensive.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

I'm not a fan boy of either but this is not a potter swatter IMO. Harry Potter is MUCH more immersive than Avatar and harry potter is kid friendly. All of Disneys properties and they choose Avatar. SOOOOOO dumb...

Maybe Disney is trying to appeal to an older guest on this one.

 

[Bairstow]

Hilarious that people already say they won't set foot in a land they know nothing about...

This is a very surprising but welcome move. Regardless of the film's merits, which matter little here, Cameron created a visually-stunning world with tons of possibilities for a land. And ecological preservation is the central theme of the film (I would guess the complainers have not actually seen the film).

A new E-Ticket is guaranteed out of this. The correct response is "yay" or "finally." And once this opens, maybe they can close down Everest and finally do a refurbishment.

...Or Dinosaur. They never really finished that thing.

At this point, any construction is good construction, and in all honesty it should turn out to be a pretty neat land. Watching the movie it occurred to me that Avatar is more like a theme park ride than a film anyway. The story is just Pocahontas/Dune/Ferngully/Dances With Wolves revisited, but there's enough cool stuff to look at that it doesn't really matter in the end.

 

[peterpanic74]

Can't wait to see some concept art...may be awhile, though...

 

[WDWmazprty]

Its actually a better situation than HP. Avatar has at least two more movies coming out while Potter is done.

While I don't like Avatar, this is a huge get.

This.

 

[devoy1701]

Hilarious that people already say they won't set foot in a land they know nothing about...

This is a very surprising but welcome move. Regardless of the film's merits, which matter little here, Cameron created a visually-stunning world with tons of possibilities for a land. And ecological preservation is the central theme of the film (I would guess the complainers have not actually seen the film).

A new E-Ticket is guaranteed out of this. The correct response is "yay" or "finally." And once this opens, maybe they can close down Everest and finally do a refurbishment.

Unfortunately we're still talking 5 years from now. :lookaroun

I applaud the move nontheless!

 

[WDWGoof07]

Not sure how I feel about this...

The movie sucked, but the visuals were spectacular.

The connection to the theme of DAK is tenuous, and there are other Disney/mythical animal themes that I would rather see represented in the park. On the other hand, there is a good chance that this project will involve a cutting-edge E-Ticket. After all, this land looks as if it is supposed to be a response to WWOHP, so it would make sense that they would want it anchored by a huge, flagship ride like Forbidden Journey.

I guess I'm not overly enthused by this news, but I'm not mad or disappointed at this point. Hopefully the ambiance and the attractions will be good enough to allow me to look past the awfulness of the movie. In the meantime, I'll be waiting to see how it all plays out...

Question: Why did they not announce this at D23?

 

[cynic710]

Can't wait to see some concept art...may be awhile, though...

agreed on the concept art, there are literally billions of ideas that can grow from this.

 

[fractal]

Avatar 'Land' Expected To Cost An Estimated $400M - Source



Business Wire
1:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time Sep 20, 2011
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide is joining forces with visionary filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. Through an exclusive agreement announced today by Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox, Disney will partner with Cameron and producing partner Jon Landau to create themed lands that will give theme park guests the opportunity to explore the mysterious universe of AVATAR first hand. Disney plans to build the first AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney World, within the Animal Kingdom park. With its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy. Construction is expected to begin by 2013.

“James Cameron is a groundbreaking filmmaker and gifted storyteller who shares our passion for creativity, technological innovation and delivering the best experience possible,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “With this agreement, we have the extraordinary opportunity to combine James’ talent and vision with the imagination and expertise of Disney.”

“AVATAR created a world which audiences can discover again and again and now, through this incredible partnership with Disney, we'll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before. With two new AVATAR films currently in development, we'll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore,” said James Cameron. “I'm chomping at the bit to start work with Disney's legendary Imagineers to bring our AVATAR universe to life. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of AVATAR with an unprecedented sense of reality.”

The agreement announced today gives The Walt Disney Company (NYSEIS) exclusive global theme park rights to the AVATAR franchise and provides for additional AVATAR themed lands at other Disney parks. The other locations will be determined by Disney and its international theme park partners. James Cameron, Jon Landau and their Lightstorm Entertainment group will serve as creative consultants on the projects and will partner with Walt Disney Imagineering in the design and development of the AVATAR themed lands.

“This exciting new venture combines the world of AVATAR with the enormous reach of Disney and the incomparable talent of Jim Cameron,” commented Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. “While Jim is bringing audiences further into Pandora with the next two chapters in the AVATAR motion picture saga, the theme park attraction will likewise bring a new dimension to the amazing universe he created.”

“AVATAR is a uniquely powerful franchise that has global appeal with audiences of all ages. Its spectacular settings, intriguing characters, imaginative creatures, and strong themes of family and loyalty make it a perfect fit for Disney,” said Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We can’t wait to give our guests the ability to journey to Pandora and explore the incredible immersive world of AVATAR in person.”

In addition to setting a global box office record, AVATAR has been hailed as one of the most innovative and visually stunning movies ever produced. With its advanced motion capture and 3-D digital projection technologies developed by James Cameron and his team, moviegoers were able to connect with the world of AVATAR in new and engaging ways.

This new venture complements Walt Disney Parks & Resorts’ strategic efforts to continue to invest in its core theme park businesses around the world while simultaneously expanding into other parts of the family vacation business.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Just my 2 cents but I would have rather had Mt Prometheus from Tokyo Disney Sea especially with a new 20K movie being developed/ directed by Fincher

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Captain Chaos]

WOW.. just WOW... I'm actually in total shock.. AVATAR??? One word.. AWESOME!!!!

Kudos Disney...