AVATAR land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[Mickey is King]

I'm interested to see the concept art.........Didn't really care for the movie but I'm sure that this section of AK will be well done, Can't wait to see it- years from now of course....

So what's the abbreviation for the land gonna turn out to be????

 

[misterID]

If that were to happen then there would be no difference between Animal Kingdom and any other theme park, a huge part of the park's charm is its unique concept and doing away with that? Then there's no point to having it at all.

Not true, respectfully. This will be a land, not a retheming of the entire park. You don't have to step foot in it and nothing will have changed in AK for you.

There are plenty of things I don't do in each Disney park, things I don't think fit. I don't go there and I don't let it bring me down.

 

[Pete C]

I don't see how Avatar fitting in DAK is any more of a stretch than the original Beastly Kingdom concept. Please explain how this is different?

I would say a very large portion of people that don't like Avatar are against the movie for political reasons, so I can't imagine the decision to make an entire Disney land based on it will be popular with them.

As far as going up against Harry Potter...well, there is no questioning that HP is a much more fleshed out world with many more locations and characters that are far more recognizable. Story-wise they are not equivalent either, as HP was a series of books by a talented writer and is just far richer.

Regardless, I think people are overlooking just how incredible this land could look. The Imagineers could run WILD with this place...especially at night. Perhaps this will be the key to making DAK a late-night park...a glowing world with a large walkable area of exploration.

WWoHP will be expanded by the time Avatar opens, so I am really hoping that besides the obvious E-ticket anchor this land will have, we will get a D-ticket to go along with it.

 

[devoy1701]

btw...so glad that Tom Staggs answered about 5 questions without answering anything at all...lol. There will be a bunch of wait and see over the next 3 years, though he did mention "multiple attractions" which gives me hope!

 

[216bruce]

Glad to see "Ferngully" getting the attention it deserves. In all seriousness- I can see the fit in AK, love the theme of the movie and it was beautiful looking but it's nowhere near (at least yet) a complete world like Potter is. Cameron's stuff is a little over-the-top and after I see his movies I usually feel like I've been bludgeoned. All in all- meh. Wait and see.
Personally, I think it was a huge success because of the use of 3-d, which is now pretty dead.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

This is huge and I am incredibly excited....but does Avatar have the staying power? We have all seen it, but will people and kids 20 years down the road have? Or will the land cement the movies staying power? That's the big risk when you build a land based on a franchise....

 

[devoy1701]

I don't see how Avatar fitting in DAK is any more of a stretch than the original Beastly Kingdom concept. Please explain how this is different?

I would say a very large portion of people that don't like Avatar are against the movie for political reasons, so I can't imagine the decision to make an entire Disney land based on it will be popular with them.

As far as going up against Harry Potter...well, there is no questioning that HP is a much more fleshed out world with many more locations and characters that are far more recognizable. Story-wise they are not equivalent either, as HP was a series of books by a talented writer and is just far richer.

Regardless, I think people are overlooking just how incredible this land could look. The Imagineers could run WILD with this place...especially at night. Perhaps this will be the key to making DAK a late-night park...a glowing world with a large walkable area of exploration.

WWoHP will be expanded by the time Avatar opens, so I am really hoping that besides the obvious E-ticket anchor this land will have, we will get a D-ticket to go along with it.

Because most people associate the Animal Kingdom as being about the Earth. Even though Beastly Kingdom was to include mythical creatures, they were "real" to people of this planet in the past. That is the only way I can justify the argument. But having said that...I don't think there is anything about Animal Kingdom that says it has to strictly be about our planet.

 

[JCtheparrothead]

James Cameron is not only a visionary but a perfectionist. Between him and the WDI crew i really expect something amazing, especially if it going to be a whole land. Also think about what the animals and land for Pandora are based on...the ocean. Maybe we will be getting some much needed bio-luminescent aquatic life at Animal Kingdom?

This is a nice surprise. I am pumped.:sohappy:

 

[S.E.A.]

Now you are just being silly. DisneySea is inspired by the ocean and draws creatively from the natural environment and is recognized as the greatest theme park in the world. DAK can accomplish the same thing but just from a slightly different source of inspiration.

DisneySea doesn't draw creatively from the natural environment, it draws on stories. If it drew from the natural environment it would be more like sea world or a giant version of The Seas.

 

[devoy1701]

Glad to see "Ferngully" getting the attention it deserves. In all seriousness- I can see the fit in AK, love the theme of the movie and it was beautiful looking but it's nowhere near (at least yet) a complete world like Potter is. Cameron's stuff is a little over-the-top and after I see his movies I usually feel like I've been bludgeoned. All in all- meh. Wait and see.
Personally, I think it was a huge success because of the use of 3-d, which is now pretty dead.

3D is dead?? :shrug:

 

[Number_6]

As it is, I don't really spend a lot of time at AK when I go to WDW. I spend a lot more time at MK and Epcot. This would potentially get me wanting to go to AK more, depending on what exactly it entailed. Personally, I really enjoyed Avatar. Did I think it was the best movie I'd ever seen? No. Did I think it was a very beautiful film visually with a lot of great action sequences? Absolutely. Would I like to walk around an area themed after it, if done right? Most definitely.

 

[jt04]

James Cameron is not only a visionary but a perfectionist. Between him and the WDI crew i really expect something amazing, especially if it going to be a whole land. Also think about what the animals and land for Pandora are based on...the ocean. Maybe we will be getting some much needed bio-luminescent aquatic life at Animal Kingdom?

This is a nice surprise. I am pumped.:sohappy:

I keep picturing Pandora-Avatar-Land on the scale of Carsland. Yeah, that would work!

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I don't see how Avatar fitting in DAK is any more of a stretch than the original Beastly Kingdom concept. Please explain how this is different?

I would say a very large portion of people that don't like Avatar are against the movie for political reasons, so I can't imagine the decision to make an entire Disney land based on it will be popular with them.

As far as going up against Harry Potter...well, there is no questioning that HP is a much more fleshed out world with many more locations and characters that are far more recognizable. Story-wise they are not equivalent either, as HP was a series of books by a talented writer and is just far richer.

Regardless, I think people are overlooking just how incredible this land could look. The Imagineers could run WILD with this place...especially at night. Perhaps this will be the key to making DAK a late-night park...a glowing world with a large walkable area of exploration.

WWoHP will be expanded by the time Avatar opens, so I am really hoping that besides the obvious E-ticket anchor this land will have, we will get a D-ticket to go along with it.

I'm not against the movie for political reasons. I'm against it because it was boring. I was really looking forward to that movie. I thought it would be huge. Changing filmmaking the way Jaws and Star Wars did. (And probably it did, because everything is 3D now. But Disney was doing that before Avatar anyway) I stayed away from the Internet feedback before I saw it (which wasn't too long after opening). I came out of the theatre, and on the drive home, I had all the opinions of the message boards despite never reading them before. It's Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, Fern Gully, etc.

It was pretty to look at, but it was boring and to me wasn't very entertaining.

Disney could have had Potter; the movies may fade over time, but those books will be classics that will be loved for generations. I don't see Avatar having that staying power. I think it's going to go the way of Matrix.

I'd enjoy the Avatarland if there aren't any characters. Leave it as the beauty and wildlife of Pandora and I'll enjoy it. No blue folk and no military characters. I think, if they wanted Avatar in the parks, something like a 360 3D attraction at DHS would have done the job, not an entire land.

Personally, for an expansion or revitalization of AK, I would have liked a "sequel" overlay for Dinoland. Something like that Prehistoric Park show a few years back. We can go back in time and pick up dinosaurs and bring them back for our enjoyment today. Just follows the storyline of Countdown to Extinction and could lead to new attractions and the removal of the gas station theme. An Australia or an Americas section too. And since BK is pretty much dead now, just as Asia got the Yeti, Africa and America/Australia could have one cryptid attraction. Maybe toss a few fantasy animals in areas you can see but can't get to, like in and/or along the river. And there's your fantasy aspect. I'm kind of over having a "fantasyland" at AK by this point - but I guess that's what Pandora will be.

(Actually, with the conservation theme... I'd rather this be a much better and expanded Planet Watch overlay type thing than a new land. Save the space for other things)

 

[Pioneer Hall]

A couple things...

Maybe we can ease off the word "Haters". Just because someone does not like Avatar, and this land does not appeal to them, that does not make them some ignorant "hater" who hates just to hate. In fact, I would argue that the ones using the phrasing such as "they are just haters" are in fact the ones doing the hating.

Now about the land itself. No doubt it has the potential to be a deeply themed environment. But I think the idea that it is going to resemble the world James Cameron created in AVATAR is more then optimistic. There will be no floating islands, there will be no 900 foot trees, there will be no exotic made up animals milling about. Imagining this kind of environment is only setting yourself up for disappointment.


Not that it matters, but IMO, I would rather they had stayed earthbound. Bring us the Amazon, and El Dorado or Paradise Falls, or any number of stunning natural wonders and environments that we have right here.

I don't think there is a way to know yet what thematic elements the land may have. For all we know Disney is figuring out a way to make these things possible...even if it is just a visual trick to make it look that way to you. If this were the 1960's and I told you that they would have things that look like ghosts in the mansion, you might not have thought that to be a possibility. If there is one thing that WDI can do is have your mind play tricks on you to make you think you are seeing something you aren't.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I love how people are talking about how great WWoHP is...and that Avatar won't beat it and that it doesn't fit the theme of the Animal Kingdom.

How does WWoHP fit the them of an island? Remember...Islands of Adventure were differently themed islands.

Marvel Superhero Island. It is an island Metropolis.
Toon Lagoon. An island where all the comic strip toons lived.
Jurassic Park. That took place on an island.
Seuss Landing. They took the world of Dr. Seuss and put the characters on an island.
The Lost Continent. An continent is essentially a large continent.

Hogwarts and the land of Harry Potter did not take place on an island...yet nobody is up-in-arms over the placement of it.

Avatar...which takes place on a beautiful planet where life is one with the planet...and has extraordinary creatures, plants, animals, waterfalls, floating islands, etc...doesn't fit into a park whose theme is focused on animals and the environment.

Whuh?

My point is...WWoHP didn't fit the overall theme of the park...but it works.
Avatar...which may not fit into the "EARTH" theme of the park...but it may just work!

People need to open their minds and think outside the box!

 

[216bruce]

Creatively, yes, 3-D is dead for theatrical films. How many really good 3-D movies have been made? It's a gimmick that was a quick cash grab to get folks out to theaters. I saw Avatar in 2-D and 3-D. The best parts of it would have been fine without the 3-D and the process itself, unless used sparingly is more annoying than anything else.
For attractions and as a gimmick it's great.

 

[mickeysaver]

anyway here's my point, about 15 years ago there was this movie called "The Matrix" it was this really big hit, that made tons of money and everybody thought it was AWESOME!!! it had this clever story about this guy who plugs his brain into some kind of machine and then his consciousness is transferred into this other world where has super powers, blah,blah,blah... the story wasn't important, because the thing that everyone thought was AWESOME! was the brand new CGI SPECIAL EFFECTS and all the cool ACTION SCENES...

So the Matrix was such a big hit movie, they decided to do not 1 but 2 Sequels, the problem with that was that the first movie had kind of a flimsy story, and lots of other movies began copying those really cool CGI Special Effects... long story short, most people though the sequels weren't very good, actually they ended up being kind of a joke

Um, the 2nd and 3rd Matrix movies were not a joke. They require that you think and have the ability to take a whole lot of little story elements and piece them together in order to absorb the entire meaning of the message. Sadly, not everyone can do that. It's a very masterfully crafted tale that I absolutely love from start to finish. Just because you didn't seem to care for the rest of the story doesn't mean that there are not plenty of us out there that did and even wish that we could see a 4th Matrix film, if they could weave the tale just a bit further. They left it open for more movies to follow, if they wanted to make them.

Honestly, after I heard about the Avatar AK addition, the next thought in my head was "I really wish they would do something cool with The Matrix over at DHS or somewhere!" So, even though it's a 15 year old series or movies, it still is cool enough that I would love to be able to experience it for myself outside of passively sitting on my butt and watching it.

 

[nngrendel]

i think it's going to go the way of matrix.

the matrix is real!!!

 

[mickeysaver]

And yet, even after 3 godawful Star Wars prequels I can still enjoy Star Tours.

:ROFLOL: excellent point.

 

[scout68]

A couple things...


Not that it matters, but IMO, I would rather they had stayed earthbound. Bring us the Amazon, and El Dorado or Paradise Falls, or any number of stunning natural wonders and environments that we have right here.

I can see your point but I can use roughly the same amount of money it takes to go to WDW to see those places in person. I think my coffers might come up a little short for the ticket to an alien planet. :wave: