AVATAR land - the specifics

[TyTrap]

How much time could you spend in diagon alley? And it only has half the rides.

I think Disney understands, like universal proved, that you can have several hours in an area with limited rides.

Diagon alley shopping is an attraction unto itself. If the walking paths at pandora can match that appeal- it's an unmitigated success for us, the park goer. Now for Disney- not as much- I doubt there will be near the purchasing power in pandora vs DA. But that's their problem, not ours.

This is a repost of what I said in the Star Wars thread, but it applies to your question, I think:

One approach that Disney is taking, and it worked for Cars Land, is to make the area itself an explorable, interactive attraction. So much to look at, see, and do, that you can spend hours there--NOT standing in a line, and enjoying the experience. The land itself is an extra E-ticket. This is obviously what they're doing with Avatar, and with Star Wars. Magic Bands, whatever our opinion of them, will add an extra level of personal interactivity. I think this all started with the Kim Possible thing at Epcot. With my family--we spent hours, essentially just wandering around Epcot, having fun, and it required a minimum of infrastructure changes. Not an E-ticket in the traditional sense--but think about that, we were experiencing an attraction--continuously--for hours, without ever standing in a line. I think this is deliberate strategy on their part, and we'll need to realign our thinking so we're not going 'oh, only 2 rides?'

Of course, this is coming from a guy who does the animal trails, or the paths around the Tree of Life in AK and thinks they are great attractions, so your mileage may vary.

i concur, joe rohde even said that animal kingdom isn't a park to rush through you should just take it slow and enjoy because there is so much detail that goes into everything not just in the attractions but in the entire park itself. I think pandora is going to entice us to enjoy the little details and not just run to the rides. Especially with the interactive element of the pandoran flora.

 

[mousehockey37]

i concur, joe rohde even said that animal kingdom isn't a park to rush through you should just take it slow and enjoy because there is so much detail that goes into everything not just in the attractions but in the entire park itself. I think pandora is going to entice us to enjoy the little details and not just run to the rides. Especially with the interactive element of the pandoran flora.

Joe for CEO.

 

[bakntime]

i concur, joe rohde even said that animal kingdom isn't a park to rush through you should just take it slow and enjoy because there is so much detail that goes into everything not just in the attractions but in the entire park itself. I think pandora is going to entice us to enjoy the little details and not just run to the rides. Especially with the interactive element of the pandoran flora.

This is one of the most overlooked things, often about Disney Parks in general. There's so much more than just "rides" to the WDW experience.

 

[Andrew C]

So Disney Parks Blog says Rivers of Light is expected to open next spring. Has that been previously known as I figured it would be opening around the same time as Pandora?

 

[Cesar R M]

But Avatar was very well received when it first came out. It holds an 83% Critic score on RT and 82% Audience rating.

Seems people have selective memories and like to pick and choose based on what they like and don't like.

not to mention still #1 movie EVER.
it was the DEFACTO " 3d" masterpiece.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

So Disney Parks Blog says Rivers of Light is expected to open next spring. Has that been previously known as I figured it would be opening around the same time as Pandora?

Already discussed here as sometime early-mid 2016. I think the other night enhancements to the park are on track for a similar time frame. They're all much easier to get done quickly than Avatar. RoL in particular has been under construction for quite some time now.

 

[Cesar R M]

A giant mist screen.

or a giant inflatable balloon!!!

 

[Cesar R M]

Where do you see nipple? I see a faintly colored area that is in line with the rest of the patches of color on her body, but that is no nipple. I think you are seeing something that you want to see.

they probably do not even have nipples anyway

Should be impressive and slightly frightening. Let's just hope Disney takes care of all of the AAs we are getting. No yetis please.

DISCO NA' VI!! lol

 

[TyTrap]

Why are they still being so vague about "flight of passage" we know it's going to be a flight simulator but when are they going to let us see some actual ride concept art? Will it be revealed at next years D23?

 

[Next Big Thing]

Why are they still being so vague about "flight of passage" we know it's going to be a flight simulator but when are they going to let us see some actual ride concept art? Will it be revealed at next years D23?

I would have loved to see what the ride vehicle will look like. I know it's a banshee, but what will capacity be and what will it look like? etc...

I sort of wish they would've put together a conceptual animation for the boat ride (like we saw for the slinky coaster).

 

[TyTrap]

I would have loved to see what the ride vehicle will look like. I know it's a banshee, but what will capacity be and what will it look like? etc...

I sort of wish they would've put together a conceptual animation for the boat ride (like we saw for the slinky coaster).

That's what I'm saying. Are they just waiting until closer to opening day I can understand if they wait but it's like I'm ready to see what this looks like

 

[Next Big Thing]

That's what I'm saying. Are they just waiting until closer to opening day I can understand if they wait but it's like I'm ready to see what this looks like

probably want to hold off so that they still can build excitement for it next year and as we draw nearer to the land actually opening.

 

[rioriz]

Also we don't know what Cameron wanted announced....I fully expect more to come once the movie gets closer

 

[danlb_2000]

Why are they still being so vague about "flight of passage" we know it's going to be a flight simulator but when are they going to let us see some actual ride concept art? Will it be revealed at next years D23?

D23 is every other year, so no.

 

[jt04]

D23 is every other year, so no.

So it should be open by next D23.

 

[danlb_2000]

So it should be open by next D23.

If we are lucky.

 

[Siren]

I'm pretty sure the boat ride is still there from what I see in the model and they even mention a "canoe ride" or something of the sort in the promo video.

As for potential to expand in the future... yes, they're going to be building Star Wars Land. However, if down the line Avatar is a major Sci-fi franchise, there could be incentive to adding an additional ride if they see demand is there.

I mean, they're spending all this money to put this IP in the park, it's not like this is something they can just tear on out quickly if the sequels fail. So on the flip side, if it does really well, why not invest in it again (as long as the movies see continued success) if it's going to be a permanent fixture to the park?

AK is my second favorite park and it could beat AK with the extended hours and night time show! I'm all for more investment in Avatarland, but I don't expect it.

I have a feeling that Avatar 2 will be the biggest flop in cinema history. But I'm probably the only one who thinks that. So, we'll see.

LOL. I don't think Avatar 2 will break the original Avatar record, but it won't be a flop either.

Oh, and @Siren, if you had any doubts about the boat ride, i'd put them away:

Thank you, I have. That poster is so gorgeous and I can't wait for this to open!

Why do you think he would have a problem with it, it's a beautiful model and likely a very accurate representation of what is being built.

In the recent pictures, the model looks dried out and the colors appear to be dingy. It probably is a beautiful model, but it's staged poorly, especially with that huge obnoxious looking moon. It doesn't show well, IMO - but I'm totally over it, especially with all of the other wonderful news!

But Avatar was very well received when it first came out. It holds an 83% Critic score on RT and 82% Audience rating.

Seems people have selective memories and like to pick and choose based on what they like and don't like.

Yes! I totally agree. Avatar on facebook has almost 50 million likes!

 

[CTXRover]

Slightly different view of the foating mountains on the model from Joe Rohde:

https://twitter.com/Joe_Rohde/status/632939432836997120

The one with the waterfall is the large one we see already constructed on site. From an engineering standpoint, this structure is pretty cool.

 

[PorterRedkey]

This is a repost of what I said in the Star Wars thread, but it applies to your question, I think:

One approach that Disney is taking, and it worked for Cars Land, is to make the area itself an explorable, interactive attraction. So much to look at, see, and do, that you can spend hours there--NOT standing in a line, and enjoying the experience. The land itself is an extra E-ticket. This is obviously what they're doing with Avatar, and with Star Wars. Magic Bands, whatever our opinion of them, will add an extra level of personal interactivity. I think this all started with the Kim Possible thing at Epcot. With my family--we spent hours, essentially just wandering around Epcot, having fun, and it required a minimum of infrastructure changes. Not an E-ticket in the traditional sense--but think about that, we were experiencing an attraction--continuously--for hours, without ever standing in a line. I think this is deliberate strategy on their part, and we'll need to realign our thinking so we're not going 'oh, only 2 rides?'

Of course, this is coming from a guy who does the animal trails, or the paths around the Tree of Life in AK and thinks they are great attractions, so your mileage may vary.

This may be the case. After visiting Carsland, I felt it needed more to do. The E-ticket wait is so long that unless I had a fast pass, I wouldn't go over to Carsland, because it was just so crowded. I ate at Flo's and got snacks and the Cozy Cones and looked through the shops and rode Mater's twice. That took about 2 hours. Personally I like to explore every path, but Center St is the only other path to explore there. It looked great at night, but it is still just the same stuff that was there in the day, only with neon. I hope Pandora is has a little more to offer and more to interact with.

 

[Siren]

On second thought, the moon isn't obnoxious, because it really is a beautiful moon. It's so vibrant and bright that it makes the rest of the model look bad, I think.

Anyway, Avatar 2 will hit cinema's on December 25, 2017 -- Christmas Day!!! Prior to that the Traveling Avatar Exhibition will launch in the Fall of 2016, leading up to the debut of Avatar 2, which is just genius.

Wow, this is so stunning and pretty! And, quite distinct from the dominant presence of sand, stone, and the muted tone landscapes that encompass most of Star Wars land. I'm starting to think that Avatar 2 has a great chance of beating the current Avatar record.