AVATAR land - the specifics

[jt04]

Considering we have an "Invisible Oxygen Dome" on Space Mountain, I assume they'll come up with something in the backstory to explain how we can breath on Pandora. For 99% of guests this won't matter so I wouldn't expect much of an effort placed on something like this - just enough that if a cast member is asked about it they can explain it with something other than a shoulder shrug.

It is entirely possible that Cameron will insist on a much more "real" environment in this case. That would be my guess. I can't see them taking the easy way out when spending half a billion dollars. Can't wait to find out though.

 

[Bairstow]

Considering we have an "Invisible Oxygen Dome" on Space Mountain, I assume they'll come up with something in the backstory to explain how we can breath on Pandora. For 99% of guests this won't matter so I wouldn't expect much of an effort placed on something like this - just enough that if a cast member is asked about it they can explain it with something other than a shoulder shrug.

Dress up all the garbage cans and streetlamps as " area-level Oxygen diffusers"?

 

[GenerationX]

Similarly to the way CMs in World Showcase are natives of the country represented, I wonder if Disney/Cameron will be able to convince the Na'vi to staff Avatarland.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Enclose the humans in an air tight corridor. Instead of the natural boundaries that they currently use go with a straight up steel and glass enclosure.

Something like this wouldn't surprise me, but once again, it could be over complicating things - what this would accomplish is it would preserve the "environment" from guest interaction (i.e. breaking it).

 

[Bairstow]

Just tell everyone to take a deep breath as the go in and hold it until they get back to Harambe Village.

 

[RunnerEd]

I've been thinking about Avatar in DAK, and even though I'm enthusiastic
about this expansion, there are a few creative challenges that I'm wondering how they
will solve. I thought I'd toss 'em out here for speculation and rumination, armchair
imagineering, wishing, whatever.

Everyone's been talking about what attractions will be built, will there be a show, etc.
but I'd like to discuss some "big picture" story questions for the land.

Note: It seems like news and rumors is the place where people are discussing this,
but if this needs moving, no harm, no foul.

So . . . what do you think about:

1) The fact that Pandora is another planet, and does not have a breatheable atmosphere?

Getting into and out of the land could be a simulator/space travel experience, but I
seriously doubt that due to capacity and flow issues. They'll need a "bridge to Pandora"
as wide and accessible as those to Asia and Africa.

So, will we be "going to Pandora" or will there be a story about "bringing Pandoran flora and
fauna to Earth"? The experience of going to Pandora--entering and exiting the land--will probably
have to be some sort of cool reveal-type experience, where you go around something, under something,
to suddenly be enveloped in the new land. Oooh, a floating mountain!

So--let's say you're on Pandora. How the heck are you breathing?
Idea--on light poles along the path, just build some techy designed whirring prop gizmos, which
are "localized oxygen generators". The story can be that they've figured out how to create bubbles
of breatheable air along the pathways.

I could see this confusing and scaring people, though.

Perhaps we're all going to lay down in Avatar capsules and plug into an Avatar?! I'm laughing at that.

So, thoughts on how to implement the story of "going to a different planet"?

2) The Na'Vi. OK. They are fifteen feet tall, have really big eyes, and are mostly naked. Do you think we'll see
cast members painted blue, (and mostly naked?!?) or will they appear only in computer screens
and as animatronics?

CM's in the land would need to be humans--and I'm thinking they are science explorers, like Grace and
her researchers in the movie--studying the planet, not militaristic at all.

And so--buildings in the middle would be something of a "science outpost" on the planet.

But how the heck to deal with the Na'Vi? Perhaps they are "elusive", but that seems like a cop out.

3) The glowing plants. Very cool stuff in the movie where they light up when touched. I can see
LED lighting, all that coolness--but wow, people touching these plants are going to be a maintenance
nightmare.

That's all for now, looking forward to people speculating on this until we see some official concept
stuff from Disney. I suspect that even THEY don't know the answers to this stuff, yet!

Great point here. I would like to add one more:

4)Pandora is not a planet, it's a moon. In the movie, almost every time you see the sky, you see the planet. It look like a gas giant; sort of a different colored Jupiter. How are they going to create that illusion? The only way that I can think of would be a completely enclosed space but a 12 acre dome/warehouse sound really large. Of course, the middle areas could be enclosed under the roof with the planet projected onto the ceiling, with the queue lines going through doorways/hallways into their own structure (like Soarin' is attached to the Land Pavilion). Also, this set up, with perimeter walls make portraying the floating mountains a piece of cake; they could be projected onto the walls in the distance. Any thoughts?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Great point here. I would like to add one more:

4)Pandora is not a planet, it's a moon. In the movie, almost every time you see the sky, you see the planet. It look like a gas giant; sort of a different colored Jupiter. How are they going to create that illusion? The only way that I can think of would be a completely enclosed space but a 12 acre dome/warehouse sound really large. Of course, the middle areas could be enclosed under the roof with the planet projected onto the ceiling, with the queue lines going through doorways/hallways into their own structure (like Soarin' is attached to the Land Pavilion). Also, this set up, with perimeter walls make portraying the floating mountains a piece of cake; they could be projected onto the walls in the distance. Any thoughts?

I have to think that this is exactly what the debate will be before construction begins. At this point it still seems that is probably all blue sky.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Great point here. I would like to add one more:

4)Pandora is not a planet, it's a moon. In the movie, almost every time you see the sky, you see the planet. It look like a gas giant; sort of a different colored Jupiter. How are they going to create that illusion? The only way that I can think of would be a completely enclosed space but a 12 acre dome/warehouse sound really large. Of course, the middle areas could be enclosed under the roof with the planet projected onto the ceiling, with the queue lines going through doorways/hallways into their own structure (like Soarin' is attached to the Land Pavilion). Also, this set up, with perimeter walls make portraying the floating mountains a piece of cake; they could be projected onto the walls in the distance. Any thoughts?

Fix=in the sequel the planet is destroyed leaving only Pandora which becomes a planet because it's not orbiting another celestial body.

 

[RunnerEd]

Fix=in the sequel the planet is destroyed leaving only Pandora which becomes a planet because it's not orbiting another celestial body.

Maybe the Death Star could destroy it and, as it turns out, orbiting on the other side of the planet was Hoth so that we could tie in Pandora with Lucas land? That could seriously work!

 

[skellington22]

lets be real guys, its not going to be anything bigger than what the wizarding world is.... they cant have floating mountains... they cant have a dark blue sky 24/7 .... itll be AVATAR THEMEDD.... not exactly PANDORA the way it is... as thats clearly impossible....

 

[Atomicmickey]

Great point here. I would like to add one more:

4)Pandora is not a planet, it's a moon. In the movie, almost every time you see the sky, you see the planet. It look like a gas giant; sort of a different colored Jupiter. How are they going to create that illusion? The only way that I can think of would be a completely enclosed space but a 12 acre dome/warehouse sound really large. Of course, the middle areas could be enclosed under the roof with the planet projected onto the ceiling, with the queue lines going through doorways/hallways into their own structure (like Soarin' is attached to the Land Pavilion). Also, this set up, with perimeter walls make portraying the floating mountains a piece of cake; they could be projected onto the walls in the distance. Any thoughts?

Good thinking. Yeah, that big gas giant is a huge part of the imagery. You know, I'm really wary of PROJECTIONS, here. It would be appropriate for the planet "illusion" but that's about it. I want to GO to Pandora, not stand in the middle of a bunch of 3D movie screens--already did that, in the theatre. I'm looking for an immersive experience. Animatronics, not screens.

I think it's possible to create the illusion of the floating mountains by cleverly disguising the structure. Cantilivered, low density foam "rocks", using steel "vines" between them as in the film. Remember they had water streaming off of them as well, a support could be inside a waterfall. There seem to be several tricks they could use to achieve that in a limited sense, anyway. I still think that it will be tricky from an engineering standpoint--I'm sure a few pencils are being sharpened, there.

 

[Atomicmickey]

lets be real guys, its not going to be anything bigger than what the wizarding world is.... they cant have floating mountains... they cant have a dark blue sky 24/7 .... itll be AVATAR THEMEDD.... not exactly PANDORA the way it is... as thats clearly impossible....

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
-Walt Disney

 

[Bairstow]

lets be real guys, its not going to be anything bigger than what the wizarding world is.... they cant have floating mountains... they cant have a dark blue sky 24/7 .... itll be AVATAR THEMEDD.... not exactly PANDORA the way it is... as thats clearly impossible....

I don't think anyone's expecting them to simulate 80% gravity or a toxic atmosphere, but as far as having a dark blue sky 24/7, that's child's play for theme park designers.

[youtube]o3hDrTU8HmI[/youtube][youtube]yozbPtVVYDc[/youtube]

 

[MarkTwain]

I don't think anyone's expecting them to simulate 80% gravity or a toxic atmosphere, but as far as having a dark blue sky 24/7, that's child's play for theme park designers.

...

Especially if they were to create a much larger interior space where the columns are disguised as extremely tall trees.

And how the heck were you able to imbed a youtube video!?

 

[unkadug]

And how the heck were you able to imbed a youtube video!?

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=629925&highlight=youtube

 

[skellington22]

I don't think anyone's expecting them to simulate 80% gravity or a toxic atmosphere, but as far as having a dark blue sky 24/7, that's child's play for theme park designers.

[youtube]o3hDrTU8HmI[/youtube][youtube]yozbPtVVYDc[/youtube]

but we are not talking about a pavillion here..were talking about a whole land..... they cant put a whole land in a dome.... the mission is to make the area pandora themed.... not making the area pandora

 

[RSoxNo1]

We discuss some specifics on this week's show with Jim Hill.

A few points:

• Concept art exists (others have said this)
• The plot that will be used is the plot south of Camp Minnie Mickey, but parts of Camp Minnie Mickey will remain in tact (Mainly Festival of the Lion King).
• This may require removing Rainforest Cafe or simply moving it to the other side of the entrance.
• Universal passed on Avatar

 

[misterID]

but we are not talking about a pavillion here..were talking about a whole land..... they cant put a whole land in a dome.... the mission is to make the area pandora themed.... not making the area pandora

The hub of Pandora could deifintely be enclosed, like a pavilion. Then have the attractions connected to it, like The Land.

And I seriously hope they don't use Camp MM.

 

[Hakunamatata]

We discuss some specifics on this week's show with Jim Hill.

A few points:

• This may require removing Rainforest Cafe or simply moving it to the other side of the entrance.
  

Or possibly a partnership with Landry's to retheme to Avatar?:shrug:

 

[Horizonsfan]

The hub of Pandora could deifintely be enclosed, like a pavilion. Then have the attractions connected to it, like The Land.

Exactly.

Remember, The Land pavilion covered six acres pre-Soarin' (don't know how many now). If Cameron was correct when he said 12 acres, it's entirely possible that 75-100% of the land is indoors.