The problem (not problem per se, but delay) with Avatar is that NOBODY knew about it even at fairly high levels within the company. WDI has a lot of projects they tinker with that are basically "on the shelf" until they're called upon. For example, if they decided tomorrow to do a Beastly Kingdom instead of Avatar, they would already have a head start with the research, designs, and concept work based on all the crap they had done back when the project was initially considered. They had NONE of that concept/design/development done when Avatar was announced so they basically had to go to a blank slate.
One detail that HAS been discussed is that Camp Minnie Mickey will be the location and that FotLK will be moving to Africa.
Here's a link to a video where Iger talks about it (I'm sure folks here have seen it before). Iger talks about Avatar being one of the most memorable films ever made . . . "most innovative and visually stunning." I can't for the life of me remember the name of any of the humans in it, so I think they want first and foremost for the guests to be able to "walk on Pandora through that rain forest", as Cameron basically says and to fly with the creatures, and to experience stuff not yet seen, an obvious reference to the upcoming Avatar films. Cameron obviously talks about new ride systems being thought up by imagineering and his team working on this project.
http://entertainmentdesigner.com/ne...erience-coming-to-walt-disney-resort-in-2016/
Big things holding up this project:
1. There are two creative forces, Cameron's team and Imagineering. There are going to be differences of opinion, Cameron wants guests to experience Pandora's rainforest and he describes a project on a massive scale. Hmmm . . . he might not know that these projects often get whittled down, unless you're a big whig like John Lasseter who can push funding for his pet projects like Carsland.
2. Avatarland is 100% Iger's pet project. He went nuts over the Avatar film and believes it to be a very memorable, innovative film. Avatar's star has faded since the film came out, and Iger will eventually leave Disney, stepping down as CEO in 2015. I get the feeling that a lot in the company feel that with Disney's film legacy growing every year, the need to gobble up other franchises for the parks has diminished.
3. Carsland is a bigger hit than expected. The executives at Burbank have to figure out why, and I think Lasseter gets more influence, would he push Avatar over a Pixar or Disney related project?
4. Avatar, the film Iger loves, has a lot of heavy adult themes, smoking, macho military characters and violence . . . translating this to just Pandora and making the new land relatable to guests will take a lot of time and head scratching. Its not really Avatarland (unless they put in the military/villains), but Pandoraland . . . which is kind of a vague concept with just one film.
http://entertainmentdesigner.com/ne...erience-coming-to-walt-disney-resort-in-2016/
)
