AVATAR land - the specifics

[danlb_2000]

IMHO, everyone that keeps reeling that Star Wars or Indy need to be expanded needs to realize that those films are on their way out of modern relevance... The most recent Indy film did not go over like most people thought it would; Episode 1 in 3D didnt exactly do big numbers... I know they both have diehard fans and 30 years of lifespan, but they are not the big news of today... I personally think that Iger took a look at AVATAR and thought that it might be the next big thing... Look at Carmeron's track record, it's pretty good and he is making at least two more films... Iger jumped on it to capture ticket sales while the franchise was fresh in people's minds, not waiting 10 years or more to build an attraction...

Is it the only property out there that could work, NO... But is it a good property that could work and make an amazing attraction? Yes, definitely...

All of the bashing on here is merely opinion and I understand that, but I someone needs to throw out a better idea than Indy or Star Wars that could replace it... And sorry Lightning, but I think we need something other than your car club over here in Orlando...

Star Wars isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It currently has a weekly TV show with a second on the way, as well as new videogames, books, comics, toys, etc on a regular basis. Episode I in 3D did 43 million, which is not bad for a re-release of one of the least liked Star Wars movies, and ep 2 and 3 in 3D will be out next year.

 

[twebber55]

IMHO, everyone that keeps reeling that Star Wars or Indy need to be expanded needs to realize that those films are on their way out of modern relevance... The most recent Indy film did not go over like most people thought it would; Episode 1 in 3D didnt exactly do big numbers... I know they both have diehard fans and 30 years of lifespan, but they are not the big news of today... I personally think that Iger took a look at AVATAR and thought that it might be the next big thing... Look at Carmeron's track record, it's pretty good and he is making at least two more films... Iger jumped on it to capture ticket sales while the franchise was fresh in people's minds, not waiting 10 years or more to build an attraction...

Is it the only property out there that could work, NO... But is it a good property that could work and make an amazing attraction? Yes, definitely...

All of the bashing on here is merely opinion and I understand that, but I someone needs to throw out a better idea than Indy or Star Wars that could replace it... And sorry Lightning, but I think we need something other than your car club over here in Orlando...

agree.... and forget about beastly kingdom if it was going to happen it would have....i think the people that say id rather have nothing than avatar are just bitter towards the movie...i think avatar is a good idea but more importantly im pro expansion

 

[FrankLapidus]

Is it the only property out there that could work, NO... But is it a good property that could work and make an amazing attraction? Yes, definitely...

All of the bashing on here is merely opinion and I understand that, but I someone needs to throw out a better idea than Indy or Star Wars that could replace it... And sorry Lightning, but I think we need something other than your car club over here in Orlando...

Personally I'd like to see Disney do something original rather than spend millions of dollars to buy the rights to properties outside of the company. Granted Everest has had big technical issues since it opened but the scale of the ride and it's concept proved that Disney can still create great original attractions when they put the time and money into their ideas (now all they need to do is put the time and money into keeping it working ) . Maybe this view is outdated or out-of-touch now that WWOHP has changed the game in Orlando but I really don't think that Disney need to buy a film property to create an immersive and entertaining new land in AK.

 

[tomman710]

IMHO, everyone that keeps reeling that Star Wars or Indy need to be expanded needs to realize that those films are on their way out of modern relevance... The most recent Indy film did not go over like most people thought it would; Episode 1 in 3D didnt exactly do big numbers... I know they both have diehard fans and 30 years of lifespan, but they are not the big news of today... I personally think that Iger took a look at AVATAR and thought that it might be the next big thing... Look at Carmeron's track record, it's pretty good and he is making at least two more films... Iger jumped on it to capture ticket sales while the franchise was fresh in people's minds, not waiting 10 years or more to build an attraction...

Is it the only property out there that could work, NO... But is it a good property that could work and make an amazing attraction? Yes, definitely...

All of the bashing on here is merely opinion and I understand that, but I someone needs to throw out a better idea than Indy or Star Wars that could replace it... And sorry Lightning, but I think we need something other than your car club over here in Orlando...

I couldn't agree more! Star Wars is a dying fad, a passing fancy like that silly outdated automobile, the lame mobile phone, or the increasingly archaic hamburger.

 

[englanddg]

Wait..Avatar is big news? Box office income is by no means an indication of lasting quality. Let's do a man on the street assessment in terms of character recognition and overall quality. People will pay for spectical, but character and story makes them lifelong fans.

Let's test this. Show someone a a picture of Darth Vader. Then show them a picture of Miles Quaritch. ask them to name both. Betcha, at best, you'll get "Darth Vader and that bad dude from Avatar"

Show someone A picture of Luke Skywalker and then a picture of Jake Sully. Show them a picture of Yoda and Grace Augenstine. Show them a picture of Han Solo and Trudy Chacon.

The list goes on, and as far as the story is concerned, these characters all played the same role (villain, hero, mentor, sidekick)

If you had to google any of the Avatar names to link the character (or didn't recognize them until I linked their role to the story), my point is proven.

Avatar was an ok movie with a recycled plot and amazing effects. It has no place on a Disney park, in any way shape or form.

If Disney wants to tell a story, then maybe they should pick one with more lasting power.

 

[Bairstow]

IMHO, everyone that keeps reeling that Star Wars or Indy need to be expanded needs to realize that those films are on their way out of modern relevance... The most recent Indy film did not go over like most people thought it would; Episode 1 in 3D didnt exactly do big numbers... I know they both have diehard fans and 30 years of lifespan, but they are not the big news of today.

Jurassic Park - 1993
Jurassic Park River Adventure -1996/1999/2001/2010

Jaws - 1975
Jaws (the ride) - 1990

"The Twilight Zone" - 1959-1964
Tower of Terror - 1994

Song of the South - 1946
Splash Mountain - 1989

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - 1937
Mine train coaster - ?

 

[FrankLapidus]

Iger jumped on it to capture ticket sales while the franchise was fresh in people's minds, not waiting 10 years or more to build an attraction...

Some might say that this is the main fault with the deal, he jumped on something because he was desperate to find anything that might be able to compete with Harry Potter. I'm not advocating a Star Wars land or anything here but you could say it might have been better in the long-term if Iger had waited for a while, perhaps for one of the sequels to be released, to see whether Avatar as a franchise could have a similar lasting impact on popular culture that Harry Potter and Star Wars continue to have. I don't care whether Avatarland happens or not but it's not the juggernaut that those franchises are; perhaps one day it will be but right now it isn't enough of one for people to care about it like they do with Star Wars and Harry Potter.

 

[englanddg]

Some might say that this is the main fault with the deal, he jumped on something because he was desperate to find anything that might be able to compete with Harry Potter. I'm not advocating a Star Wars land or anything here but you could say it might have been better in the long-term if Iger had waited for a while, perhaps for one of the sequels to be released, to see whether Avatar as a franchise could have a similar lasting impact on popular culture that Harry Potter and Star Wars continue to have. I don't care whether Avatarland happens or not but it's not the juggernaut that those franchises are; perhaps one day it will be but right now it isn't enough of one for people to care about it like they do with Star Wars and Harry Potter.

That was exactly my point. As it stands currently, it's a spectical, not a franchise.

 

[LOSTllama]

I just read the first post by Steve that says this thread is not to be used for debating the opinions of Pandora... I apologize for bringing up the argument, I will delete my post...

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any interest on the part of Lucas to bring any more of SW into the parks then there already is. And since he's come out and stated he's retiring (albeit comments he's made before), it doesn't appear he's too concerned about either his legacy or the next generation of SW fans. I think if Disney could have brought more Star Wars into the parks by now, they would have.

The Clone Wars TV show (for kids), Star Tours 2.0, and the countless video games based on the franchise says differently.

If he truly does want to "step away" then it's even better for Disney because he may hand over all say to the Imagineers.

 

[wm49rs]

The Clone Wars TV show (for kids), Star Tours 2.0, and the countless video games based on the franchise says differently.

If he truly does want to "step away" then it's even better for Disney because he may hand over all say to the Imagineers.

Reboot of the SW ride aside, there's still a difference between TV/game production then there is for a theme park. And I have no doubt Disney has reached out to him numerous times for his agreement.

 

[Ignohippo]

Reboot of the SW ride aside, there's still a difference between TV/game production then there is for a theme park. And I have no doubt Disney has reached out to him numerous times for his agreement.

I would imagine the holdup in any SW addition may come from the possibility of Disney buying Lucasfilm outright. It would be a perfect fit.

Iger's a smart man. He knows Lucasfilm will more than likely be worth much less in 10 years than it is now. Star Wars isn't going anywhere, but it's going to need something totally new and fantastic in the next 10 years to regenerize the franchise. I don't know if anything in the Lucasfilm pipeline will really do that. On the other side of the coin, Lucas knows what he has and what Disney wants. I imagine he's using the theme park expansion as a bargaining chip for the sale of Lucasfilm.

It'll happen. It's just a matter of who blinks first.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Between the choice Avatarland or 'original land', I pick orginal land.
Between Avatarland and pretty much all other IP franchises I pick Avatar. With the exception of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

In other words, if they must build a mythological world in DAK, or must build the next 'big movie franchise land' I'd rather it be Avatar.

 

[Jim Possible]

Here's the thing about making a lot of money. Just because a film brings in a ton of money doesn't = it's been embraced by the masses who then want to see it in a Disney park, which it is obviously perfect for! There's a clear difference from past attractions inspired by non-Disney movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. By the time Disney created attractions based on those, they each had a successful trilogy and were among the most beloved and popular movies of all time. Everyone knew the characters, the music, the spaceships, laser swords, fedora + whip + leather jacket, etc. Each of those series really defined an entire genre! They'll survive a very long time in the Disney parks.

Avatar? Avatar??

Yeah, I'm not sure how well Avatar is going to age.

It'd be like if Disney added an ID4 attraction in the 90s.

The movie was huge. Then. Now? Nobody cares.

Another case in point: MIB 3 didn't do so hot at the box office. While the first film was a massive success in the 90s (even spawning a cartoon, toys, etc.), the franchise didn't have legs. Nobody cares now.

Star Wars, Indy and Harry Potter? Still relevant, and they probably still will be in another 20 years.

 

[twebber55]

Between the choice Avatarland or 'original land', I pick orginal land.
Between Avatarland and pretty much all other IP franchises I pick Avatar. With the exception of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

In other words, if they must build a mythological world in DAK, or must build the next 'big movie franchise land' I'd rather it be Avatar.

that's a great way to look at it....

 

[danlb_2000]

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any interest on the part of Lucas to bring any more of SW into the parks then there already is. And since he's come out and stated he's retiring (albeit comments he's made before), it doesn't appear he's too concerned about either his legacy or the next generation of SW fans. I think if Disney could have brought more Star Wars into the parks by now, they would have.

I would disagree with that since he has brought on a very competant successor in Kathleen Kennedy.

 

[Florida_is_hot]

Yeah, I'm not sure how well Avatar is going to age.

It'd be like if Disney added an ID4 attraction in the 90s.

The movie was huge. Then. Now? Nobody cares.

Another case in point: MIB 3 didn't do so hot at the box office. While the first film was a massive success in the 90s (even spawning a cartoon, toys, etc.), the franchise didn't have legs. Nobody cares now.

Star Wars, Indy and Harry Potter? Still relevant, and they probably still will be in another 20 years.

Did you see the last Indy movie? (Crystal Skull)
Should be last in more ways than one, do not see movies that bad too often.

 

[tomman710]

I would disagree with that since he has brought on a very competant successor in Kathleen Kennedy.

I think Kennedy will do a good job but I would also be curious if TWDC has had discussions about purchasing Lucasfilm outright as well ...

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Reboot of the SW ride aside, there's still a difference between TV/game production then there is for a theme park. And I have no doubt Disney has reached out to him numerous times for his agreement.

I have no doubt that he doesn't want to put any major time into this franchise anymore but where he does want to put his time is bringing it to a new generation in different ways.

I'm sure we won't get anymore movies out of him but the cartoon/video games seem to be an area where he doesn't need to have much input and it does keep the Star Wars name relevant.

Building a theme park attraction/land really wouldn't take much from him (as long as there isn't any new video footage that needs to be filmed). Aside from him signing off/changing ideas that are presented to him, it really doesn't need to be a "fully involved" job.

 

[FrankLapidus]

I have no doubt that he doesn't want to put any major time into this franchise anymore but where he does want to put his time is bringing it to a new generation in different ways.

I'm sure we won't get anymore movies out of him but the cartoon/video games seem to be an area where he doesn't need to have much input and it does keep the Star Wars name relevant.

Building a theme park attraction/land really wouldn't take much from him (as long as there isn't any new video footage that needs to be filmed). Aside from him signing off/changing ideas that are presented to him, it really doesn't need to be a "fully involved" job.

I agree. I think over the last few years Lucas' mentality has changed because of the negative reaction from the public to the prequels and to his tinkering with the original films to such an extent that now he is happy to sign off on things that not so long ago he might have wanted a lot of involvement in.