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!
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!
