DAK great video of Joe Rohde and Jon Landau at DAK

[The Visionary Soul]

But if you read all of the posting you see that Disney can not do anything right. You say more "Disney", while others say that great Disney rides where not Disney (Haunt House, Pirates of Caribbean, Space Mountain). So no matter what Disney does is wrong. You want more Disney and they are building the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but for most that is not good enough. From what I have seen posted this ride is going to be done very well. Maybe not an E ticket, but a great addition to the park. I am the first to say that the Little Mermaid was a bit of a disappointment, but I enjoyed the over experience. I think Walt Disney World is large enough so that we can have the Disney touch on more than just Disney. Bring on Star Wars, Marvel and yes Pandora.

Perhaps you miss the point of this forum. This is the NEWS and RUMORS forum. News in general gets a better response when it is sensational. Saying things are good just for the hell of it isn't very sensational. You should start a "Partners Statue is Beautiful" post and see how many people reply, or, if it gets moved to a different forum.

I'd be willing to bet that most people here are extremely passionate about the quality of the parks, and they want to keep it that way. That's why there is so much debate when Disney does something wrong. It huts that little thing inside us that says, "It could have been done better." And it hurts even more when we all come to the realization that "Universal is doing it better." That just gives us hope that someone at Disney will finally realize it, and one-up Universal. Hope is why we are here, and why we have passion in what we post. It's not all anti-Disney here like you suggest. At least, I don't see it.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

It "fits" at Hollywood Studios.

So does *ANYTHING*.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I am an engineer and one of the reason Walt Disney World was built was that it was becoming harder and harder to get new things done in California. Disney company want better control over permitting due to the governments where making it hard to do new things. Permits are based on the standard not the innovations. The main reason for Ready CreeK Development District.

Funny, because it's harder to get things done in Reedy Creek than it is to get things done in Anaheim these days.

 

[doctornick]

But to say that it "fits" with the ideals of Animal Kingdom... well, that's a stretch, and even Joe knows it, but it's what he has to work with, so he's making the best of it.

I still don't see how a movie that was heavyhanded about its conservation message and which was widely praised for the breathtaking images of imaginative landscapes and flora and fauna is *not* a good fit for a park whose theme is centered on conservation and animals and nature. But to each their own.

The criticism about Avatar not "fitting" in DAK would very valid is the attractions/land were centered on the fighting between humans and the Na'vi or based on a day in the life of Jake Sulley or such. Yes, that would make more sense in DHS (or not in Disney at all). But every indication is that the land is going to be about the world of Pandora -- the land, the animals, the plants -- and interacting with that. To me, that is completely different and makes the fit with DAK more than reasonable.

 

[rioriz]

72 hours huh? hmmm.... who's with me!

actually things like Primeval Whirl could be pretty cool as an indoor/dark themed coaster

My dream would be to enclose Primevil Whirl! I know it can be found at any park but is literally one of the more fun rides in the park!

 

[Master Yoda]

Funny, because it's harder to get things done in Reedy Creek than it is to get things done in Anaheim these days.

I think you are mixing up TDO not building vs not being able to.

In typical building construction you use rather standard practices that have been pre-approved as well as products (door, windows, etc) that have been tested to a certain standard. Going outside of those norms can be quite difficult from a code approval standpoint. Setting up Reedy Creek gave Disney the freedom to have their engineers approve that non-standard material, processes, etc. met code.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I still don't see how a movie that was heavihanded about it's conservation message and which was widely praised for the breathtaking images of imaginative landscapes and flora and fauna is *not* a good fit for a park whose theme is centered on conservation and animals and nature. But to each their own.

The criticism about Avatar not "fitting" in DAK would make sense is the attractions/land were centered on the fighting between humans and the Na'vi or based on a day in the life of Jake Sulley or such. Yes, that would make more sense in DHS (or not in Disney at all). But every indication is that the land is going to be about the world of Pandora -- the land, the animals, the plants -- and interacting with that. To me, that is completely different and makes the fit with DAK more than reasonable.

No kidding. And the reason you're getting that instead of a War-zone is Joe working to fit Avatar into his park.

As far as it not being a good fit for Animal Kingdom... let me be clear... it's the best choice of the 4 WDW parks to put it in. But Avatar doesn't belong in ANY theme park. The property doesn't have what Potter (Or even Star Wars) has.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I think you are mixing up TDO not building vs not being able to.

In typical building construction you use rather standard practices that have been pre-approved as well as products (door, windows, etc) that have been tested to a certain standard. Going outside of those norms can be quite difficult from a code approval standpoint. Setting up Reedy Creek gave Disney the freedom to have their engineers approve that non-standard material, processes, etc. met code.

I'm not mixing up anything. Reedy Creek is a pain in the to work with. They have probably the strongest fire code in the entire country, and lots of other very specific ways to get things done. It's true, there are more things you can get done with Reedy Creek, but the tradeoff is that it takes much longer and there are extra rules for everything else.

 

[Atomicmickey]

I have an idea to end this squabbling over Avatar in Animal Kingdom NOW.

One side--you know the one you are. Change your mind on this issue
permanently, now! No, not you . . . you! The other one! Change!

There. That's settled. Now we're all on the same team.

I am so persuasive.

Let the discussion continue!

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I have an idea to end this squabbling over Avatar in Animal Kingdom NOW.

One side--you know the one you are. Change your mind on this issue
permanently, now! No, not you . . . you! The other one! Change!

There. That's settled. Now we're all on the same team.

I am so persuasive.

Let the discussion continue!

Or we can go to war with each other and burn down the Tree of Life to get to the oil rig underneath.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I wish I could watch it, but I can't. I love listening to Joe Rohde, but I can't look at him. It makes my earlobes hurt!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

No kidding. And the reason you're getting that instead of a War-zone is Joe working to fit Avatar into his park.

As far as it not being a good fit for Animal Kingdom... let me be clear... it's the best choice of the 4 WDW parks to put it in. But Avatar doesn't belong in ANY theme park. The property doesn't have what Potter (Or even Star Wars) has.

This, pretty much. He was handed a bag full of crap and told to work with it. He obviously loves AK and probably figured it would be best to be on board and have a sway in the development than to let someone else do it without him. This pak is his baby.

His body language was interesting to watch. Looking up constantly (trying to think of "the right" thing to say) and the rapid hand gestures at times when he wanted to nail an idea in but it...it just couldn't be nailed in. He tried, though, and I give him credit for maintaining face doing it.

Speaking of face, after he's finished and the other guy starts talking, look at Joes face. Look at it! He wants to say more and is fighting with himself each time the other guy takes over.

Like I said... Interesting.

 

[twebber55]

I think people make stuff up to fit their opinions a lot and really dont have a clue what is going on

 

[danlb_2000]

I wish I could watch it, but I can't. I love listening to Joe Rohde, but I can't look at him. It makes my earlobes hurt!

It's interesting to note that his piercing are in direct violation of Disney CM appearance code.

 

[Atomicmickey]

I think people make stuff up to fit their opinions a lot and really dont have a clue what is going on

I think you made that up.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I think you made that up.

And where have you been lately? I don't wanna hear " work" or " school" or "kids" or whatever. There's important discussions round these parts! (Good to see you again)

So I've been trying to wrap my brain around the entire video. I get what joe is saying. But I can't shake the feeling that he seems... Disappointed or even upset over it. But I'm glad he's still around.

There's not a lot of disney higher ups I can say that I really like... But Joe is one of them. One other "retired" last year.

 

[DVCOwner]

Never said I made it up. Said it was what I thought he wanted to say but couldn't. I'm not trying hard to make the project look bad at all. Quite the contrary. I think Pandora will be very beautiful when it is complete. But to say that it "fits" with the ideals of Animal Kingdom... well, that's a stretch, and even Joe knows it, but it's what he has to work with, so he's making the best of it.

You can not say "that even Joe knows it". If he does feel that way, he sure is a great actor and hides it well. People like you that continue to make stuff up is ono of the reason that this web site is starting to get to me. Let's stick to the facts and things we know. I can say that I was disappointed with the Magic Kingdom's expansion so far because I have walk the area and went to the attractions. I looking forward to see what Disney does with Pandora and will judge it when it opens.

 

[SirLink]

I agree the complaining about this is a little over the top

I don't.

Back to the thread: If Disney Parks were smart/they would of done a video with these two in a casual manner of what Pandora means to DAK, etc.

 

[themonkeyisthesultan]

I hope this video spreads. I think it could get a lot of people on Pandora's side. Not everyone though, after all "it is hard to fill a cup that is already full."

 

[SirLink]

Joe left out the part at the beginning:

"When I first heard about the project, I called Bob and said, "You've got to be kidding, right? Avatar won't work in Animal Kingdom." But Bob was serious. He pushed the film on me because it was number 1. He wants it in Disney, and Animal Kingdom is where it has to go, he said. I wasn't happy about it, but then I met James Cameron and his team. I eventually realized that this project will happen with or without myself, so involving myself was really the only way I felt I could limit damage to my park. And I actually found out I like working with Cameron's team... and Avatar's Pandora was a concept that could be molded to fit into the park. It (Pandora) was never going to be my first choice, but hey, at least I get to build something again. It's one sure way to get more people to my park."
- What I think Joe Rohde wanted to say but couldn't.

Well Joe kept mentioning the fact he liked that he was building something, he look relived.