No. It's a video about how they are trying to make a square peg slide into a round hole.
It doesn't "fit". I have continuously stated my displeasure with the concept of Avatar for the parks (bad movie, over the top concept) and my thoughts on Animal Kingdom (bad park with a lot of cut corners and, for the most part, looks and feels like an afterthought, inconsistant themes and severely lacking in attractions and immersion).
My position hasn't changed much. In fact, my opinion of the park has only gotten better over the years and visits (but...not much).
I've never been fond of Rhode because any practical engineer should be able to take into account real world limitations and requirements into their designs. He designed a base for the Yeti that cracked...so this extremely expensive animetronic no longer functions. He designed an over the top tree that's falling apart. He green lighted Chester and Hester's as a valid concept (whether or not it was his original plan).
He certainly is a "dreamer"...but I have very low confidence that he is a "doer".
And, that is why I am not thrilled at him being the lead Imagineer for Avatar. Avatar is either going to be amazingly awesome or a "meh, ok, I saw it, lets move on" experience. The line is very thin. I certainly hope it turns out amazing, but considering the plastic mediocracy that is NFL, I don't have much confidence at this point. This clip, while interesting, has not alleviated my concerns that this is following Disney's standard modus operandi.
But, Disney really needs to knock the ball out of the park...and I'm afraid this will turn into a bunt. When I saw the conceptual models with the floating island (and Joe's hilarious face in those pictures), I thought to myself...fat chance that is what the final land looks like once the red ink hits the ledger.
The only saving grace for it, even though the man is grossly overrated, may be James Cameron himself and the political weight he pulls with Disney to have his brand represented properly.
