I think some folks need to re-evaluate how critical they are with Disney...seriously

[sublimesting]

I was explaining to my wife last night how epic this news about Avatar really is. Let's look at some facts:

1. We have become so accustomed to being somewhat insiders on this site in that we are always the first to get rumors and juicy news and yet this slipped by us all. It seemed inconceivable to me until yesterday.
2. Everyone griped that Disney didn't make any major announcements at D23 that Disney was called everything in the book. A lot of people were acting like spoiled children at Christmas at not having received a certain gift. But Disney had it hidden in another room the whole time. Reminds me of the story where a kid was hoping for a car for his 16th birthday and his Dad presented him with a Bible. In a spoiled rage the kid threw the Bible yelled at his father and stormed out of the house and never spoke to him again. When his Dad died he was going through some old items and came across the Bible and opened it. Inside was a card that said something to the effect of "I hope you always remember the words in this book as they will get you through life and tomorrow we are going to go the the car lot and pick out a new car for you." or something like that.
3. We all were hoping for a cool event for MKs 40th birthday and Disney said a surprise was coming. People spculated that a new attraction may be announced and even I said "No way. if there was an attraction announcment we would know by now and they would have announced it at D23." Wrong I was.
4. We just got a major FSE and thought we would have nothing new for maybe the next 5-10 years. And right on the heels of that we get an even possibly bigger upgrade to AK!

So, I guess we don't know as much about Disney's going ons as we all thought. And we should not be so hard on the company because we truly don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Anyways I am very enthsed for this upgrade and now am even more excited about the parks because I now know they are full of magic and I don't always know what to expect. Even though I visit the parks all the time I still find new magic as well as I visit this site for news every day...and still find new magic.

 

[WDWmazprty]

It just shows that you can't please everyone. There will ALWAYS be people that aren't happy with the decisions Disney makes, in the end though, if Disney makes out good on the decision they make, it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks.

 

[bgraham34]

I am sure once Avatar land is completed people will be surprised by what it will look like. My only hope is that it will be open at night and will be something to be remembered and actually make you want to see it at night.

 

[Trustbreaker]

I know im semi new BUT heres my imput. I believe people are critical with this announcement because: 1. Its Avatar...nothing that really has to do with "nature and conservation" (a story about two lands fighting over minerals and then having a war) 2. Does Avatar really even fit into AK?? 3. I think theres so much more ORIGINALLY Disney could have done than Avatar.....(Beastly Kingdomme anyone??) etc...etc....etc... As being a fan of WDW..do I agree this is the best move for the park...NO. But I do believe that they wont half ______ it either. :shrug:

 

[Zummi Gummi]

This is gonna be a fun thread.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

People are critical cause there is much to criticise. Whether its something I agree with or not you have to accept that if a multinational positions itself as a premium brand then acts like The Poundshop with Harrods prices you shouldnt be surprised if consumers register their feelings.

However Im intrigued about this land built from unwanted religious books.

 

[Kev1417]

As the previous posted mentioned the first film didn't have anything to do with conservation, but that doesn't mean the next two films won't. Maybe this is an insight on our the films will play out?

My only problem is i don't know how sustainable Avatar is. They are pouring all this money into building this new land, but 15 years from now are people really going to care about Avatar? It seems to me it's like building a "Matrix Land" back when it was popular. Sure it would be cool back then, but not sure we would still be as captivated now. At least Universal is pretty safe with Potter. Most kids have read the books or seen the movies. And there were what....7 books/movies each? Did young kids even see or get the concept of Avatar to make them want to experience it in the park? Guess time will tell. I'll keep an open mind though and wait until i see it complete before passing judgement.

 

[Trustbreaker]

As the previous posted mentioned the first film didn't have anything to do with conservation, but that doesn't mean the next two films won't. Maybe this is an insight on our the films will play out?

My only problem is i don't know how sustainable Avatar is. They are pouring all this money into building this new land, but 15 years from now are people really going to care about Avatar? It seems to me it's like building a "Matrix Land" back when it was popular. Sure it would be cool back then, but not sure we would still be as captivated now. At least Universal is pretty safe with Potter. Most kids have read the books or seen the movies. And there were what....7 books/movies each? Did young kids even see or get the concept of Avatar to make them want to experience it in the park? Guess time will tell. I'll keep an open mind though and wait until i see it complete before passing judgement.

Its been however many years and I dont care about Avatar...lol

 

[kap91]

People are critical of Disney because they love Disney and want to see it be what they want it to be. Unfortunately everyone has their own idea of what's best for Disney and their own nostalgia and its impossible that Disney would do something that pleased all of us crazy fans and inevitable that they'll anger a few. To me, what's important is that that Disney creates memorable, exciting experiences, that are the best in the business and never steps down to doing what other theme parks do. So as long as there's no visible roller coaster tracks flying around everywhere in Pandora like at IOA, Six-Flags, Busch-Gardens, and Seaworld, I'll be willing to accept what they create.

Also I think there's been a two-fold trend recently in the community. One is unrealistic expectations or almost an entitled feeling. After the D23 expo people were enormously disappointed that nothing was announced for WDW even though California is in the midst of a $1Billion makeover, they're building a $300-500 million dollar FLE, who know's how much is going to Shanghai, they're finishing up two brand new cruise ships, and a luxury resort in Hawaii. Disney does not have an unlimited supply of cash and while I certainly wish they did i can't believe people were so expectant of an announcement especially since it is TDO that we're talking about after all.And now that we have an announcement (and much bigger then what I certainly would have speculated) people have had so much time to let their minds wander and already have decided what they want in the parks and really don't want to settle for anything else.

The other trend is sort of been this increase in sort of theological perspective on how the development of the parks has occurred and should occur and I really don't want to delve any deeper into that.

Now, I'll fully acknowledge that I function like this as well and there are plenty of things that I complain about when it comes to Disney - for example the direction merchandise is heading in and the mess that is Expedition Everest (and not just about the yeti). I love Disney and in my vision those situations would have been handled differently. I think the only thing we can try to hope for is that since everyone is bound to be up in arms about every decision Disney makes in the future is that we'll be reasonable and respectful. Can't ask for much more.

 

[JillC LI]

As the previous posted mentioned the first film didn't have anything to do with conservation, but that doesn't mean the next two films won't. Maybe this is an insight on our the films will play out?

My only problem is i don't know how sustainable Avatar is. They are pouring all this money into building this new land, but 15 years from now are people really going to care about Avatar? It seems to me it's like building a "Matrix Land" back when it was popular. Sure it would be cool back then, but not sure we would still be as captivated now. At least Universal is pretty safe with Potter. Most kids have read the books or seen the movies. And there were what....7 books/movies each? Did young kids even see or get the concept of Avatar to make them want to experience it in the park? Guess time will tell. I'll keep an open mind though and wait until i see it complete before passing judgement.

I personally enjoyed the movie and its effects very much, but I will say that we took our 8 and 11 year olds to see it, and our 11 year old sat on my lap with his face buried in my arms during the battle scenes and had nightmares for days afterwards about it, so no, I doubt he will be excited to visit this new part of Disney other than in the sense that he loves Disney World. (Surprisingly, our 8 year old was not frightened and did enjoy the movie somewhat.)

 

[Mickey_777]

You'll almost never see me say anything negative about WDW. It's not that I'm so in love with WDW that I'm blind to everything that's "not up to Walts standard". I just don't see the point in complaining. They do what they need to do to make money and thus keep the resort running and in business. People by nature wil always find something to whine about especially if they're passionate about it. Complaining just stresses me out after a while.

I personally think WDW is on the up and up with all thier building, the recent refurbs, updates, and announcements for future plans. By the time AvatarLand (or Pandora) is finished, WDW is gonna be looking pretty good if you ask me. Even if by then WDW truly is running almost perfectly, someone else will beg, yes beg, to differ.

 

[Fable McCloud]

As long as Disney does what they do best (make magic happen in physical form) I think this will be an interesting addition to the parks.

Also, there are plans for two Avatar sequels which will help make the new land a bit more lasting.

I just hope they don't let it take over the park.

 

[07vanquish]

I'm pretty sure Disney's motive in this expansion are
1. attempt to burst the Universal-Potter Bubble with a comparable area of an unrelated "franchise" (and it compares fairly well with the park and the competition, I don't think a land about 007 would have fit all that well) and
2. repetitive attendance at AK was prob down by comparasent to the other parks (it's currently one of those parks where if you've there a day or 2, your not going to go back to spend a WHOLE other day for a few years)

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I do agree.

While I am critical about certain things at WDW, I don't like to pass judgement on something by Disney before it is completed or the concept art is shown in terms of new attractions.

I had to shake my head on what I read on some of the comments Disney boards about Avatar/Pandora land in terms of not giving it a chance without any concept art shown yet or any attractions announced yet.

 

[KingdomofDreams]

I personally enjoyed the movie and its effects very much, but I will say that we took our 8 and 11 year olds to see it, and our 11 year old sat on my lap with his face buried in my arms during the battle scenes and had nightmares for days afterwards about it, so no, I doubt he will be excited to visit this new part of Disney other than in the sense that he loves Disney World. (Surprisingly, our 8 year old was not frightened and did enjoy the movie somewhat.)

No matter what it is, there will always be some people who don't care for it and there will be some children who for some reason are afraid of it. I saw the movie with an 8 and 9 yr old and they both loved it and weren't frightened by anything in it. As a child, Dumbo had me crying because they were mean to him and took away his mother. Bambi's mother was shot by a hunter. The list goes on and on.

Hopefully they will lighten any battle sequences from what was represented in the movie. I think the key here will be for Disney to take the imaginary world of Pandora and run with it Disney style. They would be smart to glean what is beautiful, innovative and imaginative about the land and creatures and leave out anything specific to the plot, script or individual characters from the movie(s). By doing that it can hopefully achieve a timeless quality.

 

[bruiser659]

If you dont like what Disney does just stop going!Everybody knows this is going to be awesome,so the people that are complaining have no faith in Disney and should question if they truly are a fan of Disney.

 

[Bravo 229]

I'll admit it, I've long been one of those who complains at every little thing Disney does to WDW, but lately I've been trying to look at things from a more logical point of view. With the announcement of a new AVATAR land, I for one am excited to see where this goes. Animal Kingdom has been lacking a land to "complete" the park since day one, and finally we are getting it. Sure, it may not be what everyone on the boards wants to see, but the fact is, AVATAR has a general appeal that will bring in NEW visitors to a park that has been consistently last in attendence as far as WDW is concerned (until last year, of course). If Disney had announced "Beastley Kingdomme" as its new addition to the park, it probably wouldn't have generated as much buzz as this announcement did. I have friends who never talk about Disney who were excited about the announcement, which I believe was part of their goal here - to generate new/more consumers. Sure, I will not give up complaining about Disco Yeti, or the fact that Wonders of Life sits empty save for the F&W/F&G festivals, but I'm willing to wait out and see what comes out of these new things before writing them off.

 

[invader]

I almost think it's humorous, I mean c'mon, people are getting upset about a parking lot name change. :ROFLOL:

 

[CountryBearFan]

I was explaining to my wife last night how epic this news about Avatar really is. Let's look at some facts:

1. We have become so accustomed to being somewhat insiders on this site in that we are always the first to get rumors and juicy news and yet this slipped by us all. It seemed inconceivable to me until yesterday.
2. Everyone griped that Disney didn't make any major announcements at D23 that Disney was called everything in the book. A lot of people were acting like spoiled children at Christmas at not having received a certain gift. But Disney had it hidden in another room the whole time. Reminds me of the story where a kid was hoping for a car for his 16th birthday and his Dad presented him with a Bible. In a spoiled rage the kid threw the Bible yelled at his father and stormed out of the house and never spoke to him again. When his Dad died he was going through some old items and came across the Bible and opened it. Inside was a card that said something to the effect of "I hope you always remember the words in this book as they will get you through life and tomorrow we are going to go the the car lot and pick out a new car for you." or something like that.
3. We all were hoping for a cool event for MKs 40th birthday and Disney said a surprise was coming. People spculated that a new attraction may be announced and even I said "No way. if there was an attraction announcment we would know by now and they would have announced it at D23." Wrong I was.
4. We just got a major FSE and thought we would have nothing new for maybe the next 5-10 years. And right on the heels of that we get an even possibly bigger upgrade to AK!

So, I guess we don't know as much about Disney's going ons as we all thought. And we should not be so hard on the company because we truly don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Anyways I am very enthsed for this upgrade and now am even more excited about the parks because I now know they are full of magic and I don't always know what to expect. Even though I visit the parks all the time I still find new magic as well as I visit this site for news every day...and still find new magic.

I fully agree with everything you said.

Point #2, in particular, makes me want to cry, since it sounds so sad, as well as so well articulated.

 

[BigTxEars]

I am fine with Avatar but no way is it going to go head to head with Harry Potter long term IMO. The appeal & buzz of Avatar was it's effects and the way it was filmed, not the story. Potter is story based and as we al know story holds over time where effects do not. Pixar is Pixar not because of the computer animation but because they can deliver characters and a story like no one else. Potter will still be relevant years after Avatar is not IMO.

That being said Cameron and Disney know what they are doing, they are both masters of their craft so I think this will turn out just fine in the end Pandora does fit the look of AK fairly well IMO.

I still vote that Disney could have expanded Star Wars at HS and that (if anything could) take on Potter and possibly win Not a huge Star Wars guy but it's reach is as strong as Potter in many ways. I prefer Potter (by alot) but would be more interested to see a Star Wars land vs a Avatar land.

I also agree some folks will never be happy and just love to be critical. They know very little of why Disney does the things they do but feel the need to sprout off like they were in the board meetings. I do not know the workings behind why Disney does what they do but they have been pretty successful (both from a economic as well as a public favor standpoint) so far so they get my benefit of the doubt.