Navi River Journey - What is the story?

[KBLovedDisney]

I haven't seen the movie Avatar (please no hate) and just want to know the concept of the Navi River ride.

Anyone have a quick paraphrase of the overall story of the ride from beginning point A to the end point B?

What you are supposedly doing/where are you going, your character aboard the boat, boat-ride build-up story, etc.?

Go!

 

[AEfx]

There isn't one, which automatically makes it arty/subversive/cool.

 

[rcapolete]

Found it very boring honestly with no real point

 

[danlb_2000]

I haven't seen the movie Avatar (please no hate) and just want to know the concept of the Navi River ride.

Anyone have a quick paraphrase of the overall story of the ride from beginning point A to the end point B?

What you are supposedly doing/where are you going, your character aboard the boat, boat-ride build-up story, etc.?

Go!

There is no story, just a trip down a river on Pandora.

 

[TwilightZone]

You're having a Navi River Journey™
the end

 

[kap91]

You’re going on a kayaking excursion from ACE expeditions down a river. As you go down the river you come across the Navi gathering for a special musical ceremony celebrating the spirit of Ewah (spelling?).

 

[SuperStretccch]

You’re going on a kayaking excursion from ACE expeditions down a river. As you go down the river you come across the Navi gathering for a special musical ceremony celebrating the spirit of Ewah (spelling?).

Eywa. Good try, though.

 

[Bairstow]

There isn't one, which automatically makes it arty/subversive/cool.

It's a nice return to the pre-Eisner days of experiential, rather than narrative attraction design.
Now if only they had put more stuff in there to make it worthwhile...

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I haven't seen the movie Avatar (please no hate) and just want to know the concept of the Navi River ride.

Anyone have a quick paraphrase of the overall story of the ride from beginning point A to the end point B?

What you are supposedly doing/where are you going, your character aboard the boat, boat-ride build-up story, etc.?

Go!

Best description: Think of it as Living With Land IN BLACKLIGHTS....

 

[mf1972]

i have to agree. visually, it pretty cool in there. other than that, i had no idea what was supposed to be going on. the animatronic at the end is the big highlight for me, imo. very lifelike

 

[crxbrett]

Yeah, basically a relaxing boat ride in the dark that takes you into a dark, blacklit and glowing jungle from another world that is full of weird creatures and bugs. Capped off with a giant blue alien shamen singing in another alien language.

There is no real story at all. Personally, I think the attraction is visually impressive but is severely lacking in storytelling.

If we are talking just story alone for an attraction, Navi River Journey's story gets a 1 or a 2 from me. It has great theming and is pretty immersive, but no story whatsoever really.

 

[Bairstow]

Hi

Yeah, basically a relaxing boat ride in the dark that takes you into a dark, blacklit and glowing jungle from another world that is full of weird creatures and bugs. Capped off with a giant blue alien shamen singing in another alien language.

There is no real story at all. Personally, I think the attraction is visually impressive but is severely lacking in storytelling.

If we are talking just story alone for an attraction, Navi River Journey's story gets a 1 or a 2 from me. It has great theming and is pretty immersive, but no story whatsoever really.

It's also severely lacking in thrills and interactivity, but none of these are necessary a failing on the ride's part.
Not all attractions are supposed to tell stories.
Many of the very best attractions (Mansion, Pirates, Big Thunder) don't.

 

[marni1971]

Look at the pretty lighting effects. Don’t be too disappointed when you see the unload dock.

 

[MinnieM123]

i have to agree. visually, it pretty cool in there. other than that, i had no idea what was supposed to be going on. the animatronic at the end is the big highlight for me, imo. very lifelike

Having seen the movie ahead of time, I enjoyed the river images in the ride. Yet, I think the ride may cause some confusion, for some guests who may be unfamiliar with the movie.

When I came to the end of the ride, I overheard the father of a family (of six) in front of me, saying, "Did I miss something? Can someone tell me what that ride was about?"

 

[networkpro]

Imagine yourself as the Tidy Bowl man trapped in a wicker basket.

 

[MaximumEd]

Hi

It's also severely lacking in thrills and interactivity, but none of these are necessary a failing on the ride's part.
Not all attractions are supposed to tell stories.
Many of the very best attractions (Mansion, Pirates, Big Thunder) don't.

Are you saying that HM and Pirates doesn’t tell a story?

 

[NickMaio]

Really no story........ And only 1 AA. Geeze Did come on. I guess they blew the bank on the songg lady. I was expecting that big rhino thing in the movie somewhere.

That really sucks.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I admire Na'vi for not having a narrative story.


It's shortcomings lay elsewhere. I think. Because after all this time I'm still not sure where, but I'm beginning to develop some ideas.

 

[crxbrett]

Hi

It's also severely lacking in thrills and interactivity, but none of these are necessary a failing on the ride's part.
Not all attractions are supposed to tell stories.
Many of the very best attractions (Mansion, Pirates, Big Thunder) don't.

Yeah, I don't see lack of thrills as being a negative, either. Many of Disney's greatest attractions do not/or did not have any thrills.

I definitely 100% disagree with all three of your examples though that you gave - they actually all have detailed stories or concepts that the Imagineers created when designing them. Granted, a non-Disney fan or someone not knowledegable won't know the stories - but there are actually are fairly intricate stories to those three you mentioned. Even if someone doesn't know the stories, those three attractions kind of have a point or serve a purpose. I don't think Navi River Journey really does other than you got on a boat to go through a river on an alien planet. With Pirates and Haunted you have detailed concepts as to why you are there and what you are doing. Even Big Thunder, you are on a runaway mine train that is inside a cursed/or haunted mountain that resides near a fictitious mining town that struck gold in the cursed mine/mountain.

The best way I would describe Navi River Journey is like going on the Jungle Cruise, but instead it is all inside, takes place on an alien world and there is no narration or guide. Or as someone else said, sort of like the beginning of Living with the Land in the rain forest, but with no narration.

I don't necessarily feel like Navi River needed a great story to be a home run, but it certainly would have helped the attraction. I have a couple of other issues with NRJ that don't have anything to do with it's lack of a story, that are definitely contributors as to why it's sort of underwhelming.

 

[MaximumEd]

It’s a beautiful ride that would receive far less criticism if it had been about twice as long. Even with zero story. As soon as you settle in and start really taking it all in, it’s over.