PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
Move along then, this is not the park you're looking for....
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Thoughts on Avatar after experiencing Cars Land
- Thread starter Atomicmickey
- Start date
Move along then, this is not the park you're looking for....
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
I don't mean this as an attack on you personally, because I think you share the majority opinion on these boards, but I just don't get it. Most of the rides on property are mechanically guaranteed to be exactly the same every single time... the only times they're different is when something breaks. The shows have variation just due to the nature of live performance. Shows can become outdated, or some were just not that good to begin with (just like the rides), but I'll go see a good show almost as often as I'll ride a good ride.
PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
I think it is because watching = a passive experience and riding = an active experience. I can watch a show on my computer and experience a small amount of the emotion I would feel if I were there live. I can also watch a ride-through on You Tube, but I don't get the feeling of actually moving through space. Spinning around in your chair while watching a teacup video is not the same.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Yes, Disney will be applying many of the lessons learned from Cars Land to Pandora. Similar incredible rockwork. A bit less emphasis on retail. It will certainly be very much a "nighttime" land; even if I went in the daytime I would be sure to go back at night (as I do for Cars Land, come to think of it). All in all, it's going to be incredible.
And don't worry, the boat ride is still very much a go.
SirLink
Well-Known Member
That is the whole point 3 of Disney's parks are undeveloped by a good 10 attractions per park. And MK urgently needs more capacity...
Nah I the only two shows I will go to every trip and enjoy are Indianna Jones and Flights of Wonder.
you feel good about that...I too hear its a goYes, Disney will be applying many of the lessons learned from Cars Land to Pandora. Similar incredible rockwork. A bit less emphasis on retail. It will certainly be very much a "nighttime" land; even if I went in the daytime I would be sure to go back at night (as I do for Cars Land, come to think of it). All in all, it's going to be incredible.
And don't worry, the boat ride is still very much a go.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
@Atomicmickey and @SirLink are providing perfect examples of contrasting touring styles that lead to wildly different perceptions of DAK. Link lives in a world where even the Magic Kingdom has too few attractions, so I'm not sure he'll ever be satisfied. If your goal in visiting a Disney park is to get in, check the boxes on a list of E-ticket rides, and get the heck out, then no park anywhere will ever be a fulfilling experience. As Atomic said in the OP, sometimes sitting on a bench in a gorgeous themed environment is an attraction in itself. I'll spend about four half-days at DAK next week because there's so much to see and you never know what's going to happen. If the gorillas are being funny one day, we'll watch the gorillas for an hour. If I feel like reading the plaques and signage in the Everest queue, I'll take my time moving through and let people around me. Themeing and detail aren't just enhancements to a list of rides. They're an experience unto themselves. That's where I'm hoping Avatar delivers most strongly.
Fox&Hound
Well-Known Member
A few thoughts:
-Agree about Carsland- love the area and it was a total home run for Disney. Visually impressive and a fantastic ride. Not at all like Test Track (plus the new version leaves me cold).
-I imagine Disney will learn that they need to open this land all together like Carsland and unlike NFL. I think opening NFL is stages hurt them a bit.
-I still believe food will play an important role in Avatar 2. Some kind of specialty food linked to the movie or restaurant scene. Something they can use to tie into the parks. They know they are building the experience at Disney so why not write into the movie what you want to see in the parks???
- I agree that a few new rides would not hurt AK but I think it's the park becoming a night time destination that has me and many others most excited. Maybe people will hit Disney Springs in the morning and then check out AK in the afternoon and stay until the night. Either way, everyone going to AK will want to see it at night which means less people at MK. I'm pretty sure that was THE questions asked by Disney execs "How can we keep people at DAK at night to lessen the attendance on the other parks? What IP could we add alongside a new nightime show that would get guests to stay? How can we get glowing plants? =)
And I've said it before but I'll say it again, the new Africa theatre and shopping district (concept art) looks incredible!!!!! Add to that Avatar (if it ends up being as visually impressive as we think it may be)- there is no way Dinoland will stay as it is. That was as much as a cheap place holder as Camp Minnie/Mickey. I have full faith it will get love and maybe some better ride offerings once Pandora is a hit. I also keep hoping for a Mystic Manor type ride to come to Asia (but I know I'm in the minority). I think AK could use a few smaller rides or one more large people eater to keep people spread out.
Also even though Carsland had three rides, Luigi's was a disaster since day 1 which means it really only had 2. If Pandora gives us a Banshee ride, boat ride, restaurant, and hopefully some walking paths (pure guess on my part) then I think it will be a hit.
Disney really has to go all out and push the envelope. I'm afraid same ol' same ol' won't cut it this time.
Really looking forward to what is in store. On that note, when the heck are they going to announce anything for HS???? That's driving me crazy!
-Agree about Carsland- love the area and it was a total home run for Disney. Visually impressive and a fantastic ride. Not at all like Test Track (plus the new version leaves me cold).
-I imagine Disney will learn that they need to open this land all together like Carsland and unlike NFL. I think opening NFL is stages hurt them a bit.
-I still believe food will play an important role in Avatar 2. Some kind of specialty food linked to the movie or restaurant scene. Something they can use to tie into the parks. They know they are building the experience at Disney so why not write into the movie what you want to see in the parks???
- I agree that a few new rides would not hurt AK but I think it's the park becoming a night time destination that has me and many others most excited. Maybe people will hit Disney Springs in the morning and then check out AK in the afternoon and stay until the night. Either way, everyone going to AK will want to see it at night which means less people at MK. I'm pretty sure that was THE questions asked by Disney execs "How can we keep people at DAK at night to lessen the attendance on the other parks? What IP could we add alongside a new nightime show that would get guests to stay? How can we get glowing plants? =)
And I've said it before but I'll say it again, the new Africa theatre and shopping district (concept art) looks incredible!!!!! Add to that Avatar (if it ends up being as visually impressive as we think it may be)- there is no way Dinoland will stay as it is. That was as much as a cheap place holder as Camp Minnie/Mickey. I have full faith it will get love and maybe some better ride offerings once Pandora is a hit. I also keep hoping for a Mystic Manor type ride to come to Asia (but I know I'm in the minority). I think AK could use a few smaller rides or one more large people eater to keep people spread out.
Also even though Carsland had three rides, Luigi's was a disaster since day 1 which means it really only had 2. If Pandora gives us a Banshee ride, boat ride, restaurant, and hopefully some walking paths (pure guess on my part) then I think it will be a hit.
Disney really has to go all out and push the envelope. I'm afraid same ol' same ol' won't cut it this time.
Really looking forward to what is in store. On that note, when the heck are they going to announce anything for HS???? That's driving me crazy!
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HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Bravo - well said. I hope they did learn their lesson when they choose to open NFL in stages. At least with AvatarLand, the whole area is completely by itself and they don't have to build around other attractions. Hopefully, we will learn more details at the D23. It does need another people eater type of ride - not sure what that could be.
DHS- I guess it's good that we haven't heard much besides rumors. The easiest thing they could have done was copy the Toy Story Playground that is at Paris and slapped it in. Star Wars land needs to top Avatar when all said and done. They need to take their time and get the park done the right way. Push the boundaries. Pall four parks can be great if done the right way. EPCOT has so much potential. Time will tell.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
The thing is, this shouldn't take away from the land. If Disney is willing to sacrifice the retail component of Avatar, kudos to them. I suspect there's going to be sales of weapons and items from the sequels, but the IP doesn't lend itself to merchandise as much as Cars, Potter, or Star Wars.
doctornick
Well-Known Member
Yeah, and?
Avatar doesn't lend itself to obvious merchandising opportunities. And it certainly has not been a huge tie-in seller in general (unlike Cars or some other franchises). OK. But I don't see any reason why a movie/franchise would have to have pre-established stores (a la Cars Land or HP) to make a "land" be successful. As a counter example, you don't have obvious stores in the Star Wars universe, but I have absolute faith that unique merchandise for that would sell like hotcakes in a theme park land.
Whatever motif they use for Avatar merch (old military barracks, Na'vi marketplace, etc.) will be fine. It won't be a focal point of the land and that's not a big deal. If anything, I think it is a good thing is the focus of the land will be on the experience, not how many trinkets can be sold. Furthermore, the lack of an obvious layout for the land is a good thing for the creatives involve who can develop an experience that is tailor made for the parks as oppose to finding a way to make translate something directly from one medium to another and make it work.
Besides, maybe Disney is looking for Avatar to simply increase the attendance and expects merch sales to occur elsewhere in the park as a result.
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SirLink
Well-Known Member
Completely missed the point .... I live in the world where MK is an absolute mess. They have far too many guests and not enough rides to entertain said guests. DAK/TPFKAD-MGMNDHSASTBDHA/Epcot are all lacking attractions.
Hell I might sit down and watch the world go by whilst enjoying a tasty beverage. I do that in Disneyland, do that in Paris, even Universal. Wonder why I don't do that at World .... hmmmm. Answers on the back of a postcard.
ToInfinityAndBeyond
Well-Known Member
And don't worry, the boat ride is still very much a go.
These are some exciting quotes! Other 'insiders' have had trouble confirming this, and that's led to much hand-wringing. I truly hope this is based upon some actual insider info. I do feel that a minimum of two experiences is key to calling this 'a land'. I wouldn't even mind a third kid-friendly ride, like the Mater ride in Cars Land. It doesn't take up much space, and if it's themed properly would be a great reason for families to linger as well. Oh, wait. Then they'd need to double the size of the land for stroller parking, ack.
Thinking on Avatar, there's not much to draw on for a kid-friendly small spinning ride, but I'll be that if you ask James Cameron about Na'Vi children, he'd be able to tell you about all the games they play, animals they love, etc. because he's so obsessive about details.
Speaking of which, @MarkTwain and @twebber55 , any other small details or tasty tidbits you can share without getting in trouble? Throw us a Banshee bone, willya?
doctornick
Well-Known Member
These are some exciting quotes! Other 'insiders' have had trouble confirming this, and that's led to much hand-wringing. I truly hope this is based upon some actual insider info. I do feel that a minimum of two experiences is key to calling this 'a land'. I wouldn't even mind a third kid-friendly ride, like the Mater ride in Cars Land. It doesn't take up much space, and if it's themed properly would be a great reason for families to linger as well. Oh, wait. Then they'd need to double the size of the land for stroller parking, ack.
Thinking on Avatar, there's not much to draw on for a kid-friendly small spinning ride, but I'll be that if you ask James Cameron about Na'Vi children, he'd be able to tell you about all the games they play, animals they love, etc. because he's so obsessive about details.
One thing that we've talked about -- no idea if it will happen though -- is a "walk through" for Pandora analogous to Pangani/Maharaja. Something like that with AA animals and potentially other effects (like the "light up" walking path when you step on it) would absolutely be kid friendly and add to the "stuff to see and do" impact of Pandora.
I don't expect to see a specific kid oriented flat ride, though the boat ride should be all ages.
Just for fun, here's Google Maps Carsland and Avatarland at the same scale. Avatarland
looks to be slightly BIGGER in overall footprint! Note that I have included the showbuildings
in my Cars Land cutout, that are not visible when you're in the land. Wow.
looks to be slightly BIGGER in overall footprint! Note that I have included the showbuildings
in my Cars Land cutout, that are not visible when you're in the land. Wow.
danlb_2000
Premium Member
Just for fun, here's Google Maps Carsland and Avatarland at the same scale. Avatarland
looks to be slightly BIGGER in overall footprint! Note that I have included the showbuildings
in my Cars Land cutout, that are not visible when you're in the land. Wow.
The cleared land is large then Carsland, we don't know how much of that land is actually going to end up being part of Avatarland. The construction trailers are right behind Rainforest so I don't think that area will be part of the land, and I am thinking that there won't be anything on stage south of the current show buildings. I also still haven't figured out where they are putting the central energy plant. The permit was filed a while ago but there is still no evidence of where it is being build so I continue to believe it will be by that row of trees in the southern part of the land.
Rodan75
Well-Known Member
If you think about toys and shirts, yeah, I can't imagine that Pandora will do well. But I suspect it will make a killing on glow merch. That stuff is high margin and given the night time thought process for the land, I suspect most of the best glow merch at WDW will be the Avatar stuff and they will make a killing off of that.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
After having watched the movie recently, one thing that I noticed is that the Na'vi wear a ton of jewelry. Also, some of the gift shops in DAK are very specific to the land in question.
It wouldn't surprise me if jewelry was a targeted type of merchandise for this land. How ironic would it be if they leaned on their recent partnership with the Pandora company to help design and market jewelry for the world of Pandora?
It wouldn't surprise me if jewelry was a targeted type of merchandise for this land. How ironic would it be if they leaned on their recent partnership with the Pandora company to help design and market jewelry for the world of Pandora?