Avatar land coming to Animal Kingdom!!

[ScoJo15]

Found this via some updates on Twitter....

This morning Disney has announced plans to bring James Cameron’s film franchise “Avatar” to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney world. In a “long-term creative partnership,” Cameron and his team will act as creative consultants with Walt Disney Imagineering with construction on the new land beginning by 2013.

Specifics of the new Animal Kingdom themed land are not yet revealed, though a press conference is being held at Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters in Glendale, Calif. today. Plans are expected to feature more one ride in a whole new park area.

Mythical creatures were intended to be part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park since its opening, but this is the first opportunity for Disney to showcase more than animals on Earth.

 

[ScoJo15]

Target is to have it open in 5 years...which will be right after the 3rd Avatar movie is released during the holidays in 2015.

 

[patty57]

Interesting...seems like a good fit for Animal Kingdom.

 

[jmenjes]

When it opens, there's one part of AK I'll never venture into...

 

[ScoJo15]

Interesting...seems like a good fit for Animal Kingdom.

I agree! Like the movie(s) or not, I think the theme totally fits...I'd imagine a pretty awesome "Avatar world" could reside amongst the trees. Something to look forward to for sure.

Can't wait for concept art to be revealed.

 

[SaraJayne]

Another reason to skip AK.

 

[Jennasis]

This sounds like a bad bus-driver rumor.


Universal gets Harry Potter, and Disney gets JC's bloated ego and a mediocre movie on which to build a whole land?? I am stymied.

 

[SashaFarce]

Granted, I haven't seen the movie and don't intend to so I'm not sure how animals play into it. But based on what I know from others' discussion of it, I'm not certain how it would fit into AK. I'd love to hear some elaboration on that from others who are familiar with the film.

And, despite the enormous success of WWOHP at IOA and how extremely well done it is, I'm leery of entire themed lands that focus on one (at this time) film. Maybe it's because this film doesn't seem like the kind of thing that people will still be talking, discussing, and analyzing 20 years from now.

 

[morethananyonex]

Posted this in the other thread already..

Don't like it.

I was glad Disney didn't get the rights to Harry Potter and I'm disappointed they're going in this direction. I would much prefer a new section that isn't based on an already existing successful movie/franchise. I'm sure it will be cool, but I much prefer the style of HM and POTC where the success of the ride came first.

 

[peachygreen]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/

 

[chocovrdmicears]

If I sat down and wrote a list of 500 ideas for a new land at Animal Kingdom, Avatar wouldn't have been on it. Avatar? Really?

 

[Edgehopper]

The problem is that it's really polarizing--Avatar, while being very pretty, was the sort of annoying environmental extmism that alienates about half of the country. And the sort of leftist who salivated over Avatar isn't a large part of Disney's demographic; they'd rather go somewhere "authentic."

The environmentalism certainly fits in with Animal Kingdom, but is likely to do so less in the "reasonable steward of the Earth" style that permeates most of AK, and more in the nagging "people are evil" style found more at Rafiki's Planet Watch. And that's the reason I don't go to Rafiki's Planet Watch any more.

They should be able to make some good rides out of it, but Beastly Kingdomme or Night Kingdom were better ideas.

 

[tmoret]

I think it will be a great fit to AK! funny how people always complain that there is never enought in AK and when Disney does something BIG they are still not happy. Come on people weather or not you liked the movie has nothing to do with it. Disney has really been doing alot to add things to the parks.

 

[KellyNY]

Absolutely love the idea. What a great potential for all the special effects. Do not know why so many against it. Like the movie or not, it did created a totally different world, what Disney is also about. My only concern however if Disney will not kill the idea and create something as horrible and demeaning as Prince Caspian attraction. Avatar deserves something big and serious just like Harry Potter.

 

[kaligal]

God help us.

What the hell are they thinking?

 

[Raenstoirm]

I dont know if I like that. Although I would love to experience Avatar I dont like the idea of Disney buying blockbusters. Disney has always been "kiddie" in their purchases (pooh, muppets, power rangers). They have the comics now but havent tried to integrate them yet. It just worries me. What if they lose the Disney charm?

 

[mcd2745]

Full disclosure: I've never seen the movie and never had any intention to.

Still, I gotta shake my head at this one Disney. You have in your stable a huge library of characters and "worlds" to draw inspiration from for a new land/area...and this is what you come up with? Certainly comes across as a lame response to Harry Potter. Seems like they are outsourcing imagineering to James Cameron and his Titanic-sized ego.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

When I heard about the Fantasyland expansion -- I thought it was very nice but no match for Universal's Harry Potter. But this is huge. I've never seen the movie but we all know James Cameron is over the top. I think they are going to wow us! Disney is not taking Harry Potter sitting down! I'm thinking they have big plans for Epcot and HS in the works as well.

 

[umichigan10]

I need concept art and ideas on what this is gonna look like when it's finish before I judge it

The only thing I have a problem with at the moment is why they didn't do this with George Lucas to add a SW land onto the studios

 

[morethananyonex]

I think it will be a great fit to AK! funny how people always complain that there is never enought in AK and when Disney does something BIG they are still not happy. Come on people weather or not you liked the movie has nothing to do with it. Disney has really been doing alot to add things to the parks.

I liked the movie. Would I rush out to see it again? Probably not, but it was pretty and kept me entertained.

I would rather they did nothing at AK then take something already existing and turn it into a land. Disney's best successes have been attractions that were not based on an already existing movie or character, even their own characters. Like someone said, this sounds like a ridiculous bus driver rumour and not something the Disney we know would do.

I was glad Harry Potter ended up at Universal and I wish this could have too.