Avatar coming to Animal Kingdom

[johnGorski]

Don't burst my bubble... we may yet see Epcot and DHS announcements in the not-too-distant future. (I still think a Star Wars land in DHS is logical and do-able.)



Amen!

Star Wars/Lucas land would be great and now with them willing to expand AK. Yes I could see a major expansion in DHS "Lucas Land"' and a new country with a E-Ticket in Epcot, before 2020.

Well we have
MK-FLE
DAK-Avatar
Epoct-?
DHS-?

 

[Faldred]

I would much rather them find a nice place in the Africa area to relocate the current show. Shouldn't take much -- it's essentially just a set of bleachers around a stage area, all underneath a cover. It's the show, not the construction, that makes it so well liked.

 

[DCTooTall]

I would much rather them find a nice place in the Africa area to relocate the current show. Shouldn't take much -- it's essentially just a set of bleachers around a stage area, all underneath a cover. It's the show, not the construction, that makes it so well liked.

And it wouldn't be the first time they moved a theater because of a park expansion. Sunset Boulevard at MGM is built where the original park's theater was located. It was relocated and is now the theater that houses the BatB show.

 

[schmitty]

The amount of detail they can put in the environment can be amazing. I'm real excitied to see how well they can mimic Avatar.

 

[Disco]

LOL,
I'm happy to see anything added to WDW even though I'm not big on the Avatar theme. I'm guessing that the longevity of Avatar will be similar to Jurassic Park. The special affects reeled everyone in for the first movie but the thin plot lines and big blue smurfs staring into each other's eyes "I see you..." can only be taken so much. I'm a little afraid by after the third movie it will be a little over ripe for a park.
Man why can't Disney think ahead a little and try to build things before the end of the cinema life cycle? They should have built a Star Wars land (at least remodeled the ride) before the last three movies came out. They could have done something for the last I. Jones movie as well.
Well even if I hate the series by the last movie I’ll go check out the addition at WDW. I mean I think Disney did a pretty crappy job with TLM ride but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it and won’t ride it again. Just that I think they half assed their potential. Well at least I don’t think James will let Disney half *** this one any way.
Now if they do something stupid and replace Dino Land (not that I’d miss it that much) with Avatar Land and convert all the present rides into an Avatar theme, I’ll be pissed. But again I don’t think James will let them go that route.

 

[doconeill]

If you were hoping for an expansion at Epcot or DHS, it doesn't look like it is coming:

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/avatar-theme-park-deal-wont-inflate-disney-costs-cfo-says/

After next year ”there will be a significant decline in the capital we invest in our parks,” bringing Disney “relatively closer to our historic level of spending.”

 

[mike the canuck]

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011...to-look-feel-smell-like-pandora/?dlvrit=63378

"Cameron: Disney’s ‘Avatar’ land to look, feel, smell like Pandora

When James Cameron’s “Avatar” hit theaters in 2009, many moviegoers were so dazzled by the lush, 3-D world of the alien moon Pandora that they wanted to step right inside. Now the Walt Disney Co. is aiming to offer that kind of experience to its theme park patrons.

Disney’s Imagineers are working with Cameron, his producing partner Jon Landau and studio 20th Century Fox to bring the fantasy world from “Avatar” to its theme parks, beginning with a multi-attraction themed land at the Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Fla.

Though the attraction is still in its earliest development stages, Cameron has clear ideas about what he’d like any Pandoran land to include, which he shared in an interview on Tuesday.

“I definitely want to do a flight attraction of some kind,” the director said, citing the “Soarin’ Over California” flying ride at Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim as a personal favorite. “Flying is a big part of the movie. One of the things people liked the most at test screenings was going up into the floating mountains in the flying sequences. We may have banshees, Leonopteryxes, maybe some other flying creatures that don’t make their appearance until the second and third films.”

Disney’s Imagineers will also be tasked with bringing Na’vi culture and the natural world of Pandora to life, along with creating “a general sense of the future,” Cameron said.

“It all needs to be one fabric,” he said. “As long as it’s thematically consistent, as long as it looks and feels and smells the way you imagine it, then we’ve succeeded.”

The hugely successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando, which depicts the universe created in J.K. Rowling’s books and Warner Bros.’ films right down to the mugs of butter beer for sale at concessions, provides something of a template for a theme park attraction that is faithful to its source material.

As Rowling was with the Potter theme park, “Avatar’s” creators say they will be hands-on in developing the attraction.

Groundbreaking for the “Avatar” land at Animal Kingdom is planned for 2013, but the attraction isn’t scheduled to open until 2016, after the premieres of the “Avatar” sequels in 2014 and 2015.

To linger a bit longer on Pandora in the meantime, see this story with Dawn C. Chmielewski on the theme park plans, or look back at some of our “Avatar” coverage from the past."

– Rebecca Keegan

 

[nytimez]

LOL,
I'm happy to see anything added to WDW even though I'm not big on the Avatar theme. I'm guessing that the longevity of Avatar will be similar to Jurassic Park. The special affects reeled everyone in for the first movie but the thin plot lines and big blue smurfs staring into each other's eyes "I see you..." can only be taken so much. I'm a little afraid by after the third movie it will be a little over ripe for a park.
Man why can't Disney think ahead a little and try to build things before the end of the cinema life cycle? They should have built a Star Wars land (at least remodeled the ride) before the last three movies came out. They could have done something for the last I. Jones movie as well.
Well even if I hate the series by the last movie I’ll go check out the addition at WDW. I mean I think Disney did a pretty crappy job with TLM ride but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it and won’t ride it again. Just that I think they half assed their potential. Well at least I don’t think James will let Disney half *** this one any way.
Now if they do something stupid and replace Dino Land (not that I’d miss it that much) with Avatar Land and convert all the present rides into an Avatar theme, I’ll be pissed. But again I don’t think James will let them go that route.

I think it's a little inconsistent to want Disney to "think ahead" yet only focus on a film's cinema life cycle, which in most cases aren't far ahead at all.

Whether it's WWoHP at Universal or Avatar at AK, the concepts need to stand on their own beyond the cinema life cycle. These are things that are built for generations to enjoy, not the viewers of a series of movies released over a handful of years.

I think that'll be the strong point of Avatar. There's an entire world to explore -- not just the people and places we've seen in the films.

If you were hoping for an expansion at Epcot or DHS, it doesn't look like it is coming:

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/avatar-theme-park-deal-wont-inflate-disney-costs-cfo-says/

To be expected... but I have to point out that he didn't say they wouldn't be opening new attractions at the other parks. He said "there will be a significant decline in the capital we invest in our parks," and, let's face it, they could hardly spend more than they're spending right now overall.

He also said that they'd invest something "relatively closer to our historic level of spending," which still leaves room for a major new attraction and less major (but significant) upgrades and renovations along the way, since those have been part of the historic levels of spending... right?

Of course, with this Avatar thing coming out of the blue, I'm done reading tea leaves.

 

[ljandbucket]

....Avatar coming out of the blue....

How fitting!!

 

[PortMickey]

It sounds like maybe Beastly Kingdom or some other big attractions were about to be greenlit until this Avatar deal got done. Here's what Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo said:

Rasulo said the company already had plans to upgrade the park with new attractions, but after the "Avatar" license was brokered, "We just won't do something else we were going to do."

Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference in New York City on Wednesday

 

[doconeill]

It sounds like maybe Beastly Kingdom or some other big attractions were about to be greenlit until this Avatar deal got done. Here's what Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo said:



Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference in New York City on Wednesday

Yeah, that's part of the same article (different source) I posted. What it could mean is that the Avatarland (or will they call it Pandora?) IS Beastly Kingdom that they had finally decided to move forward on, but made over and probably with some changes now that they found a partner...

 

[nytimez]

Yeah, that's part of the same article (different source) I posted. What it could mean is that the Avatarland (or will they call it Pandora?) IS Beastly Kingdom that they had finally decided to move forward on, but made over and probably with some changes now that they found a partner...

Or they could have been deciding among several options for any number of parks -- not greenlighting any, yet, but having the money budgeted and the intention to spend it -- but when they reached the Avatar, deal those other plans all fell off the drawing board.

Beyond Staggs and Iger and such, who knows?

 

[DCTooTall]

If you were hoping for an expansion at Epcot or DHS, it doesn't look like it is coming:

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/avatar-theme-park-deal-wont-inflate-disney-costs-cfo-says/

Honestly, With the MASSIVE amounts they are spending on their "Fix DCA" project and the FLE, They are spending a lot more than "traditional costs". With both those projects ramping down in the next year or so, and the new AK land not starting construction until after both those projects are done, I don't see it being a problem dropping their expenditures back down to "normal" levels and still getting stuff done.

(Assuming and hoping that "normal levels" aren't the post 9/11/01 "nobody is traveling let's button up and not spend anything" levels..)

It sounds like maybe Beastly Kingdom or some other big attractions were about to be greenlit until this Avatar deal got done. Here's what Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo said:



Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference in New York City on Wednesday

Or they could have been deciding among several options for any number of parks -- not greenlighting any, yet, but having the money budgeted and the intention to spend it -- but when they reached the Avatar, deal those other plans all fell off the drawing board.

Beyond Staggs and Iger and such, who knows?

That's kind of what I was thinking. More likely considering the ramp up timing required before breaking ground on any projects and the expected completion date on their existing US park projects, They are entering the blue sky "What do we do next" phase. Things such as deciding what kind of attraction they'd like to build, or maybe which park they wanted to work with. Now this deal has pretty much answered the "what are we going to do next" question, so they can start focusing on the details of what they are going to do with the concept.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think it's a little inconsistent to want Disney to "think ahead" yet only focus on a film's cinema life cycle, which in most cases aren't far ahead at all.

Whether it's WWoHP at Universal or Avatar at AK, the concepts need to stand on their own beyond the cinema life cycle. These are things that are built for generations to enjoy, not the viewers of a series of movies released over a handful of years.

I think that'll be the strong point of Avatar. There's an entire world to explore -- not just the people and places we've seen in the films.

While I so far think the idea of Avatar at AK will do better than many are saying...I did want to bring up this point.

If you consider the popular attractions that Universal had before WWOHP for example, they all contained themes that are very recognizable (earthquakes, tornadoes, dinosaurs, shooting at aliens, shark attacks, egyptian mummies and curses, etc.)

Most of those appeal to people who may not have even watched the movies they represent, however will Avatar be able to do the same?

One other note on this....people complained that Universal was too late with Harry Potter and Disney was too late with American Idol, yet both seem to be doing quite well for now.

Now people are saying that they jumped into Avatar too early. However, a few of us have noticed that the overall announcement of this was very tame in comparison to most of their other announcements in recent memory.

Is it possible that Disney made it a quick blurb, let media pick up on it and then gauge the reaction? It isn't as if Disney has never announced something and never built it (in fact it happens frequently)

 

[nytimez]

While I so far think the idea of Avatar at AK will do better than many are saying...I did want to bring up this point.

If you consider the popular attractions that Universal had before WWOHP for example, they all contained themes that are very recognizable (earthquakes, tornadoes, dinosaurs, shooting at aliens, shark attacks, egyptian mummies and curses, etc.)

Most of those appeal to people who may not have even watched the movies they represent, however will Avatar be able to do the same?

One other note on this....people complained that Universal was too late with Harry Potter and Disney was too late with American Idol, yet both seem to be doing quite well for now.

Now people are saying that they jumped into Avatar too early. However, a few of us have noticed that the overall announcement of this was very tame in comparison to most of their other announcements in recent memory.

Is it possible that Disney made it a quick blurb, let media pick up on it and then gauge the reaction? It isn't as if Disney has never announced something and never built it (in fact it happens frequently)

I suppose anything is possible. But I'm guessing James Cameron was at that event because they have a contract... also, the company knows how enormously reactive the online fan community is... and they know we only represent a fraction of the park-goers.

Ultimately, whether it's Avatar or Potter, they'll have to make an awesome land anchored by a great attraction. If they do that, the crowds will come. Ultimately, the strength of the franchise will be secondary to the strength of the attractions.

 

[wildviper]

VERY COOL Big fan of the movie but an even bigger fan of Walt Disney and WDW!

 

[johnGorski]

If you were hoping for an expansion at Epcot or DHS, it doesn't look like it is coming:

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/avatar-theme-park-deal-wont-inflate-disney-costs-cfo-says/

agreed with that a Epcot and DHS expansion will come but nothing would get announced until Avatar opens or even a few years after that. I think TDO had 500 million dollar budget for a DAK expansion, I am sure the rumored Aussie land or BK would of been announce if this deal was not reached. I was rather disapointed after the D23 with the expectations of something big, but now I am very excitied to what is about to come.

I am now assuming the highly likely rumored Monsters coaster is dead now?

 

[nytimez]

agreed with that a Epcot and DHS expansion will come but nothing would get announced until Avatar opens or even a few years after that. I think TDO had 500 million dollar budget for a DAK expansion, I am sure the rumored Aussie land or BK would of been announce if this deal was not reached. I was rather disapointed after the D23 with the expectations of something big, but now I am very excitied to what is about to come.

I am now assuming the highly likely rumored Monsters coaster is dead now?

Hard to say. It could fall into the category of "relatively closer to our historic level of spending," since they do open a big new attraction every few years. And I can't imagine they'll ignore DHS until 2016.

I think this officially ends the pipe dreams of Lucas Land, though. On the other hand, Avatar sorta proves that all the rumors and speculation don't mean a whole heckuva lot!

 

[Figment632]

One thing that makes me happy is that this finally puts to rest the Australia land in DAK rumor.

Now Australia can come to World Showcase

 

[Figment632]

Not sure if this was posted?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...isney-avatar-092211-20110921,0,5826653.column