Avatar land details have been released includes new night time AK show!

[Magicalcarpetride]

I am happy they are looking at adding to Animal Kingdom. I was disappointed they chose Avatar to do it. This doesn't excite me at all. Some glowing colored lights at night and a ride similar to Soaring just strikes me as "Meh". I am also sad that they continue to leave out Disney classics like Jungle Book, Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Bambi, and all they have of the Lion King is a stage show. What about Endor and a Ewok village you can walk through and a land speeder race through the forest? I recycle and care about the environment but I don't want to be preached to about conservation while on vacation. I want to have fun. There is so much Disney material to work with. *sigh*

 

[Reddog1134]

I am happy they are looking at adding to Animal Kingdom. I was disappointed they chose Avatar to do it. This doesn't excite me at all. Some glowing colored lights at night and a ride similar to Soaring just strikes me as "Meh". I am also sad that they continue to leave out Disney classics like Jungle Book, Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Bambi, and all they have of the Lion King is a stage show. What about Endor and a Ewok village you can walk through and a land speeder race through the forest? I recycle and care about the environment but I don't want to be preached to about conservation while on vacation. I want to have fun. There is so much Disney material to work with. *sigh*

I would like to see those movies represented too, but I have no problem with Avatar.

Also, the conservation message is already fairly prevalent in Animal Kingdom.

 

[Silock]

I am happy they are looking at adding to Animal Kingdom. I was disappointed they chose Avatar to do it. This doesn't excite me at all. Some glowing colored lights at night and a ride similar to Soaring just strikes me as "Meh". I am also sad that they continue to leave out Disney classics like Jungle Book, Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Bambi, and all they have of the Lion King is a stage show. What about Endor and a Ewok village you can walk through and a land speeder race through the forest? I recycle and care about the environment but I don't want to be preached to about conservation while on vacation. I want to have fun. There is so much Disney material to work with. *sigh*

The ride is less Soarin and more "Sum of All Thrills." Or "Soarin' meets Flight of the Hippogryph."

 

[Darkwing981]

The new nighttime show looks promising but I'm still not happy with the Avatar project. To me its nothing more than short-sighted attempt to freshen up AK. AK needs something more organic than Avatar IMO.

 

[rteetz]

I think people need to come in with an open mind. Just because its avatar doesn't mean it will be a bad land it can still be great. Do you really think all the movies that have rides based on them are still time less classics? I think something needs to be done I'm not sure its avatar but I'm going in with an open mind I'm hopeful that because it was a mediocre movie that disney can make the land great. The pictures look amazing and if they can make it look like that then I think it will be a success especially because there are still two more avatar movies yet to come out.

 

[cymonster]

The new nighttime show looks promising but I'm still not happy with the Avatar project. To me its nothing more than short-sighted attempt to freshen up AK. AK needs something more organic than Avatar IMO.

The fact that 2 or more movies at least are planed by James Cameron in the future is a short -sighted attempt by Disney?. What about Carsland they just took a movie they didn't make and make in to land and guess what people liked it. Universal is making a new Harry porter expansion when the last movie was released 2 years ago.Disney knows what people want.


I didn't really like the idea at first but this concept art has made me think that it might be great. It will certainly get people thru the gates and talking I know people who aren't Disney fans who will want to go to this when it opens to the "floating mountain" which will be a good thing also will Disney try fixing the yeti when avatarland opens

 

[Lesley]

The pictures look interesting and even though I think the Avatar concept is a mistake (poorly timed, unoriginal, and a non-Disney movie tie-in....really?) I'll give it a shot. After all, I hated the concept of Pop Century and actually found it to be a pleasant resort, in spite of the theme. Hopefully it won't be like the jarring incongruity of Dinorama.

If I like the Avatar themed land I might actually rent the movie... which never really interested me in the first place. I mean, blue people and predictable pseudo-eco drivel? Meh.

But there are so many things they *could* do at AK that would be so much more compelling..... mythology, anthropology/storytelling/fantasy from existing cultures, other regions of the earth, but no, we have to drag in a movie that already seems dated. <sigh>

(and fwiw, Harry Potter has been a phenomenon since the 90's...and has a huge and dedicated fan base outside of the movies.... apples to oranges, imo.... and while I think Star Wars would be stupid at AK, I think an argument could be better made for that franchise than Avatar...I mean, it does have a lot of imaginary animals...and well, if it's not outdated after nearly 40 years.... And Disney owns it now.)

But whatever. We'll see how it goes.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I think people need to come in with an open mind. Just because its avatar doesn't mean it will be a bad land it can still be great. Do you really think all the movies that have rides based on them are still time less classics? I think something needs to be done I'm not sure its avatar but I'm going in with an open mind I'm hopeful that because it was a mediocre movie that disney can make the land great. The pictures look amazing and if they can make it look like that then I think it will be a success especially because there are still two more avatar movies yet to come out.

~Nice comment! While, I personally did not care for the film, I don't consider Avatar to be "mediocre." I have to acknowledge that Avatar was a highly successful film that boasts a solid fan base with over 48 million Facebook likes. In contrast, Disney has just over 45 million Facebook likes -- not that this matters. "Fans" are fickle and this should have little bearing on how any theme park adapts and translates any IP into an amazing theme park experience. Avatar's representation in AK is no different than that of the "Yeti."

~Imagined, mythical creatures have long been part of Animal Kingdom's developing strategy to establish a "kingdom of balance, harmony and survival."

~The Avatar Navi are humanoid, somewhat similar to the Yeti. The Navi collective have a strong sense of nature and live in synonymous "harmony" with their planet. Collectively, the Navi are vehemently against destructive practices such as drilling, mining, and the deforestation of their planet.

~As such, we can be inspired by the Navi to take better care of our planet by adopting greener measures to encourage the reduction of our carbon footprint and further enhance our preservation and conservation efforts.

~With the fabulous addition of Avatar, Disney is simply levering established paradigms against a more modernistic synergism, thus enabling a forward thinking lattice structured organization. The addition of Avatar-land should be a welcome one, that patterns into a more vertically integrated, organic & transparent entity, especially when embraced with fresh eyes.

~Simply put, [OMG] I am so excited & really looking forward to experiencing the fabulous world of Pandora!

 

[Darkwing981]

The fact that 2 or more movies at least are planed by James Cameron in the future is a short -sighted attempt by Disney?. What about Carsland they just took a movie they didn't make and make in to land and guess what people liked it. Universal is making a new Harry porter expansion when the last movie was released 2 years ago.Disney knows what people want.


I didn't really like the idea at first but this concept art has made me think that it might be great. It will certainly get people thru the gates and talking I know people who aren't Disney fans who will want to go to this when it opens to the "floating mountain" which will be a good thing also will Disney try fixing the yeti when avatarland opens

I guess what I meant to say is that Disney already has a bunch of underrepresented properties that could've been just as dynamic to a project like this. Something akin to 'New Fantasy Land' with 'lands' dedicated to: The Jungle Book, Bambi, Tarzan etc. I get that they want people to visit AK, but I just don't think Avatar is the answer. Again, its JMO.

Obviously it looks like they're pressing forward with it so I'll just have to except it but that doesn't mean I like it.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

It looks smashing!

Hopefully it means that Expedition Everest will be open at night? If you haven't been on that ride at nighttime you are missing the crown jewel of WDW experiences, imho.

Sooo...AK is gonna get a desperately needed shot in the arm...DHS is getting Star Wars Land...now the only park left that needs DESPERATE attention is Epcot.

 

[wdwfan757]

To offer a different perspective...

I didn't like Avatar as a movie at all. It just seemed like a really CGI heavy version of Ferngully without any of the charm of Ferngully...

But in a way, I always thought it'd make a great theme park area or video game. It just has that sort of vibe. Instead of looking for Animal Kingdom to get a boost from the success of the movie, maybe someone has a vision of their movie getting a boost from the theme park. The Pirates movies are based on the ride, so it's not too farfetched of an idea.

With the exception of the last time I went to AK, where I dedicated some significant time to looking at the animals, I usually plan AK as: Kilimanjaro, Everest, Dinosaur, Tough to be a Bug, Flametree BBQ, Leave. When you consider that AK really does have good shows (much better than HS's, IMO), it really should be enough to make AK an all day park.

If Avatarland is good. Not even mindblowingly great, but good.. then it'll be a huge boost to AK because people will stay and fill time until the nighttime activities by doing some of the lesser appreciated things at AK (Like festival of the lion king and nemo: the musical). Next thing you know, they'll have enough people there at dinner time to add a new signature restaurant. Now AK is really cooking! (Instead of being the morning park before an afternoon at universal, world showcase, or MK). And now that they've messed up my touring plan by making me dedicate an entire day to the park, I have to stay an extra day in town. There's no way they won't make their money back with this unless it's just awful.

 

[DPCummerbund]

To offer a different perspective...

I didn't like Avatar as a movie at all. It just seemed like a really CGI heavy version of Ferngully without any of the charm of Ferngully..

I agree with you - Avatar ripped from Ferngully, Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, and other films. I'm generally against the movie and this land.

But I read something interesting in the "Avatar FAQ" announcement: "AVATAR is a uniquely powerful franchise that has global appeal with audiences of all ages."

I think there may be a key here: the GLOBAL appeal. Avatar did particularly well overseas. There may not be much of a "fan base" for Avatar here, but perhaps there are a lot of international fans. I know Disney has been making a push to get international guests to WDW, maybe Avatar is a step in that direction.

 

[MissDisney121]

I don't think Avatar was picked because it is that great of a movie or even because it is that popular. I think it was picked because it is a visually stunning movie an disney can do amazing things with it. I've seen the movie and that was what stood out about it to me more so than the story, although as has been stated on here it has that slightly educational message of conservation and being one with the earth that Ak likes. I personally was not excited at first when I heard about this expansion but these images have helped to change my mind. These look really good and I think they will really help to actually expand the attendance at the park unlike the fantasyland expansion. I hope the ride that looks like you are flying is more like forbidden journey than soarin.

 

[Spacedog1975]

Can't. Wait.
I'm not a huge Avatar fanboy, but I don't understand anyone who thinks this won't be a boon for the park or that it won't be popular.

I can't wait for DAK to be a full day park.

 

[rteetz]

I don't think Avatar was picked because it is that great of a movie or even because it is that popular. I think it was picked because it is a visually stunning movie an disney can do amazing things with it. I've seen the movie and that was what stood out about it to me more so than the story, although as has been stated on here it has that slightly educational message of conservation and being one with the earth that Ak likes. I personally was not excited at first when I heard about this expansion but these images have helped to change my mind. These look really good and I think they will really help to actually expand the attendance at the park unlike the fantasyland expansion. I hope the ride that looks like you are flying is more like forbidden journey than soarin.

Couldn't agree more

 

[PrincessShea]

I despise the fact that this project is moving forward. What a huge waste of money. People have already forgotten about the movies; it isn't even Disney. If Disney is abandoning the animal theme to Animal Kingdom, then why not move forward with the mythical beastly kingdom concept...at least they wouldn't be tied to a lame movie around which an entire land needs to now revolve (that again, is not even a Disney movie)

That said the luminescence stuff looks cool...but it could've been done without the movie tie-in.

 

[Jetsetter42]

I despise the fact that this project is moving forward. What a huge waste of money. People have already forgotten about the movies; it isn't even Disney. If Disney is abandoning the animal theme to Animal Kingdom, then why not move forward with the mythical beastly kingdom concept...at least they wouldn't be tied to a lame movie around which an entire land needs to now revolve (that again, is not even a Disney movie) That said the luminescence stuff looks cool...but it could've been done without the movie tie-in.

I'm not a huge fan of the new land concept, but you do realize that there are two more Avatar movies coming out, so I doubt it will be forgotten about already.

 

[Mom2six]

I think this could be a great expansion. I think the pictures look cool, and the night show is a good idea. When they say they will have a night version of the safari, I wonder if they will create a separate safari like experience altogether. Perhaps they will use nocturnal animals?

 

[beer dave]

I think this could be a great expansion. I think the pictures look cool, and the night show is a good idea. When they say they will have a night version of the safari, I wonder if they will create a separate safari like experience altogether. Perhaps they will use nocturnal animals?

I thought of this too-- what if after the animals move in to there night areas, they bring out a different set of nocturnal animals -- probably very difficult, but would be cool.

 

[rteetz]

I despise the fact that this project is moving forward. What a huge waste of money. People have already forgotten about the movies; it isn't even Disney. If Disney is abandoning the animal theme to Animal Kingdom, then why not move forward with the mythical beastly kingdom concept...at least they wouldn't be tied to a lame movie around which an entire land needs to now revolve (that again, is not even a Disney movie) That said the luminescence stuff looks cool...but it could've been done without the movie tie-in.

I think pandora looks beautiful, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie it's was good but nothing special. I think you should wait to see what it's like when it's done and not hate it just yet.