Ground was broken this week for Avatarland

[bedogged]

Everyone always hates on something new because it's not what they would do. Give it a chance.

Avatar, rather than having a cult of fans, seems to have a cult of haters who vehemently dislike it . Their voice ont he Internet is loud, repeating the same arguments over and over again, while the nearly $3 Billion in box office revenue tells a different story.

I think people will like the land and when the new movies come out, they will be well received. I personally enjoyed Avatar immensely; it is a groundbreaking motion picture form one of the masters of the genre. I can't wait to go!

I loved Avatar and can't wait for the next movie! Unfortunately, that won't be at least until December 2016.

 

[ktlm]

I love the blue dude photoshoped into this picture!

HA!!!! Thank you for that. I spent probably an hour wondering what that guy was- statue, person on stilts etc. Got even more confused when I saw the video and it was Mickey standing between them and the Navi didn't make it onto the video. Couldn't figure out why they didn't get a shot of the Navi. I actually wondered- good grief are they going to have a land of CMs on stilts or giant Basketball players running around-then I figured the way they have cut back on characters the last couple of years, there was no way that was going to happen.

Photoshop- of course!!!! I was totally clueless!!!

Initially, I didn't like the Avatar idea at all, but I do have to say the artist drawing of the boat ride kind of gets me wanting to ride it.

 

[Mad Hattered]

The comments on the official facebook page are quite hilarious.

I couldn't agree more! I'm not sure Disney was expecting THAT kind of backlash!!

 

[damo]

I'm thrilled that something new is coming!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Everyone always hates on something new because it's not what they would do. Give it a chance.

Avatar, rather than having a cult of fans, seems to have a cult of haters who vehemently dislike it . Their voice ont he Internet is loud, repeating the same arguments over and over again, while the nearly $3 Billion in box office revenue tells a different story.

I think people will like the land and when the new movies come out, they will be well received. I personally enjoyed Avatar immensely; it is a groundbreaking motion picture form one of the masters of the genre. I can't wait to go!

Big revenue or not, you can't remotely compare it to Star Wars or even Star Trek as far as a following goes. It was visually stunning, but when's the last time you heard of an Avatar Convention? Ever?

I also agree with this "messing" with the identity of AK. Truthfully, I'd have zero objections to this in DHS. It just seems an awfully odd attraction for AK.

 

[keaster]

I have no argument that lots of people do not think it is a good idea. I was referring to both the dis and others generally. It actually reminds me of people being outraged that Heath Ledger was selected to play the joker, and then it turned out he did an amazing job. Or any of the million changes facebook has made that have people up in arms for a couple of days until they become familiar and then we wonder how we went without it. When I was a teenager I thought cell phones were a ridiculous waste of money, and now I always have it with me! I would wager that people were also upset when they switched from the E-ticket system to general admission. So for now, I am remaining open minded.

Or how about when they announced Daniel Craig as James Bond? According to everyone, the Bond franchise was DOOMED!!!

Here's my 2 cents...Avatarland looks like it is gearing up to be read for when the sequels come out in 2016/1017. We also know that James Cameron is as Type A as you're going to get, so if he has anything to say about how this thing looks, you bet he will be on people's backs making sure they get it right according to his vision.

 

[Shaden]

I can't find the official FB page

 

[RalphinSC]

I don't think they're getting the reactions on their FB page they were hoping to see.

They deleted mine. Basically said I hope to see it when they eventually finish in 2036, considering how long it has taken to even get a shovel in the dirt and how long the Fantasyland Expansion is dragging out. LOL!

It's gotten a lot snarkier since then....

I made my comment about two minutes after they posted it. I see since then they've either given up or have just gotten overwhelmed with the negative reaction and snark.

 

[JanaDee]

I can't find the official FB page

https://www.facebook.com/WaltDisneyWorld

 

[BrianL]

Big revenue or not, you can't remotely compare it to Star Wars or even Star Trek as far as a following goes. It was visually stunning, but when's the last time you heard of an Avatar Convention? Ever?

I also agree with this "messing" with the identity of AK. Truthfully, I'd have zero objections to this in DHS. It just seems an awfully odd attraction for AK.

Does it need to have a convention to be a worthy addition to a theme park (or be considered popular)? When the new movies come out, the relevancy will be there.

 

[Coffee50]

I don't think this will be a failure.

It's the highest grossing film of all time (not counting inflation), means lots of folks, worldwide, went to see it. Granted, people may have thought the story & film was terrible, but they still went. (And it's visuals were quite impressive.

I think in theme parks, the land can easily transcend the source material.

Cars was / is considered one of Pixar's weaker efforts, but Cars Land in DCA is a huge hit.

I'm sure Disney (and Cameron) aren't going to skimp on making sure this land is truly immersive experience. I can't see anyone who goes to AK avoiding the land because they disliked the film(s).

If the attractions are top notch & impressive, it's not going to matter what its based on, as long as the land delivers.

Now the actual time line........that's a different story.

 

[dwheaton]

I don't think it's going to bring a Harry Potter-like revival to DAK, but I think they'll do a good job. It will spread out the crowds away from the Safari and Everest, so that will be a huge benefit regardless of its success. Despite my lack of excitement for Avatar, I do think it's a much-needed addition to the parks.

I just wish they weren't moving so slowly. More than two years from the announcement. At this pace, we may get Star Wars at DHS in 2022.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Does it need to have a convention to be a worthy addition to a theme park (or be considered popular)? When the new movies come out, the relevancy will be there.

I was just referencing your comments about "following". I don't know about relevancy, but sure it could be a great attraction - although still an awfully odd choice for AK.

The new fantasyland expansion doesn't intrigue me either, but it also doesn't make me scratch my head and think, "What the......". Avatarland at AK OTOH....

 

[Coffee50]

I was just referencing your comments about "following". I don't know about relevancy, but sure it could be a great attraction - although still an awfully odd choice for AK.

The new fantasyland expansion doesn't intrigue me either, but it also doesn't make me scratch my head and think, "What the......". Avatarland at AK OTOH....

I think it's a bit of a stretch, but I'm assuming it's because of the environmental / "Pandora wildlife is important to the planet of Pandora" aspect.

I think the jungle / native animal angle lends itself to AK.

At least that's what I'm assuming.

 

[Coach81]

I'm IN!!!!!!

 

[jimmysmom74]

It won't be a failure. Not my choice of amazing things they could have built, but it is the amount of time it takes Disney to get the job started and done that is ridiculous. Other parks get the job done in half the time. There is no reason a empire like WDW could not get at least 2 to 3 new attractions per year, and one major headliner or new area accomplished in 18 months. Between the mines and avatar they look like fools. I love the things Disney has to offer, but adding to a great place is never a mistake.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

I also agree with this "messing" with the identity of AK. Truthfully, I'd have zero objections to this in DHS. It just seems an awfully odd attraction for AK.

Beastly Kingdom was originally designed for this space, and BK was supposed to be mythical lands and beasts, that is basically what Pandora is!

How can that be an odd attraction for AK?

Disney is basically building Beastly Kingdom, but with a movie tie in. Not sure why that's such a terrible thing.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm sure my great-great-grandchildren will enjoy it

 

[Laz]

As you can tell from my post count, I have been on the DIS for years.

I can not express how sad it is, day after day, to witness the overwhelming negativity here on the DIS, by the "young" group of posters.

Not sure what to do.

I am not a frequent poster, but I have also been around for a while. I can remember a few times I doubted the success of new WDW ideas or lands, only to be pleasantly mistaken. However, after seeing Cars Land at DCA, I do wonder how that can be topped. While I am upset about FP+, I will wait until the dust settles before I decide whether or not to permanently withdraw my vacation dollars in favor of DLR.

 

[JanaDee]

They deleted mine. Basically said I hope to see it when they eventually finish in 2036, considering how long it has taken to even get a shovel in the dirt and how long the Fantasyland Expansion is dragging out. LOL!

It's gotten a lot snarkier since then....

I made my comment about two minutes after they posted it. I see since then they've either given up or have just gotten overwhelmed with the negative reaction and snark.

They'd have to take down the entire post to get rid of all the negative reactions.