Construction has been underway, but few details have emerged regarding the massive project that will bring Pandora and the world of AVATAR to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.  Recently Disney shared some of the details around this much talked about, and sometimes polarizing project.

AVATAR Brings New Technology and Amazing Visuals To Disney World

The incorporation of James Cameron's vision of Pandora with the detail oriented design team at Disney led by Joe Rohde, is bringing something never before seen at any Disney Theme Park.

Here are some of the comments posted by Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering shared on the Disney Parks Blog:

Since we first broke ground last year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’ve been looking forward to welcoming guests into Pandora, the mythical land based on the blockbuster film AVATAR. We’re having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees. 

This creative process has been one of the most dynamic and collaborative ones we’ve ever undertaken. It began when our then-Chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts proposed to James Cameron that together we might recreate the world of Pandora at Disney. Since that time, our creative development team, led by Joe Rohde, has been working hand-in-hand with Jim, Jon Landau and their team of artists and designers at Lightstorm on every aspect of this project—from overall design to the smallest—yet crucially important—details. And along each step of this process, Tom, as well as Disney CEO Bob Iger have been actively involved in helping guide the creative vision that is shaping the extraordinary world we’re building.  

We all recently got together at our offices in Glendale, California and walked through the fantastic progress on the whole land—including the awesome experience of seeing Pandora while riding on a banshee.

When he was with us, Jim said, “I think one of the things that people loved about the movie is that they felt as if they had visited Pandora… now, thanks to Disney’s amazing Imagineers, people are going to truly experience Pandora firsthand. From the details in the plants to the production and design, extraordinary thought and care has gone into this entire world. The teams have really created something special, and it’s not going to be like anything else.” 

This project is really pushing the boundaries of what is possible. But one of the things that makes Disney Parks so special is that it takes all of our Cast—across the segment—to really bring these experiences to life. We were glad to be able to share our work with the creative teams and thought you might want to see it, too. Here’s a sneak peek of what we showed them: 

Whether you love the idea or hate it, expansion at Disney's Animal Kingdom is certainly news.

Construction has officially gotten underway for the building of the new AVATAR inspired land in the area that once housed Camp Minnie Mickey.  This James Cameron joint venture with Disney Imagineers will attempt to add a portion of Disney's Animal Kingdom that had been on the drawing board since the park's inception.


The "Beastly Kingdom" section that was envisioned to contain mythical creatures in some form or fashion is finally being built.  You can still to this day see evidence of that in the Disney's Animal Kingdom sign that greets you upon entrance to the park.  Look at the creatures that are part of the sign (click on picture to enlarge if needed) and you will notice some mythical creatures.

 It is doubtful that anyone would have expected that when it was finally built it would be transporting Disney Guests to another planet.

Here is the video from the Disney Parks Blog that shows some of what is planned.



Tell us what you think of the AVATAR inspired land coming to be part of the Walt Disney World Resort!

Recently, at the D23 Expo in Japan, Disney had James Cameron and Joe Rohde announce some of the upcoming visions for the new Avatar based attractions that will be added to Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The video clip below shows both James Cameron, the writer and director known for such great films as: Titanic, The Abyss, The Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar, as well as, Joe Rohde, the Senior Vice President of Creative at Disney Imagineering and one of the lead designers of Disney's Animal Kingdom, talking about combining the world of Avatar, known as Pandora, and bringing it to Disney's Animal Kingdom as a transformational, immersive experience for guests.


Construction has begun to make the necessary space within what is currently known as Camp Minnie Mickey to prepare the space where the Avatar based version of Pandora will exist.

Here are more pictures of the current sketches of what may be coming:






The last picture shows James Cameron and Joe Rohde looking at early models.

This will be a major expansion to Disney's Animal Kingdom and give it a version of the original land of Mythical Creatures that it was originally designed to contain.

Disney's Animal Kingdom is already the most well themed of all of the Disney World Theme Parks, mostly in part to the hard work and relentless vision of Joe Rohde and it will be exciting to see what he can come up with to bring James Cameron's fantasy world of Avatar and Pandora to life.

When Disney held a press conference on Tuesday, September 20th to announce their partnership with James Cameron to bring the fantasy world of AVATAR to the Disney Parks, the Internet was buzzing!  With the specific mention of Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida specifically targeted to host an entire land based on AVATAR emotions ran high from euphoric to strongly disappointed.

Disney World Fans have a strong loyalty to "their" parks and each has his or her own opinion as to the best way to preserve the elements that "Walt would have wanted" and continue to move forward to keep Disney World as a destination that they want to visit year after year.  This kept fans posting rapidly on Twitter and Facebook sharing the news and their opinions.

The reaction to the AVATAR partnership announcement may have been unprecedented.  The mixed reaction was much different than the one that came after the news of the major Fantasyland Expansion.  That news focused on taking well known Disney Properties and giving them greater exposure utilizing new technologies.  The biggest complaint is that it focused too much on girls, and this was later addressed with modifications that showed the addition of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride to appeal to boys as well.

The AVATAR addition brings a foreign element to the world of Disney.  Immediately people will react to that.  One group will recognize the possibilities of embracing a new world (Pandora) and bringing those elements into a Disney Theme Park.  The fact that the story for AVATAR is still evolving since it was mentioned that there are at least two additional movies to be made in the series.  For the optimistic Disney Fan, who trusts in the powers of the Disney Imagineers, they see this as a wonderful addition to broaden the spectrum of was can be experienced at a Disney World Theme Park.

The other side of the coin are those who either did not see the original AVATAR film or were put off by the violence in the film and do not see the fit with Disney.  The unknown is always a concern, but it was pointed out that Disney signed up with George Lucas and his "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" franchises relatively early in their developmental phases before they had their own universal appeal.  The joint venture paid off for Disney and their theme park guest in terms of having some great attractions based on those themes.

AVATAR was a visually stunning film, but the story had a mature theme that is not suitable for families with young children to watch together.  Much of the story of the world of Pandora is yet unknown.  This is a different situation then the well defined world of Harry Potter that Universal Studios incorporates into their theme park.

The largely unknown story of Pandora is what creates both excitement and anxiety.  This leads to interesting Internet conjecture.

Tom Skaggs, Chairman of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, did have some interesting comments posted on the Disney Parks Blog in response to Disney Fan Questions over the announcement:

• "While we’re still in the very early stages of design and planning, we expect this land to be anchored by multiple attractions, entertainment, merchandise locations, restaurants and other immersive elements. Our AVATAR lands will give guests the chance to see, hear and touch the world of Pandora and we can’t wait to dive in with James Cameron and his team as we create new experiences that will delight and thrill our guests."
• "At its core, AVATAR is a film that embraces strong, positive themes of family, loyalty, living in harmony with nature and belief in oneself – all values that we share at The Walt Disney Company. You can be sure that these are the same themes that we will explore throughout our AVATAR lands. They will be places where friends and families can spend time together getting lost in a fantasy world, one of the true hallmarks of any Disney theme park experience. And with two sequels in the works, we feel this is a creative property whose potential is limitless."
• 
  "AVATAR is a uniquely powerful franchise that has global appeal with audiences of all ages. With its spectacular settings, intriguing characters, imaginative creatures and strong themes of family and loyalty, it’s a great fit for the Disney brand and our parks.
  
  
  Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the perfect place for our first AVATAR land because at its core, the park gives guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in whole new ways. With AVATAR, we’ve found the perfect opportunity to let our guests explore one of the most compelling mythical worlds ever conceived. Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR."

Let Optimism Reign Supreme
Disney Fans can choose to be upset and dismissive or treat this announcement with optimism over what the Disney Imagineers can dream up to embrace these new characters and new world.  Personally, I am interested to see what the target age group of these new experiences will be.  Will it be suited for the teens and thrill seeking fans that sometimes feel left out at Disney, or will it be something that families with young children will put at their top of their list to explore this new world?

Disney's Animal Kingdom needs its "Beastly Kingdom" to complete its original vision.  Time will tell if AVATAR provides the setting that exceeds what could be accomplished in the originally thought up land of unicorns and dragons.

Be optimistic and trust in the magic.  Let's all look forward to 2013 as construction begins.

BREAKING NEWS: Disney has just announced that they have reached a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring AVATAR to Disney World!

Plans are being made to created an entire land within Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park dedicated to the world of AVATAR.  Construction will begin by 2013.

Here is an excerpt from the announcement at the Disney Parks Blog:

James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants on the project and will work side-by-side with our Walt Disney Imagineers as we dream up experiences that will take our guests deep into worlds of AVATAR like never before. There are also two sequels to the record setting first film in the works, which will offer more fascinating stories, characters and locations to explore in the AVATAR universe. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort is planned as the site of the first AVATAR-themed land with construction expected to begin by 2013.


We believe Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great fit for this project because it was created to give guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in new ways. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.

Beastly Kingdom - Re-Imagined!
Since the beginning of Disney's Animal Kingdom there was always intended to be another land based upon the "mythical" creatures tentatively named Beastly Kingdom.  This partership with James Cameron and his fantasy world of AVATAR appears to be the land that we have been waiting for.

Stay tuned to Only WDWorld for further updates and news as it develops.