| Avatar Flight of Passage | |
| Location: | Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| Section: | Pandora – The World of Avatar |
| Status: | Operating |
| Soft Opened: | [1] |
| Opened: | [2] [3] |
| Type: | 3D flying simulator |
| Theme: | Avatar |
| Vehicles: | Link chair |
| Rows: | 3 |
| Riders Per Row: | 16 |
| Duration: | 4:24 |
| Restriction In: | 44 |
| Virtual Queue Name: | Lightning Lane Single Pass |
| Virtual Queue Image: | Lightning Lane Icon Logo.webp |
| Virtual Queue Status: | available |
| Transfer Accessible: | yes |
| Assistive Listening: | yes |
| Cc: | yes |
| Custom Label 1: | Audio-animatronics |
| Custom Value 1: | Yes |
| Custom Label 2: | Pre-show hosts |
| Custom Value 2: | Dr. Stevens Dr. Jackie Ogden |
Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3D flying simulator attraction within Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Set in the Avatar universe, the attraction allows guests to take flight on a native mountain Banshee and soar across the landscape of Pandora.[4]
Work on Avatar Flight of Passage began in 2012 and involved staff from Walt Disney Imagineering, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, and Weta Digital. All of the footage in the ride is original, with Executive Producer Amy Jupiter revealing, "Everything you see in the attraction’s main show was original to this production. We were fortunate to be able to use the model and texture assets from the first film during our templating/visualization process. We were also able to use animation cycles for our [background] characters."[5] Weta Digital provided the main ride film footage.[6]
In the attraction's storyline, the humans and Na'vi are attempting to restore the banshee population to natural levels, after the mining tactics caused by the Resources Development Administration generations prior. Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) has reactivated the avatar program through the Pandora Conservation Initiative as a method of conducting research, and allows guests to link with an avatar to fly on an Ikran (known to humans as a "Banshee") to partake in the Na'vi's tribal coming-of-age tradition.[7]
Set within the remains of a former Resources Development Administration facility, the attraction invites guests into the ACE lab where guests are linked to an "avatar" and fly aboard a banshee across the Valley of Mo'ara.[8]
The ride's visual effects are in 10K resolution at 60 fps stereo.[9]
On February 27, 2018, after four incidents had occurred,[10] [11] Disney added warning cards for riders before entering the ride. The cards were similar to those on and warned riders about fear of heights, motion sickness, and the seating restraints.[12] These cards were removed in late 2018 and have been replaced with a pre-recorded message which communicates similar information to guests. The message plays only in the queue room immediately before the ride experience. Cast Members give a safety spiel with warnings before entering ride room.
Avatar Flight of Passage was ranked in the Amusement Todays Golden Ticket Awards for best new ride of 2017 with 15% of the vote, to come in second place. The ride won the 2018 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project.[13]