Pandora – The World of Avatar explained

Pandora – The World of Avatar
Theme:Avatar
Area Acre:12[1]
Rides:2
Park1:Disney's Animal Kingdom
Status1:Operating
Replaced1:Camp Minnie-Mickey

Pandora – The World of Avatar is a themed area inspired by James Cameron's Avatar located within Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando.[2] Set a generation after the events of the Avatar films, the area is based upon the fictional habitable exomoon, Pandora, and features Pandora's floating mountains, alien wildlife, and bioluminescent plants. Spanning, Pandora – The World of Avatar includes two major attractions, Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey,[3] as well as retail and dining outlets.[4]

Walt Disney Imagineering began development on Pandora – The World of Avatar in 2011, jointly with Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, with the intention of transforming Animal Kingdom into a full-day operation, complete with added attraction capacity and nighttime experiences. Construction on the area began on January 10, 2014, and the land opened to the public on May 27, 2017.[5] [6]

History

Development

In early 2011, Avatar creator and director James Cameron was approached by The Walt Disney Company executives Bob Iger and Tom Staggs, CEO and then-COO respectively, regarding the possibility of Avatar-themed attractions at Disney theme parks. Originally, discussions were held about creating an Avatar attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, perhaps at the park's then-functioning Studio Backlot Tour.[7] Staggs suggested incorporating the film into a newly designed "land" at Disney's Animal Kingdom to improve the park's attraction roster. Cameron was initially surprised at Disney's larger approach in scope, commenting that "Disney's vision when they came to me was to create a land. I thought we were going to be talking about creating an attraction."[8]

On September 17, 2011, Disney entered into an exclusive, long-term licensing agreement with Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox for the worldwide theme park rights to Avatar; Disney agreed to pay Cameron and 20th Century a licensing fee and a percentage of merchandise sales.[9] The deal was officially announced to the public on September 20, 2011.[10] The highlight of the announcement was that Disney's Animal Kingdom would receive a new themed area entirely devoted to Avatar.[11] While no specifics were announced, the new area was described as being several acres in size and costing an estimated $400 million to build, a scale similar to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure in California.[12] The area was later estimated to cost approximately $500 million.[13] Disney showcased a first look presentation of the land in October 2013 at the Japan D23 Expo.[14]

Construction began in January 2014, with an initially planned opening date in 2016. The deal could see Avatar attractions added to other Disney theme parks in the future—Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are also in consideration—however, there are no immediate plans to do so.[15] The opening date was later revised to summer 2017.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

In February 2017, the official opening day was confirmed to be May 27, 2017. The land received a dedication ceremony on May 24, 2017 with Iger, Cameron, producer Jon Landau, 20th Century chairman Stacey Snider, and cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi, and Laz Alonso attending the dedication.[21] [22] To promote the park's opening, ABC aired a series of special episodes of The View live from the park, including a special pre-opening preview featuring James Cameron,[23] as well as a live episode on the park's opening day festivities, which included guests Sherri Shepherd, John Stamos, Ariel Winter, Eric Stonestreet, Audra McDonald, Mandy Moore, Tom Bergeron, and chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Art Smith, with musical performances by Andy Grammer and Train.[24] [25]

Design

Pandora – The World of Avatar is designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and Lightstorm Entertainment with Cameron and Landau acting as creative consultants.[26] Imagineer Joe Rohde, creative executive of Disney's Animal Kingdom, served as creative director for the project. The area was constructed in the former location of Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was originally earmarked for the Beastly Kingdom, a never-built themed land which would have been based around mythological creatures.[27] Instead of including characters or basing the land on existing plotlines from the films, the team emphasized issues such as conservation and environmental stewardship.[28] [29] Project manager Tim Warzecha described the land as a standalone experience from the films, focusing on "all about the people, the environment, the culture, the animals and the beauty of the world."[30] Rohde cited the film's themes and environmental message as compatible to the park's established values. Rohde said, "If you think about the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure, and personal call to action — these are the values of Animal Kingdom. But if you say them again, those are the themes of the film Avatar. So Avatar and Animal Kingdom will nest into each other very, very neatly."[31]

Disney and Lightstorm decided to set the land's timeline a generation after the warring conflict between the indigenous Na'vi and the Resources Development Administration (RDA) that sought to exploit Pandora for its unobtanium in the first film.[32] According to the backstory, the Na'vi and humans have achieved peace and Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE)–a fictional tourism company–has partnered with the Na'vi to present Pandora as a new destination for ecotourism and scientific research.[33] As a result, ACE established the Pandora Conservation Initiative to preserve and study the native Pandoran species.[34]

In September 2011, Cameron confirmed that a flying attraction featuring "3-D projections and creature designs that were cut from the original film" was a concept on the drawing board for the area. Pandora – The World of Avatar includes elements from the original Avatar film, The Way of Water, as well as three, yet-to-be-released sequels.[26] Rohde initially admitted difficulty in adapting the locations depicted in Avatar to the physical realm, as Pandora is portrayed in the films solely through computer-generated imagery. Therefore, Imagineering adapted the concept art and digital designs from the films and expanded upon it, with Rohde explaining that "there was not enough detail in those images for an actual place that you're really going to build."[35]

A major visual feature of Pandora is the Valley of Mo'ara and its floating mountain ranges. The -tall mountains employ forced perspective to appear larger than they physically are, and are held aloft by steel beams concealed with rockwork and vinery.[36] Designers were sent to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to study the jagged pillar peaks of the Wulingyuan region for inspiration, as well as foliage studies in Hawaii. The steel foundations for the floating mountains required a year to complete. Pandora's bioluminescent species of flora are also found throughout the area.[37] [38] Imagineers created twenty species of Pandoran flora exclusively for the land.[39] The landscaping consists of real Earth plant species mixed with sculpted Pandora flora, with each alien plant requiring its own concealed control box to create the necessary amount of illumination in bioluminesce during the evening hours.[40] New motion sensor technology developed by Disney Research, allows the plant life to respond to tactile interaction from guests.[41] Audio recordings of Pandoran animals create ambient noise throughout the land.[42]

Unlike previous themed lands and attractions in the company's history, Disney omitted traditional theme park attributes throughout Pandora – The World of Avatar—such as attraction marquees, Disney-branded merchandise, and Mickey Mouse images on the MyMagic+ scanners found in queues—as a way of maintaining the natural theming of the land. The rides Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey are advertised only by stylized depictions of an ikran and the Shaman of Songs woven out of reeds. The parks' cast members play ACE field experts.

The area features music composed by James Horner and Simon Franglen based on the original score from Avatar, which was originally composed by Horner and arranged by Franglen.[43] [44] A soundtrack compilation album of Pandora – The World of Avatar was released by Walt Disney Records on January 4, 2019, containing complete ride-through music for Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey, atmospheric area sounds, and ambient music composed for the Windtraders Shop, Pongu Pongu and Sa'tuli Canteen. The music was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London. Sandra Benton provided the vocals for the Shaman of Songs in Na'vi River Journey.[45]

Attractions

Entertainment

Restaurants and shops

The land contains two food locations and one shop:

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Tribou. Richard. What we know about 'Avatar'-inspired Pandora coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. August 16, 2016. Orlando Sentinel. May 6, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819022126/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-pandora-world-of-avatar-details-roundup-050616-story.html. August 19, 2016.
  2. News: Smith. Thomas. Pandora – The World of AVATAR will be New Land at Disney's Animal Kingdom. August 16, 2015. Disney Parks Blog. The Walt Disney Company. August 16, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150817135435/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/08/pandora-the-world-of-avatar-will-be-new-land-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/. August 17, 2015.
  3. News: Disney reveals plans for 'Toy Story Land' and 'Avatar' and more 'Star Wars'. August 15, 2015. Los Angeles Times. Martens. Todd. August 16, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150816032048/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-disney-parks-to-receive-an-injection-of-star-wars-toy-story-and-avatar-20150815-story.html. August 16, 2015.
  4. News: 'Avatar' land is coming to Disney World. Clark. Jayne. September 22, 2011. USA Today. September 23, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110924210802/http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2011/09/avatar-land-is-coming-to-disney-world/548364/1. September 24, 2011. live.
  5. Web site: Smith. Thomas. Just Announced: Pandora – The World of Avatar Will Open May 27 at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Disney Parks Blog. February 7, 2017. February 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208014130/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/just-announced-pandora-the-world-of-avatar-will-open-may-27-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/. February 8, 2017.
  6. Web site: Pandora – The World of Avatar to Open May 27, Star Wars Lands Coming in 2019 – The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company. February 8, 2017. February 7, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170209134645/https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/pandora-world-avatar-open-may-27-star-wars-lands-coming-2019/. February 9, 2017.
  7. News: Barnes. Brooks. Thomas Staggs: Disney's Heir, Apparently. April 26, 2015. The New York Times. April 25, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150428025454/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/business/media/thomas-staggs-disneys-heir-apparently.html?_r=0. April 28, 2015.
  8. News: Disney's Intergalactic Theme Park Quest to Beat Harry Potter. April 19, 2017. Bloomberg Businessweek. Devin Leonard. Christopher Palmeri. April 20, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170420051918/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-19/disney-s-intergalactic-theme-park-quest-to-beat-harry-potter. April 20, 2017.
  9. News: Details emerge on Disney's plans to bring 'Avatar' to its parks. September 23, 2011. Los Angeles Times. September 20, 2011. Chmielewski, Dawn C.. MacDonald, Brady. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20111019033102/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/21/business/la-fi-ct-disney-avatar-20110921. October 19, 2011.
  10. Web site: Smith. Thomas. AVATAR Coming To Disney Parks. Disney Parks Blog. September 23, 2011. September 20, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110923164120/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/. September 23, 2011.
  11. News: Cody. Anthony. Disney to build Avatar attractions at its theme parks. September 23, 2011. The Telegraph. September 22, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110923071840/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8782056/Disney-to-build-Avatar-attractions-at-its-theme-parks.html. September 23, 2011.
  12. News: Disney to build 'Avatar' attraction in theme parks. The Washington Times. Associated Press. Nakashima. Ryan. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170404130639/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/20/disney-to-build-avatar-attraction-in-theme-parks/. April 4, 2017.
  13. News: Disney to license rights to 'Avatar' for theme park attractions. September 23, 2011. Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2011. Chmielewski, Dawn C.. Keegan, Rebecca. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20111008135159/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-disney-avatar-20110921%2C0%2C6660553.story. October 8, 2011.
  14. Web site: First Look: AVATAR to Come to Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Staggs. Tom. Thomas O. Staggs. Disney Parks Blog. October 12, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131012040829/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/10/first-look-avatar-to-come-to-life-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/. October 12, 2013.
  15. News: Coming to Disney World: Avatar Land. September 23, 2011. New Zealand Herald. September 22, 2011. Australian Associated Press.
  16. Web site: Na'vi River Journey adds music, energy to Pandora – The World of AVATAR. Thomas. Smith. Disney Parks Blog. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306213439/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/11/navi-river-journey-adds-music-energy-to-pandora-the-world-of-avatar/. March 6, 2016.
  17. Web site: Fickley-Baker. Jennifer. Pandora – The World of Avatar Set To Open Summer 2017. Disney Parks Blog. November 19, 2016. November 19, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161120150643/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/11/pandora-the-world-of-avatar-set-to-open-summer2017/. November 20, 2016.
  18. Web site: Tom. Staggs. Thomas O. Staggs. Answering Your Questions About AVATAR at Disney Parks. Disney Parks Blog. September 23, 2011. September 20, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110923171159/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/answering-your-questions-about-avatar-at-disney-parks/. September 23, 2011.
  19. News: Disney to Build 'Avatar' Attraction in Theme Parks. September 23, 2011. Fox News. September 21, 2011. Associated Press. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110923023405/http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/09/21/disney-to-build-avatar-attraction-in-theme-parks/. September 23, 2011.
  20. Web site: Smith. Thomas. Construction Begins For AVATAR-Inspired Land At Disney's Animal Kingdom. Disney Parks Blog. January 10, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140110222116/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/01/construction-begins-for-avatar-inspired-land-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/. January 10, 2014.
  21. News: Bob Iger, James Cameron Open Pandora: World of Avatar at Walt Disney World. Yee. Lawrence. May 24, 2017. Variety. May 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170524225556/http://variety.com/2017/film/news/pandora-world-of-avatar-disney-world-opening-bob-iger-james-cameron-1202443402/. May 24, 2017. live.
  22. News: Tauber . Michelle . May 24, 2017 . It's a 'Magical' 'Avatar' Cast Reunion as Producer Talks Sequels (Think Blue Families!) . . December 16, 2022.
  23. Web site: James Cameron Goes Inside Walt Disney World's Avatar Attractions. The Hollywood Reporter. March 9, 2017. August 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180216105628/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/james-cameron-previews-walt-disney-worlds-avatar-attractions-984709. February 16, 2018.
  24. Web site: The View Is Going To Disney World's Animal Kingdom - The View. March 25, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831133834/http://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/news/after-the-view/the-view-going-to-disney-worlds-animal-kingdom. August 31, 2017.
  25. Web site: The View's Week at Walt Disney World Resort. March 25, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170517164122/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/03/the-views-week-at-walt-disney-world/. May 17, 2017.
  26. News: Weinstein. Joshua L.. James Cameron on 3D, "Titanic" and all things "Avatar". September 23, 2011. Reuters. September 21, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110925063903/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/22/us-jamescameron-3dmovies-idUSTRE78L0HS20110922. September 25, 2011.
  27. News: MacDonald. Brady. What to expect from Avatar Land at Disney's Animal Kingdom. August 16, 2015. Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150816132928/http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-avatar-land-disney-animal-kingdom-20150707-story.html. August 16, 2015.
  28. News: A visit to Disney's Pandora — what we learned. Martens. Todd. May 2, 2017. Los Angeles Times. May 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170507060549/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-disney-pandora-avatar-20170502-htmlstory.html. May 7, 2017. live.
  29. News: Do we really need an 'Avatar' land? Disney is about to answer the doubters. MacDonald. Brady. May 4, 2017. Los Angeles Times. May 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170506221722/http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-tr-avatar-pandora-disney-animal-kingdom-20170503-story.html. May 6, 2017. live.
  30. News: Disney's World of Avatar: What It's Like to Spend a Day on Pandora. Cabral. Matt. May 27, 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. June 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170527181524/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/pandora-world-avatar-review-disney-animal-kingdoms-new-park-1008224. May 27, 2017. live.
  31. Web site: Niles. Robert. Joe Rohde: Why 'Avatar' fits in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Theme Park Insider. April 7, 2017. February 21, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170321040646/http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201702/5462/. March 21, 2017.
  32. James Cameron previews Avatar Disney World attraction. Gettal. Oliver. March 9, 2017. Entertainment Weekly. March 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170310021316/http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/09/james-cameron-avatar-disney-world-pandora/. March 10, 2017. live.
  33. News: James Cameron Goes Inside Walt Disney World's Avatar Attractions. Lee. Ashley. March 9, 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. March 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170310144302/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/james-cameron-previews-walt-disney-worlds-avatar-attractions-984709. March 10, 2017. live.
  34. News: This is what it looks like inside Pandora: The World of Avatar at Walt Disney World. Eades. Mark. May 31, 2017. OC Register. June 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170531191459/http://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/31/walt-disney-worlds-new-land-that-is-pandora-the-world-of-avatar/. May 31, 2017. live.
  35. News: Details guide the making of Disney World's Pandora. Bevil. Dewayne. November 23, 2016. Orlando Sentinel. April 6, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170407145625/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-rohde-avatar-20161122-story.html. April 7, 2017. live.
  36. News: Mauney. Matt. Animal Kingdom: A look at the 'floating mountain' illusion of Pandora. August 16, 2016. Orlando Sentinel. January 8, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805050724/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-avatar-mountain-illusion-story.html. August 5, 2016.
  37. News: Graser. Marc. Disney 'Pushing Boundaries' with 'Avatar' Land at Animal Kingdom Theme Park. August 14, 2015. Variety. February 26, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150827051004/http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/disney-pushing-boundaries-with-avatar-land-at-animal-kingdom-theme-park-1201442369/. August 27, 2015.
  38. News: Richwine. Lisa. Disney, Cameron to create theme-park "Avatar". September 23, 2011. Reuters Canada. September 21, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120601161452/http://ca.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idCATRE78J5U020110921?sp=true. June 1, 2012.
  39. News: Inside Avatar, the Theme Park Version. Murphy. Mekado. July 31, 2017. The New York Times. August 1, 2017.
  40. News: Disney: James Cameron takes Whoopi Goldberg to Pandora. Bevil. Dewayne. March 9, 2017. Orlando Sentinel. March 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170309212227/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-pandora-cameron-view-20170308-story.html. March 9, 2017. live.
  41. Web site: Alton. Elizabeth. New Disney Patents Hint at Bioluminescent Plants in Avatar Attraction. Entertainment Designer. August 16, 2016. August 11, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160815194645/http://entertainmentdesigner.com/news/theme-park-design-news/new-disney-patents-hint-at-bioluminescent-plants-at-avatar-attraction/. August 15, 2016.
  42. News: Tribou. Richard. What we know about 'Avatar'-inspired Pandora coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. April 7, 2017. Orlando Sentinel. May 6, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230230832/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-pandora-world-of-avatar-details-roundup-050616-story.html. December 30, 2016.
  43. News: Simon Franglen on Twitter. Twitter. May 29, 2017. en.
  44. Web site: Past. Simon Franglen. en-US. May 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170725174513/http://www.simonfranglen.com/past-july2016/. July 25, 2017. dead.
  45. Web site: Disney Releases Pandora: The World of Avatar Soundtrack on Apple Music. January 4, 2019. LaughingPlace.com. January 4, 2019.
  46. News: Graser. Marc. 'Avatar' Ride Coming to Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. August 14, 2015. Variety. December 10, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906204613/http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/avatar-ride-coming-to-life-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-1201376587/. September 6, 2015.
  47. News: Martens. Todd. Here's what Disney World's 'Avatar' land will be like. August 15, 2015. Los Angeles Times. August 14, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150815034228/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-disney-reveals-detailed-look-at-avatar-inspired-at-d23-20150814-story.html. August 15, 2015.
  48. Web site: Swotu Wayä Na'vi Drum Ceremony. Walt Disney World. en. July 1, 2019.
  49. Web site: Pandora Utility Suit. Walt Disney World. en. July 1, 2019.
  50. Web site: Satu'li Canteen . Walt Disney World . October 3, 2017.
  51. Web site: Pongu Pongu. Walt Disney World. en. October 3, 2017.
  52. Web site: Windtraders. Walt Disney World. en. October 3, 2017.

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