Pandora: World of Avatar D23 Expo Preview
New information about the Avatar land “Pandora” coming to Walt Disney World were released at the 2015 D23 Expo. An area dedicated to Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was showcased at the D23 Expo, with a booth that started with a pre-show video from Alpha Centauri Expeditions (the ‘tourism’ company that would take guests from Animal Kingdom to Pandora) and a full model of Pandora that changed from daytime to nighttime views of the land, along with some other small models. Imagineers were also onsite to answer guest questions.
There was a good amount of new detail about Pandora, as well as confirmation of rumors that had been circulating. Let’s take a look at what we now know about the next addition to Walt Disney World…
Although the model that included show buildings and details of the land as it changed lighting schemes was the most impressive aspect of the Pandora booth, the most illuminating aspect was the pre-show video that presented the backstory for Avatar Land. There have been a lot of fan concerns that Avatar is a poor fit for Animal Kingdom, and this video gave insight into how the land would be shoehorned into the park. The basic premise is that guests are eco-tourists being shown to another planet to see its otherworldly natural beauty on a trip operated by Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE).
The video is narrated by Academy Award-winning Avatar producer Jon Landau, who is Marshall Lamm, the founder of ACE, in a two-minute presentation that also features guest testimonials (including one from Joe Rohde) praising the landscape for how magical it is and unlike anything they’ve visited on earth. Think of it as the fictional version of a Disney Vacation Club infomercial.
It’s actually a pretty good sell, and if the Imagineers are able to do equally as good of a job with Alpha Centauri Expeditions’ presence in the land itself, I think many early critics of Avatar land will be accepting (or at least more accepting) of this land in Animal Kingdom. I think this ultimately turns on the quality of the execution, and hopefully a nuanced and subtle approach is taken rather than something over the top and so convoluted that it feels severely contrived. Examples of both approaches can be found in Animal Kingdom, so which ends up happening remains to be seen.
Equally important to the success of the shoehorning, I think, is that the booth is really deliberate in its focus on the name Pandora as opposed to Avatar Land for the new area of the park. This doesn’t come as a huge shock and it may not seem like there’s much in a name, but I wholeheartedly disagree.
The name Pandora is indicative of a desire to have this area be its own mythical world–albeit one inspired by a popular film–whereas Avatar Land would be showing a desire to have guests step into the world of a “popular” intellectual property. (EDIT: the official name is Pandora: World of Avatar, and Joe Rohde himself stressed the same thing I do here–that World of Avatar is a subtitle, and Pandora is the key.) Animal Kingdom was always intended to have a mythical land, and while this is probably not the one most fans wanted (I’m looking at you, Beastly Kingdom), it is still one that looks pretty cool on paper (or, rather, in model). It also gives the Imagineers some creative latitude in stepping beyond the explicit storylines of Avatar to create some mythos of their own, as well as a way to frame the environment via ACE to make it fit within the context of Animal Kingdom. In other words, it can stand entirely on its own.
By contrast, Avatar Land would forever be a land tied to an intellectual property specifically set forth in a series of films, and certain aspects of the stories told in said films not only have nothing to do with the conservationist message of Animal Kingdom, but are actually inapposite to said messages. Moreover, there are concerns about the longevity of the Avatar franchise, and this should effectively nullify those concerns. It makes the land more like “Splash Mountain” and less like “South of the South: The Log Flume.”
As for the model itself, I think this is what many Disney fans probably envisioned–or something close to it–based on previously released photos, but photos are no substitute for actually seeing the details in person. The whole look and changing dynamic from day to night are really, really impressive. The floating mountains are undoubtedly going to be the eye-candy here, and much of the visual success of the land hinges upon how well this effect is executed. With that said, the entire land appears to be lush and detailed, and at night I suspect a stroll through this bioluminescent forest of sorts will be an attraction unto itself.
Again, though, this is entirely dependent upon execution. Imagineering has been a mixed bag in this department of late. Cars Land and Buena Vista Street are unqualified successes, as is the Streets of Paris (Ratatouille Land), but New Fantasyland is more of a mixed bag, and then you have things like Walt Disney Studios Park (save for Ratatouille) that look like they were designed by a horde of drunken chimpanzees in a couple of hours.
Rohde has a keen eye for design, so let’s hope he was able to choose the absolute best team for this job. Based on the potential for Pandora at night, I suspect that if it is a home run in this department, that alone will be enough for this project to be viewed as a success.
Let’s take a look at that model…
Above is a view of the floating mountains during daytime lighting. You can see a nighttime view further down…
Although this wasn’t confirmed, the bridge in the lower left of the model is likely the bridge that formerly led to Camp Minnie-Mickey. It now leads to a giant prawn (???) creature-thing that marks the entrance area.
Opposite this bridge is a large building. This might look like the Banshee show building, but it’s actually dining and merchandise (the cornerstones of any nutritious theme park diet). Per the backstory of Pandora, these were previously used by human travelers, but retrofitted to their current purposes. Okay, maybe this does fit the Animal Kingdom mold in at least one way. 😉
The two main attractions are in the back left and right of the model, but you can’t see the show buildings for either. On the right is the Banshee ride, and its show building is concealed by large cliffs. This attraction is described as the ‘Nextgen Soarin’, and I’ve heard (outside of the Expo) that the ride system is a far more advanced than Soarin’, with a wider range of movement, among other features. The queue for this attraction ascends into the mountains of Pandora before the main ride drops a Banshee off a cliff.
On the left is the boat ride. This was described by the Imagineers present as being like Pirates of the Caribbean, but I think they meant in that it was slow-moving rather than in terms of show scenes. I could be wrong on this, but my expectations are something along the lines of Living with the Land, but with bioluminescent plants and maybe some small creatures. If it’s like the first third of Journey to the Center of the Earth, this attraction will make my day.
One recent development is the emphasis on the experience of walking through a bioluminescent jungle. What’s unclear to me is whether this will be a play area for kids, an actual walk-through exhibit a la something like Maharajah Jungle Trek, or simply the feeling a stroll along the walkways evokes. I suspect the latter, with it being touted as a way to give the impression of the land having a great number of attractions. We shall see.
That’s about all of import from the Pandora booth at the D23 Expo. I have indicated on a few occasions that I’m more optimistic about Avatar Land/Pandora than a lot of people, and that is even moreso the case after seeing the model in person and hearing about the backstory. Perhaps my (over?) optimism is coloring my opinion of the D23 Expo Pandora exhibit, but I am really excited to see this in person and expect it to be a far greater addition than New Fantasyland, both in substantive attractions and thematic design. I am cautiously optimistic that Imagineering will thread the needle delicately with the backstory as to how Pandora “fits” Animal Kingdom, and hope it’s done intelligently and with an economy of words, so to speak.
Ultimately, the jury is still out, and will be until we actually step foot in the land and experience the attractions. However, I think criticism is slowly dissipating with each new detail of Pandora that is released. It’s a shame these details weren’t released years ago when the land was first announced (I suspect the ink on the contract had just dried with the announcement, and that Imagineering had only been briefed on the deal shortly before it was made public), as the project has been ‘tainted’ a bit in the Disney fan community. We fans tend to have short memories, and if Pandora is pretty and substantively good, most people will forget the hatred they once had for Pandora and forgive the thematic incongruities it brings to Animal Kingdom.
For more news, follow our Live Updates from the 2015 D23 Expo post!
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YOUR THOUGHTS…
Are you excited for the potential Pandora at Walt Disney World, or are you still upset that it’s being added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? What interests you most about this addition? Any concerns or worries about it? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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well, my goodness…I am an Avatar fan, I never noticed bad acting or bad writing…why? because I was so absorbed into the marvel of Pandora, from the first time I watched Avatar all I could think was mannnnn I wish I was born there, silly right? but when I saw the video of the making of Pandora I almost couldn’t breath I was so excited…it’s all I can think about of late….I’ve not been to Disneyland in years, and the thought of going to any other Disney world never entered into any of my to do lists…however, that has changed is now at the top of my list…can not wait for the opening of Pandora and plan on being there….Thank you
Though I am not a fan of Avatar (I feel asleep after 30 minutes) I must say it looks bang on in Animal Kingdom. I would also be very interested to know when this new land will open – AK is my favourite WDW park and I can’t bear the idea of going with fences on.
@Tom Bricker
You got some magnificent pics! Im not a devotee of symbol or have yet to be to disneyworld :() however when the time comes, which ought to be in the nick of time for all these new thoughts to become animated, I will be eager to see it!! much appreciated Tom!
regards
pooja
Disney provided a look at Avatar Land at D23 Expo 2015, giving guests a chance to get up and close with the Avatar Land model. Check out photos and info.
I’ve never seen Avatar, but it looks and Spa pretty amazing
You got some awesome pics! Im not a fan of avatar or have yet to be to disneyworld :() but when the time does come, which should be just in time for all these new ideas to come to life, I will be excited to see it!! thanks Tom!
WDI clearly understands the importance of separating Pandora the place from Avatar the film, at least to the point of making me all the more optimistic for the final product. In a way I wonder if Joe Rohde and his team are taking fan skepticism as a challenge of sorts to produce a truly incredible theme park environment.
Great review and equally great photos! Thanks for sharing! If the “boat ride through Pandora” is anything like Journey to the Center of the Earth, then yes, I’ll be ecstatic! The whole experience of Journey from beginning to end is completely immersive…I guess there won’t be a frightening elevator ride to the center of Pandora though.
Agree completely Tom.
The complainers will always find something to be negative about, it’s what they do.
But with each new update & extra dose of details, they have far less “ammunition” for their whining.
I’ve always been kind of excited about this. I didn’t think Avatar was a great film, not a bad one, but just ok. The story, writing, acting, and pacing was poor, but the visuals and the world was beautiful. I wanted to spend time exploring Pandora, and could care less about racist (what’s a proper term for discriminating against alien species?) generals and greedy corporations. So I think this land with be beautiful, immersive, technically impressive, and hopefully fun. The fact that I can explore the world without being distracted by James Cameron’s poor writing or Sam Worthington’s bad acting, is appealing. I think it will attract more guests than people will think. I didn’t think Cars Land would nearly be as popular as it is, because I underestimated the appeal and the level of detail given to the land. The fact that the land will open the same year as Avatar 2, and then there will be two more sequels each year afterwards, will create momentum for the park, and will make people think that it is a IP worth caring about. Avatar isn’t one and done. We’re about to hear and see a lot more. Hopefully without mention of unobtainium
Also, have you heard how they are making the mountains float. That is the technical element I’m most curious about.
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a movie with Sam Worthington in it that I felt was good.
I agree that Avatar will only become more popular (or at least see spikes of popularity as each sequel is released). I do wonder if it will ever become a pop culture fixture, akin to something like Terminator or Jaws.
Thanks Tom! Are they still on track and hopeful opening of Pandora will be in 2017? Spring
/fall? It looks really beautiful! Not a huge Avatar fan, but if they do this well – it won’t matter.
I heard that it would be ready before then, but they wanted to open the same year as Avatar 2 to create excitement and momentum.
Ok, until now, if you had asked me about my feelings on this new land, “Meh” would have been an overstatement. Now, however, I am actually excited about it! I am so glad they are focusing less on “Avatar” and more on Pandora itself. I know those Imagineers are geniuses…hopefully they pull this one out and make it as good as the potential that is there. Although we are planning to wait a couple years to return to WDW (to wait out the construction at DS and AK), I am now really looking forward to that visit 🙂
Agreed… Tying this land to the world of Pandora the world rather than “Avatar the movie” seems like a brilliant move to me.
It disassociates it from the movie plot, which some folks didn’t like, and puts all of the emphasis on the beautiful world the movie created.
It also gives them a LOT more freedom to do whatever they want and “own” that land. Heck, with just a few tweaks (ex. remove the Na’vi), they can rebrand this as just “Fantasy Glow-y Big Colorful Monsters Land @ Animal Kingdom (brought to you by Neon Colors)”.
I never saw Avatar, but great effects could entice me.
New Fantasyland was a disappointment, but maybe the failure to resusciate the incredible, incomparable Skyway is the reason why.
It’s not too late for them to add a Skyway to Pandora! 😉
Sadly, I think the days of skyways are largely a thing of the past. Blame our litigious society…
As always, a wonderful assessment of what is going on with everything Disney. Thanks for taking the time to keep us informed!