Pandora – World of Avatar Spoiler-Free Review
Pandora – World of Avatar is the newest land in Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and the largest addition in over a decade. In this review, we’ll take a spoiler-free (meaning no photos or pivotal attraction plot points) look at Pandora – World of Avatar, and whether it lives up to the hype.
Hype is actually an interesting word to use here. Is there really any? While no official cost has been released, Pandora’s price tag is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, easily north of $500 million. Disney has engaged in a marketing blitz for Pandora and some fans are quite enthused about the addition, but it does not seem to be garnering the same level of buzz as other recent additions.
This is at least somewhat surprising to me, as I’d hazard a guess that the only larger investments Disney has made stateside since the opening of Animal Kingdom are the Disney California Adventure overhaul and the NextGen initiative. I’d be surprised if Cars Land alone or New Fantasyland cost more, yet both generated more fanfare. It’s possible Pandora is overshadowed by the upcoming Toy Story and Star Wars Lands, perhaps people don’t care as much about the movie, or maybe, after almost 6 years of development, people are a bit burned out…
One thing still boggles my mind about Pandora, and that’s the dismissive attitudes I’ve seen from those who don’t like or don’t care about Avatar. Prior to the announcement of this land, it never would’ve crossed my mind that the source material for something in the facts could detract from enjoyment of the theme park experience.
When the original announcement of an “Avatar Land” was made in September 2011, like most people, I was puzzled. Even at that point, it appeared unlikely that Avatar had longevity. However, I felt it was pretty comparable to Splash Mountain–few guests have seen Song of the South, yet the attraction is beloved as a standalone experience. (Edit: others disagree, and I think the way Steve put it in the comments is a very fair point.)
Over time, I figured people would come around on this Avatar Land, much the same way. Seeing what and how Imagineering would integrate the environments of the movie into Animal Kingdom would convert people. To their credit, this has occurred with many Disney fans. It also has not occurred with a lot of others.
It’s as if many are entrenched in their initial hot takes from 2011 or are uninterested because they didn’t like or remember the movie Avatar. Think of it this way: would you enjoy Haunted Mansion less if someone made a long-forgotten movie about it? Because if you think you would enjoy it less in such a scenario, I’ve got some news for you…
If it would make you enjoy Pandora – World of Avatar more, just forget about the movie. Most people have. I cannot name a single character from it nor do I remember the plot. Aside from knowing that the characters in it looked sort of like “blue alien smurf kittens” (and I only know that because it’s become a running joke), I have no interest in Avatar.
Likewise, I have no interest in Harry Potter or Cars. Well, beyond Mater’s Tall Tales, but we can all agree that’s a national treasure and that the fact that it doesn’t have a showcase of awards basically invalidates the whole concept of awards.
I will say that I think the lingering question of “why Avatar?” remains one worth asking. I do have mixed feelings on this too, though. On the one hand, choosing a franchise with emotional resonance for some visitors undoubtedly makes for a more powerful experience.
Choosing one without relevance also makes for some potentially awkward connections in the land–places where you can sense a tie-in to something, but you’re not sure what or why. Thankfully, the instances of this in Pandora are fairly minimal. (It’s also worth noting that Avatar does have upcoming sequels planned, and while that’s become a bit of a running joke, I’d never underestimate James Cameron. It’s still within the realm of possibility that Avatar will become a huge franchise.)
On the other hand, I question whether choosing a popular franchise as the basis for a land presents the opportunity for theme park designers to rest on the IP’s laurels. With emotional attachment already established for some visitors, does the land have to be as good to be labeled a “success” in the eyes of those fans? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the obvious example here, but I’d argue that it never even gets near this question, because its lands are so good.
If anything, Star Wars Launch Bay and its associated entertainment are more telling. Despite being total garbage, fans continue to eat that up for the chance to meet characters from the films and see Star Wars experiences. (To its credit, it appears that Star Wars Land will make Launch Bay, etc., look like that amateur-hour temporary entertainment that it is.)
Still, Launch Bay is an imperfect example because it’s not a land. As with the Wizarding Worlds, Cars Land is also a poor test because it’s actually good. I don’t think we’ll have a true test of this theory until Toy Story Land opens. The future of theme parks is clearly in lands of this type, but addressing these ‘theories’ head-on is probably well beyond the scope of this post. I’d better cut this tangent off now unless this review is going to broach 10,000 words…
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With way-too-much prefacing out of the way (have I lost you all yet?), we’ll start the review with the land of Pandora itself. I approached Pandora – World of Avatar with a blank slate, just as I’ve approached virtually every theme park area ever (unless you count the American Adventure, as I had visited America before visiting Epcot).
From that perspective, I really enjoyed Pandora – World of Avatar. By and large, the environments speak for themselves. There are some details that (I assume?) are lifted from the movie, but they also work in the land and add layers of detail and depth to it. Without any context, you can deduce the meaning behind these things, and I think they help add to the land’s mythos.
I do think that Pandora works well within the archetype of Animal Kingdom. When you think about it, the park is not primarily about animals. They are the MacGuffins or perhaps motifs–the impetus behind most attractions–but they are not the defining themes. Those are the culture and similar ideas of conflict, exploration, etc., addressed above.
All of those same themes are found in Pandora. It’s certainly not just a glorified commercial for the upcoming Avatar sequels, and it’s not even just a pretty place with floating mountains and blue aliens. There is an underlying culture and other themes to explore and almost all of this is not reliant upon the movie.
There’s a lot of subtext, and it can be gleaned mostly from paying attention to what you see throughout Pandora, not any familiarity with the movie. In fact, the spots where Pandora alludes to elements of the film actually resonate less with the guest, I think.
The places where Pandora – World of Avatar loses me are almost exclusively when RDA comes into the picture. Perhaps this is personal, but I’d like seeing that minimized even further, and more focus paid to Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) and the Pandora Conservation Initiative. After all, the latter two better reflect the overarching message of Animal Kingdom itself.
There’s also just a lot of flat-out beauty. The Valley of Mo’ara is absolutely breathtaking and there is so much to see. It would appear that careful consideration has gone into crafting a faux ecosystem, and building that as it would appear in the natural world.
I guess you could say it’s a form of biomimicry, but with the design also being ‘natural.’ I don’t know if there’s a term for that, but Rohde and co. should coin one if not, as the environment they’ve created here is truly special. I’m not one for overwrought backstory, but I’d love to read something about what went into the design of Pandora’s ecosystem.
Suffice to say, Pandora is very good and works well within the context of Animal Kingdom. It really doesn’t have any analogue at Walt Disney World. For that type of comparison, I think it makes most sense to compare Pandora to stylistically-similar lands in other Disney Parks around the world. If there’s any “unique” perspective I can offer on Pandora, it’s probably this.
The lands I’d consider its closest counterparts are Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea, and Treasure Cove at Shanghai Disneyland. Really, Treasure Cove and Cars Land are the best comparisons, but everyone seems to love hearing whether something is “Tokyo DisneySea-quality” so I threw that last one in there to give the people what they want.
Setting aside the attractions in each land, there’s no question in my mind that Pandora is better than Cars Land and Treasure Cove. Pandora – World of Avatar has a level of 360-degree immersiveness and design that you just cannot find in the more linear styles of Cars Land and Treasure Cove.
This is not necessarily a knock on either of those lands–they’re both modeled after towns/villages and thus walking down a street makes sense in both. By contrast, Pandora is alien-nature, and embraces open-world exploration. There are paths criss-crossing the land, giving it a real choose your own adventure vibe. (It never becomes disorienting or confusing–the layout is great.)
The question about whether Pandora is DisneySea-quality is trickier. That park is a scenario where the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and cherrypicking elements of other parks and asking whether they are DisneySea-quality sort of misses the point. After all, Tokyo DisneySea has Mermaid Lagoon, which is a land full of dressed-up off-the-shelf amusement park rides for kids, and no one really bats an eye at that. If the bar is Mermaid Lagoon, a lot of stuff could technically qualify as DisneySea-quality.
With that caveat out of the way, I think Pandora has a level of detail on par with Tokyo DisneySea, and by that, I mean its better lands. Pandora reminds me a decent amount of Mysterious Island. I’m sure that is going to lose serious DisneySea fans, but stick with me…
Both lands chronicle humankind’s exploitation of land and the struggle between humans and nature. Both feature a large, iconic centerpiece. Both use largely mythical creatures and also illustrate themes of conflict and exploration. Both are based upon intellectual property with which their primary audiences are unfamiliar. 😉 Heck, both lands lack background music and instead use sound effects.
This is not to say I think Pandora is Mysterious Island’s equal. I don’t and it isn’t. Mysterious Island has a timelessness to it, sense of place, and quality that Pandora does not match. Mysterious Island is a pinnacle of Imagineering; one of the top 5 lands Disney has created anywhere in the world. With that said, I think Pandora is in the same league, and just the fact that this is a conversation says a lot about its quality.
The visual depth and beauty of the Valley of Mo’ara cannot be overstated. For practical purposes, this is the best “attraction” in Pandora – World of Avatar (and I mean attraction as a synonym for draw–I’m not trying to suggest Pandora “actually” has 3 attractions). It transports visitors to an alien planet for them to freely explore, offering a visual feast with many surprises along the way. (This is my take even before having seen Pandora at night.) On Page 2, we’ll review Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey…
The land looks amazing, Flight of Passage looks good, the River Journey looks ‘meh’. All this is based purely on photos, videos and reviews – but in this day and age, that is what people judge Disney on when deciding whether to throw down thousands of dollars to go there. So while it might not be entirely fair to judge without seeing in person, I think opinions like this matter.
I’m very much in the camp that says on the whole it looks great, but it’s just a shame that it’s Avatar. I genuinely cannot get too excited about it, much as I try. That’s a reflection of the source material rather than the land – it looks like they did a phenomenal job given what they had to work with.
Regarding the comparison to Song of the South and Splash Mountain – there’s a subtle difference. Splash Mountain isn’t called “Song of the South – The Ride”. Most people in line right now for Splash Mountain are probably unaware that there is a movie that it’s based on. Disney don’t promote the links to the film – you can’t even buy it these days.
People aren’t not going into the ride thinking that they aren’t going to understand a lot of it because they didn’t see the film.
For me, the better comparison is with Star Tours. I have only seen the first half of one movie and hated it. I like the Star Tours ride but I know there’s a massive amount that I’m missing out on because I haven’t seen the films. I don’t know who the characters are or what the planets are or what the funny machine things are. Most of it is lost on me. There’s no emotional attachment. I go into the ride knowing that it’s not built for me and that I’m not going to get the full experience from it.
That’s the issue with using IPs. It’s great if people know and love the IPs. The flip side is that if people are aware that they don’t know the IPs, or didn’t like them, they’d be less attracted to it. Both Star Tours and Pandora would be much more appealing to me if they weren’t connected to these IPs. ‘Forgetting about the films’ just doesn’t work when Disney uses the IPs to sell the concepts.
None of which is a complaint, by the way. Just my attempt to explain why the use of IPs is a double-edged sword. I know lots of people love these IPs. As for my distaste for Star Wars – don’t worry, I’m seeking medical treatment.
This is a really excellent point. Something I really hadn’t considered was if you had a negative reaction towards Avatar, and that tainted your opinion of the land as a result. I was more approaching it from the perspective of people who forgot/didn’t care about Avatar, but that’s another way to approach it.
Regardless, a very insightful comment. This is why I love reader feedback–while I have my soapbox in the main post, I’m far from infallible, and it’s nice to hear differing perspectives. Thanks!
I have to agree with Steve, and I will elaborate (or put into laymen’s terms) that I think the draw of the other Parks is that they are relatively generic, and therefore there is something for everyone – Magic Kingdom is really 6 parks in 1! If you don’t like the princesses & fairytales then surely you like pirates and adventure or space and futuristic attractions. But it calls to boys and girls, people of all ages, there is something for everyone. Epcot is generally the same – Nemo & Frozen for kids that like those things, world showcase & food for adults and world travelers, and an assortment of other attractions for anyone that likes humanity! Animal Kingdom is all about animals, and Hollywood Studios provides a very similar diverse experience.
I want to visit Pandora because it will be something new to see and it sounds very well done with a huge scale & grandeur that you expect from Disney, but I am not emotionally attached to Avatar & probably will not visit more than once unless the attractions there are totally out of this world. At the same time, when I’m at Magic Kingdom I barely step foot in Liberty Square & I only pass through Main Street to get from point A to point B or maybe to eat, those just aren’t appealing to us. Just as in Epcot there are enormous sections of the park that we never visit. So I can imagine taking 1 of those sections and exploding it into it’s own park – it would be appealing to me to try it once just to see what it’s all about, but it’s not something I would be hyped for (honestly this is Animal Kingdom for me today, we’ve skipped it the last few years because it’s not something that’s been overly appealing to us).
You may then say ‘what about Star Wars & Toy Story Lands?’ I would argue Star Wars will not appeal to everyone, but there certainly is a huge mass of Star Wars fans so it will obviously take care of itself. Toy Story Land I think will fall somewhere between the two because while it is IP themed as Steve mentioned, people do still like toys & can relate to the theme. If Pandora were marketed / focused a bit differently – for example, themed around an extravagant alien planet – and included big ties to Avatar, I think the hype might be easier to conjure.
I remember when the movie Avatar was released and people raved about the experience. It seemed the general consensus was that the plot itself might not have been that great, but the visual experience was unmatched. I was intrigued, but I never actually got around to going to the theater. We had a baby that year, and so there wasn’t a lot of free time!
The enthusiasm for the movie slowly died out. Once the technology was no longer new & revolutionary, it had to rely on plot. No one seemed that in love with the story (from what I heard). Other than through Disney boards, I haven’t heard a word about Avatar in years. Now, it’s a land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I checked out Flight of Passage and felt… sad.
Here’s the thing: I love Soarin’. When I experienced Soarin, I felt like it was one of the most amazing things I have EVER seen. To me, that experience was true Disney. Disney literally took us and showed us the world. I flew through a dust cloud from elephants and over a blue whale that was breaching the ocean. I was trying to dab the tears from the corner of my eyes so my vision wouldn’t get obstructed! It was like the documentary Planet Earth, but it was brought to life!
Then, recently, I saw the video for Avatar: Flight of Passage. I didn’t get it. It was the same idea as Soarin (kind of), but why would I care about flying over fake animals on a fake planet with a bunch of blue aliens running around? What does that have to do with Animal Kingdom? AK is one of my favorite parks at WDW. I know not many people say that, but the experience at AK is unmatched. I love the layout of the safari, how it feels like you’re right there with the animals. I like taking my kids to the petting zoo, and I like stopping and watching the drummers in Africa. I like wondering through the “ruined” buildings in Asia and checking out the animal shows. It’s our world, our planet, brought into a walkable little universe. I’m afraid I don’t get how an alien movie fits in with it all. Frankly, even after reading your review and even after watching some first-person videos, I still just can’t get excited for it. And, honestly, I still haven’t heard much talk about it, even from Disney fans. People talked about Rivers of Light incessantly. Avatar? Nope. I won’t be surprised if they eventually retheme it into a Nile jungle or something, and turn it into something more “earthy” and less… like a weird alien franchise.
For me, I really didn’t like Avatar. It felt essentially like a live-action Fern Gully, which I also didn’t love. On the contrary, I thought the visuals were absolutely stunning, and that is a huge draw for me. If Disney put in a ton of effort to replicate that world, I can definitely get excited about using the IP to make a whole new world in my already-favorite park. I’ll be there next weekend, and can’t wait.
I’ve been waiting for your review on Pandora, and I’m excited to hear that you enjoyed it! My sisters and I (probably the only 3 people) really like the movie Avatar, so to hear your unbiased perspective thrills me even more so. I’m counting the days until I visit in September, and get to experience this first hand! As a Harry Potter fan, I will also be going to Universal on my trip, so it will be interesting to form a comparison of the two worlds… Thanks again for the updates!
In the middle of reading this and was side-swiped by your offhanded comment that you don’t care for Harry Potter… to which I say: Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole family. Dishonor on your cow!
And now back to my regular scheduled reading of what I assume will be an insightful look into Pandora 🙂
I’m actually functionally illiterate (which should explain a lot), so reading the Potter books was not an option. 😉
I appreciate you setting this up from the start by breaking down the barrier for people who don’t care about that movie. I don’t connect with that movie one bit. But I do love everything about Splash Mountain at WDW (which I think is done much better than at DL because it does a better job of telling the story and making a connection with you). So if Pandora has been designed to be a place that tells a story, one where I can be transported to another place with my family while I’m there, then I have no doubt we’ll make great memories there. Thanks for getting me excited about it!
Thanks for the write up. I enjoyed it very much. I was at WDW 5/7 to 5/14 but was unable to see Pandora. Going back in Oct. Can’t wait. I am not a big Star wars fan, so for me I hope Star Wars land pulls a lot of guests away from Pandora in years to come leaving Pandora for me. I guess I’m selfish. Thanks again for the article
Dying over all the “uhhs” during your pre-show rant. I also got to experience this attraction during the previews and thought the exact same thing. Flight of Passage was excellent but they need a new pre-show for sure. Other than that, I loved Pandora and can’t wait to go back and try the food! I was too immersed in the atmosphere and attractions to take time away with eating, though I did try the pineapple lumpia and they were excellent.
Thank you Tom for your great and thoutful review!
I am intrigued by your positive review of pandora. All the other ones that I have read so far were negative. That it is another boring, nothing exiting new part of already boring educational Animal Kingdom…
Wow, really? All the reviews I’ve read have been really positive. And honestly,AK was already my 2nd favorite park. I get tired of the thought process that everything has to be non stop thrills to be entertaining. Some of us like a quieter experience. 🙂
Thank you so much for a spoiler free review, I’ve been avoiding a lot of Pandora news so that we’ll be unbiased when we head there in July. You lost me a little in the beginning as I have only visited wdw and not had the pleasure of visiting the new parks abroad. Any chance you could throw in some links so I could get a better idea of what Shanghai and Tokyo are all about? Thanks! Great article and info—as always!
Thank you for the great review. I’m not planning to visit Disney World until next October (have to recover from knee surgery), but can’t wait to see this new attraction.
Great write-up sir. You ddefinitely made me want to go there a whole lot more than I did before. Not a fan of the movie but was hoping to hear something tangible to let me know how good it was. I am sure they will change the preshow video but if not I’ll just ignore it to the nth degree. Again thank you for all your efforts
Great write-up sir. You ddefinitely made me want to go there a whole lot more than I did before. Not a fan of the movie but was hoping to hear something tangible to let me know how good it was. I am sure they will change the preshow video but if not I’ll just ignore it to the nth degree. Again thank you for all your efforts
Tom – Wondering how much the environmentalism and “human beings are bad” theme hits you over the head? I’m all for being responsible with our resources but don’t want to lectured. Particularly not on vacation.
Love your insight as always. Still waiting to see if Disney took any of your suggestions/advice in that great EPCOT rebuilding column you wrote a couple of years ago.
Thanks.
There’s mention of a corporation exploiting the land, but it’s much more a celebration of conservationism than anything else. In no way does it hit you over the head.
Thank you for your reply. We won’t be going til early December bu am very much looking forward to exploring some new adventure 🙂
are there things that “jump” out at you on flight of passage? it’s one of my least favorite things about 3-d stuff (and honestly part of the reason I really don’t want to ride Dinosaur with the big dinosaur stalking you even though I loved the Indy ride in Disneyland), and while I’m sure they included that type of effect as part of the ride, there’s a difference between it happening once or twice vs “and now here’s ANOTHER thing trying to eat you!”
Hi Tom, thanks for the amazing write up. I appreciate the objective stance you took, and how you really evaluated the park. Cannot wait to go myself!
Also, when can we expect to see your and Sarah’s pictures? I can only assume they will be stunning.
Thanks!
We were fortunate enough to experience Pandora last week at the DVC and AP previews. It exceeded all our expectations, it was visually moving, we really enjoyed both rides, and the food was good! It was also nice to experience without large crowds, I imagine it will be quite crowded when we return in July, but we have our FP for FOP and I’m looking forward to sharing this with my grandchildren!
I think you hit the nail on the head saying Pandora will not emotionally resonate with guests as much as the WWoHP. Even though I’m not a fan of Avatar, I’m excited for any intricate additions at Disney Parks so I’ll reserve judgment until I can visit. But yeah, very few things could top walking into Hogsmeade for the first time after reading and watching Harry Potter for 15 years. Also, Disney and Universal fans should be united, as competition between the two is only going to result in wins for the fans!
I, uh, like, uh, what you did there. Uh. That guy…
Thanks so much for the detailed review. We’re going to Disney in 2 weeks, and have Fast Passes for Flight of Passage. (And we are very excited to see the whole land, despite having hated Avatar as a movie.) My husband is quite tall (6’7″) – do you think he will have any issues with the ride?
I just talked to multiple CMs, and they still don’t know height/weight parameters. “It depends on how the guest moves around to try fitting.” At least there’s a sizing seat out front now to test.
Thanks for responding! I guess we will find out – and I’m happy to follow up either on this thread or in your forums.
That was a great spoiler-free review, thanks. I felt the same way when this land was announced, confused as to why they would create a whole land on a non-Disney property from a so-so movie with great visuals. But, I am also past that, as it sounds like a great land and Splash Mountain is a good comparison. Maybe I missed this, but what’s it like at night?
Nice write up Tom. There has been so much written about the constraints on Flight of Passage. How does it compare to Tron? I found Tron to be much more comfortable than I thought it would be. That being said, I have had doubts about the rumors it would end up in a U.S. park because so many people would have difficulty riding it. Then they open this ride that seems just as if not more limiting in the audience that can experience it.
Overall Pandora looks fantastic and can’t wait to see it. The people that dismiss it because of the IP are shortsighted . There are so many examples of weak IP that produced great attractions.
It’s definitely less restrictive than TRON coaster.
Interesting. From all the reports it sounded like it was more restrictive. I’ll steer clear about commenting further about body types.