The uncanny ability of Disney to bring people into worlds never before imagined and provide onscreen entertainment that continuously evolves and expands has perhaps never been more impressive than it currently is. Yes, Disney has always been one of the most accomplished entertainment conglomerates in the business, but over the past several years, the Mouse House has latched on to some huge properties like Marvel Comics, Star Wars and Avatar.
Not just content to ensure that fans of franchises like Star Wars or Avatar will have a steady stream of films over the next few years, Disney is also heavily invested in creating actual theme parks for these universes. Both the upcoming Star Wars Land and Pandora: The World of Avatar are in the process of being built at Walt Disney World Florida. Given the ongoing success of both these franchises as well as Avatar’s reign as the highest grossing film of all time, Disney is poised to deliver some serious entertainment to those who crave it.
So far, recent concept photos of Pandora: The World of Avatar as well as one real-life image of a bridge have given fans a vague sort of idea as to what’s to be expected. In addition to this, a brief but enticing Disney video presentation earlier this year showcased the immersive qualities of the park. In keeping with their tradition of teasing bits and pieces of what’s in store at Pandora: The World of Avatar, Disney has now provided a very brief promo clip (above) of one of the animatronic Na’vi – a Shaman of Songs character – welcoming future visitors.
What we currently know about the ride that the Shaman is a part of is that guests will board a vessel that will float down a Pandora river before stopping at a bioluminescent rainforest. It is here that the Shaman of Songs will greet guests. The above clip was part of the Destination D panel in which James Cameron and Imagineer Joe Rohde explained some of the back history of the land that guests will visit. The two also talked about the Shaman of Songs and how she utilizes her musical ability to join the consciousness of the forest with the surrounding nature and wildlife. Aside from this, there will also be something called Avatar- Flight of Passage, which will allow the opportunity for guests to ride banshees.
This initial taste of the sort of animatronics that will be on display at Pandora: The World of Avatar is nothing short of stunning. Perhaps it’s a given that anything to do with James Cameron is going to be above and beyond, but it’s still a shock to see how much detail has gone into even this tiny 15-second clip. Pandora might not have the same sort of immediate appeal as say, Star Wars Land or even Universal’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but judging by the images and video we’ve seen to date, the park’s key attribute seems to be a keen eye to detail and some very impressive animatronic magic.
Will Pandora: The World of Avatar bring in the same amount of curious guests as other theme parks? Given that James Cameron is getting set to begin filming 4 more Avatar films starting in 2017, there will be some residual hype kicked up in the process - hype the theme park will gladly absorb upon its opening in the summer of 2017. What’s more, when the films begin to hit theaters starting in 2018, Avatar-fever might just help bring Disney’s theme park attendance to record levels.
Avatar 2 is expected to reach theaters in December 2018, followed by Avatar 3 in December 2020, Avatar 4in December 2022, and Avatar 5 in December 2023.
Source: Disney Parks
