Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:05 am Post subject: Major Breaking News: Avatar coming to DAK!
AVATAR Coming To Disney Parks
We have great news to share today. At a press conference happening right now at Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs just announced a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the fantasy world of AVATAR to life at Disney Parks. And it’ll all begin at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants on the project and will work side-by-side with our Walt Disney Imagineers as we dream up experiences that will take our guests deep into worlds of AVATAR like never before. There are also two sequels to the record setting first film in the works, which will offer more fascinating stories, characters and locations to explore in the AVATAR universe. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort is planned as the site of the first AVATAR-themed land with construction expected to begin by 2013.
We believe Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great fit for this project because it was created to give guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in new ways. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.
The design phase on the Disney’s Animal Kingdom project has just begun so stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more details.
Got questions about the announcement? If so, Tom Staggs will be answering them in a special Q&A blog post later today. Just submit your name, city where you’re from and your question to questionsfortom@disney.com and then check the Disney Parks Blog later to see some of the answers.
Not sure what to say or think, other than the only place for this to go is Camp Minnie-Mickey, which means the Lion King show is going away... Maybe they could move it to some place in Africa...
I hang out at a lot of Disney blogs and rumor sits; NO ONE knew about this until they announced it... NO ONE!
Wow... just wow... _________________ Up or Down North, South, East, or West An Adventurer's Life is Best!
Joined: Mar 25, 2010 Posts: 805 Location: Denver, CO
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:40 am Post subject:
My only opinion on the matter is that I hope they just don't take an existing piece of Animal Kingdom and re-brand it using the existing infrastructure. If they are going to do this, they need to do it right. Build some new, original rides and attractions, build new restaurants and shops. Don't just throw up some Pandora-like jungle ambiance with roaming blue cat-people and call it Avatar Land.
If all that comes out of this project is essentially a new Avatar stage show, I am going to be really disappointed.
DO NOT WANT. AK is supposed to celebrate the creatures of THIS world (both real and imagined), not space opera.
I would much rather see James Cameron use his considerable talents to restore The Living Seas to its former glory. Evict Nemo and give Cameron a blank cheque to bring the wonders of the ocean back to EPCOT Center.
You mean stop dumbing down the attractions? Rstore EPCOT Center to all its original intention? Yeah...... _________________ When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney
Joined: Mar 25, 2010 Posts: 805 Location: Denver, CO
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:33 am Post subject:
I don't dislike the Nemo inclusion, as a rule. I think it makes sense in context. My objection is to the ride's story. There was a prime opportunity in that pavilion to take a beloved character and use it seamlessly within the current, beautiful infrastructure to enhance and educate, as well as amaze.
What we got is some holographic projections of a weakened and rehashed Finding Nemo story that had already been told. There is a character in the film whose sole purpose (pun maybe kind of intended) is to educate children about the sea. Why is the ride not based around Mr. Ray showing Nemo and his friends the wonders of the reef? Why?! It would have been so easy, and it would have made that ride exponentially better.
Anyway, that's my gripe. It's not so much the inclusion, but the execution. It's a wasted opportunity, and it makes me more than a little miffed.
I don't dislike the Nemo inclusion, as a rule. I think it makes sense in context. My objection is to the ride's story. There was a prime opportunity in that pavilion to take a beloved character and use it seamlessly within the current, beautiful infrastructure to enhance and educate, as well as amaze.
What we got is some holographic projections of a weakened and rehashed Finding Nemo story that had already been told. There is a character in the film whose sole purpose (pun maybe kind of intended) is to educate children about the sea. Why is the ride not based around Mr. Ray showing Nemo and his friends the wonders of the reef? Why?! It would have been so easy, and it would have made that ride exponentially better.
Anyway, that's my gripe. It's not so much the inclusion, but the execution. It's a wasted opportunity, and it makes me more than a little miffed.
Heh. Sole. Something's been done here.
I agree. I don't know why neither the Nemo Omnimover nor Turtle Talk has an educational spin. The latter would work especially well. How awesome would it be for Crush to impart a little science and knowledge on the young minds he's meeting?
I don't dislike the Nemo inclusion, as a rule. I think it makes sense in context. My objection is to the ride's story. There was a prime opportunity in that pavilion to take a beloved character and use it seamlessly within the current, beautiful infrastructure to enhance and educate, as well as amaze.
What we got is some holographic projections of a weakened and rehashed Finding Nemo story that had already been told. There is a character in the film whose sole purpose (pun maybe kind of intended) is to educate children about the sea. Why is the ride not based around Mr. Ray showing Nemo and his friends the wonders of the reef? Why?! It would have been so easy, and it would have made that ride exponentially better.
Anyway, that's my gripe. It's not so much the inclusion, but the execution. It's a wasted opportunity, and it makes me more than a little miffed.
Heh. Sole. Something's been done here.
I agree. I don't know why neither the Nemo Omnimover nor Turtle Talk has an educational spin. The latter would work especially well. How awesome would it be for Crush to impart a little science and knowledge on the young minds he's meeting?
Yes. Turtle Talk seems like a huge missed opportunity. The technology is cool, but the show panders to the lowest common denominator and offers little of interest for anyone over the age of 6.
Joined: Oct 12, 2009 Posts: 38 Location: The International Gateway
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject:
I think what we are witnessing here is the decline and fall of the true Disney vision. Epcot is slowly becoming more of a Tomorrowland than a World's Fair: a place of education and the preparation for the future that Walt was always optimistic about. Now, pavilions are losing sponsors, attractions are being revamped for either cheap thrills or "age appropriate" material. The Living Seas is now about seeing Nemo. Spaceship Earth now possess impossible and quirky looks at the future animated on a screen and fails to relay the theme that was once present. Horizons went from the creative, Disney, look at the future to a thrill ride for the sake of being a thrill ride. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not against Mission: Space, but it certainly does not hold a candle to what was once there. Disney is thinking like a business now, not a creative enterprise, furthering the future of this country and the world. Back on topic though, adding AVATAR to Animal Kingdom is a disgrace to the purpose of Animal Kingdom and Disney should recognize this error and if they don't we will make them aware I am sure of that. _________________ Wish I was at Epcot...
Joined: Mar 25, 2010 Posts: 805 Location: Denver, CO
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:54 am Post subject:
MedievalBoy14 wrote:
I think what we are witnessing here is the decline and fall of the true Disney vision. Epcot is slowly becoming more of a Tomorrowland than a World's Fair: a place of education and the preparation for the future that Walt was always optimistic about. Now, pavilions are losing sponsors, attractions are being revamped for either cheap thrills or "age appropriate" material. The Living Seas is now about seeing Nemo. Spaceship Earth now possess impossible and quirky looks at the future animated on a screen and fails to relay the theme that was once present. Horizons went from the creative, Disney, look at the future to a thrill ride for the sake of being a thrill ride. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not against Mission: Space, but it certainly does not hold a candle to what was once there. Disney is thinking like a business now, not a creative enterprise, furthering the future of this country and the world. Back on topic though, adding AVATAR to Animal Kingdom is a disgrace to the purpose of Animal Kingdom and Disney should recognize this error and if they don't we will make them aware I am sure of that.
I wouldn't count on the park going public to make them aware of their thematic mistakes. We may all be of a similar opinion that the current generation if Imagineers lacks actual imagination (or the want or ability to take a risk), but we are maybe, maybe, 7% of the total gate revenue. The rest of the world is going to eat this stuff up. Avatar-land is going to be a gigantic boon for Animal Kingdom and WDW, in general. And it was meant to be. It's supposed to fight with Harry Potter.
On, "Disney thinking like a business...and not a creative enterprise," hasn't that always been the case, from the very first ticket sold in Anaheim? This has always been a for-profit operation. It's not supposed to be a museum; it's an amusement park. I'm sorry, but this is a Disney forums pet peeve of mine.
I think it's healthy to complain about the direction of the parks, but it becomes an irrational argument when we apply some sort of higher meaning to the parks, as if the corporation exists primarily to better humanity and not to make barges full of cash. It can do both, to an extent, and it is not at the moment, at least not with the parks aspect of the operation. That is a legitimate gripe, but when we lose sight of the fact that WDW's main responsibility is to be the number one visited theme park destination in the world, we start to prescribe our own personal mission statement to the parks, one that they were never intended to have.
I like the Fantasyland expansion, and I love that the original plans for it were scrapped in favor of something that would be more universally appealing. That was a huge win for the fanboys and girls. I am in agreement with you, however, about pretty much every gripe you listed. Opportunities to expand the parks in meaningful ways that still make them entertaining to the world are being missed on almost every attempt. Avatar? Really? Giant alien blue cats are not wildlife.
Joined: Oct 12, 2009 Posts: 38 Location: The International Gateway
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:51 pm Post subject:
Quote:
I wouldn't count on the park going public to make them aware of their thematic mistakes. We may all be of a similar opinion that the current generation if Imagineers lacks actual imagination (or the want or ability to take a risk), but we are maybe, maybe, 7% of the total gate revenue. The rest of the world is going to eat this stuff up. Avatar-land is going to be a gigantic boon for Animal Kingdom and WDW, in general. And it was meant to be. It's supposed to fight with Harry Potter.
On, "Disney thinking like a business...and not a creative enterprise," hasn't that always been the case, from the very first ticket sold in Anaheim? This has always been a for-profit operation. It's not supposed to be a museum; it's an amusement park. I'm sorry, but this is a Disney forums pet peeve of mine.
I think it's healthy to complain about the direction of the parks, but it becomes an irrational argument when we apply some sort of higher meaning to the parks, as if the corporation exists primarily to better humanity and not to make barges full of cash. It can do both, to an extent, and it is not at the moment, at least not with the parks aspect of the operation. That is a legitimate gripe, but when we lose sight of the fact that WDW's main responsibility is to be the number one visited theme park destination in the world, we start to prescribe our own personal mission statement to the parks, one that they were never intended to have.
I like the Fantasyland expansion, and I love that the original plans for it were scrapped in favor of something that would be more universally appealing. That was a huge win for the fanboys and girls. I am in agreement with you, however, about pretty much every gripe you listed. Opportunities to expand the parks in meaningful ways that still make them entertaining to the world are being missed on almost every attempt. Avatar? Really? Giant alien blue cats are not wildlife.
Well, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on our views on the Disney Company. Personally, I consider Disney to have had (not really anymore) a high importance to not only individual lives, but to humanity itself and that, in fact, was Walt's vision for Disney and the Disney Parks. Yes, he wanted to entertain, but he didn't bow down to what would make the most profit, he committed to what he felt was a quality creation and presented that to the public. Yes, Walt was very pro-Free Enterprise, but I feel it's safe to say that profit was always secondary to him; he always put innovation over self-profit. Saying that the Disney Parks have always been a profit machine for the sake of gaining profit is not, in my opinion, very fair to say of Disney. EPCOT Center wasn't created for profit, it was created to educate and help improve the future. In fact, we all know that the original design for EPCOT was almost like a functional city in a way! If that doesn't scream "humanitarian" I don't know what does, but it certainly doesn't sound like a "profit gain for profit sake" plan. But as I said, we will have to agree to disagree I guess. _________________ Wish I was at Epcot...
"Disney thinking like a business...and not a creative enterprise," hasn't that always been the case, from the very first ticket sold in Anaheim? This has always been a for-profit operation. It's not supposed to be a museum; it's an amusement park. I'm sorry, but this is a Disney forums pet peeve of mine.
I think it's healthy to complain about the direction of the parks, but it becomes an irrational argument when we apply some sort of higher meaning to the parks, as if the corporation exists primarily to better humanity and not to make barges full of cash. It can do both, to an extent, and it is not at the moment, at least not with the parks aspect of the operation. That is a legitimate gripe, but when we lose sight of the fact that WDW's main responsibility is to be the number one visited theme park destination in the world, we start to prescribe our own personal mission statement to the parks, one that they were never intended to have.
I think Avatar is a travesty. First off many people never saw or have any desire to see Avatar, so the audience here is not as big as many of these web sites seem to think it is. Even if it is a big hit, how long are its legs? Yeah they can keep coming out with cheap sequals, but does it really have the timeless quality?
As I posted somewhere else, They could have done an enitre Greek/Roman/Medievl mythology thing, that has already had legs to survive thousands of years. There is PLENTY of material that could have been done extremely well, and they would not of had to bring in Cameron. I think Disney is making a decision for publicity reasons as opposed to quality reasons.
Yeah. I still don't understand why Beastly Kingdom never happened. Of course, if they can do a good enough job on this land, then I think the Avatar tie-in will be secondary. Never seen Avatar (and don't feel very compelled to any time soon) but the concept art is pretty awesome regardless. _________________ '00 - Studios Merch (Stage 1/Tatooine Traders/Coaster Photo/Fantasmic), '05-'06 - Attractions (KSR), Dinoland Merch, '06-'07 - Concierge (Multiple Resorts), '07-'08 - Dream Squad (Aminal Kingdom), '10 - DVC Member Services
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