Disney grabs Avatar for DAK

File this one under WOW!

I seriously heard not a peep from anywhere on the possibility of this. Nothing. They managed to keep this about as quiet as possible until the announcement.

http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2011/09/20/attractions-based-on...l-kingdom/

EDIT: Submitted to News, but figured it deserved a post to start the discussion.

Also, here's the original Disney Parks Blog post.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/

Hmmmm...strategic way to kick off the long awaited "Beastly Kingdom"?

Wow is right! This is possibly the most exciting theme park news I have heard in years. If they spend the big bucks on it, it can be amazing!

My first reaction was: "April Fools' Day is early this year..." Took a double take, for sure.

This could be really really huge.

Huge is an understatement - This will be a cash cow for years to come. Looking forward to this.

Wow! The two biggest things happening in Orlando are things I have no interest in or familiarity with. (Potter & Avatar)

Does this mean I'm really uncool or that I'm really cool? Stuff is hard and stuff.

Well, at least I've seen Potter. I have not seen Avatar. And, let's not automatically conclude that Avatar will have a similar reception. Potter sold millions of books and there were, after all, 6 1/2 movies.

Avatar...as popular as it was...has just been the one movie.

So - it looks like they will be opening right around a year or two before Avatar #2 release - That's a good position to be in assuming #2 is executed with the eye candy allure which #1 had.

Correctly stated Wahoo - Harry Potter had a broader appeal, but you should see it in 3D in a theater if you can. I think you might be surprised.

Avatar is trying to become another Star Wars. Will it succeed? It's anyone's guess right now. The first film was really good, especially in 3-D, in my opinion. The world that it takes place in could possibly make the most interesting theme park land of all time.

As of right now, I like the Potter books and movies more than I like Avatar. I have a feeling that will still be the case for most people when this opens. It's still really cool though.

Wow! The two biggest things happening in Orlando are things I have no interest in or familiarity with. (Potter & Avatar)

Doesn't matter. You don't need to have seen Song of the South to enjoy Splash Mountain. I haven't seen Avatar either, but the visual "look" of that universe, replicated in theme park form? I'll take seconds, please.

Actually, from some stuff slowly coming out now, word is the land will open in 2016. The new movies are slated for 2014 and 2015 with construction starting in 2013.

While this might not have the background that Potter does, it is the highest grossing film of all time, and has infinite possibilities creatively. The details are deep and the world was extremely immersive just in the first movie. I can just imagine a ridiculously awesome E-Ticket based on the cloud islands, and there are so many more possibilities than that. This is not a typical movie-based franchise in that you have to stay somewhat close to the original story presented, they have the opportunity to really go out and "explore" Pandora completely free of the restraints of a pre-existing story.

Avatar...as popular as it was...has just been the one movie.

...that earned nearly $2.8B worldwide. The Potterverse's eight films did more business, but even if you take the top *two* Potter films, you only get to about $2.3B.

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

Even if the other two do just half that, it's a very respectable franchise.

I'm thinking a nice new B and M wing rider would make a lovely E ticket ride there -

Brian Noble said:
Doesn't matter. You don't need to have seen Song of the South to enjoy Splash Mountain.

Absolutely. I was mostly pointing out how far from the zeitgeist I seem to be.

However, since you brought it up, I think it goes without saying that while you can enjoy the licensed attractions without familiar knowledge, you most likely experience them on a much deeper, and presumably more enjoyable, level with some previous connection to the material.

Sometimes the physical recreation can make you more interested in the originating material. Before seeing WWOHP I had seen one of the movies, and fell asleep halfway through it. I had read all the books, but had zero interest in the movies, and had no thoughts of "gee, wouldn't this be cool in person!" When I finally experienced the land...I was trying to watch the recent movie releases, and I attempted to get tickets to the midnight premier of the final movie.

I will admit that the movie as a story is stale and not really worth watching. The visuals, however...Pandora is ridiculous in how easily it lends itself to the fantastical nature of a theme park land.

So, are they going to keep the aspect ratio correct and make the Pandorians huge, or are they going to somehow make us "bigger" or them "smaller" to accomidate the difference (Pandorian's are supposed to be like 10 feet tall)?

Couldn't they just add a 'Dances with Wolves' section? It was a better movie, although it didn't make as much money. :)

Coaster Lover said:
So, are they going to keep the aspect ratio correct and make the Pandorians huge, or are they going to somehow make us "bigger" or them "smaller" to accomidate the difference (Pandorian's are supposed to be like 10 feet tall)?

Looks like the Pint Size Brawlers from King's Island's Haunt might have a new gig.

Pagoda Gift Shop said:
Couldn't they just add a 'Dances with Wolves' section? It was a better movie, although it didn't make as much money. :)

I agree. And wouldn't the wolves fit better with the Animal Kingdom theme?

No one in my house ever got into Potter (combined we read about 50 pages of one book and my daughter saw the most recent movie at a friend's birthday party). But we enjoyed Potter land and the Potter ride at Islands of Adventure this summer. I am sure that much of the meaning, significance and purpose of what we saw in Potter land, in the queues and on the ride were lost on us. But we did like it. Wouldn't have gone just for that and we wouldn't go back either just for Potter.

Saw Avatar once when it was re-released in theaters a year or two back. Thought it was good but nowhere near into the movie or Pandora as much as a lot of folks. Would go see the exhibit/ride if I was otherwise at Disney but wouldn't go for that purpose.

Just like Potter has been a total hit for Universal, I suspect Avatar would be a hit for Disney. Huge numbers of total fanatics for both.

So excited for this! Maybe AK will finally get its Dueling Dragons (and hopefully they duel)!