Avatarland Project

[DizneyFreak2002]

I think we've gotten a bit off point here. Who cares how much a movie has made? Is it a good fit for AK? In my opinion, no.

Is it a fit? yes... The reasons it is a fit has been talked about plenty already... Forget the story or the war or the violence or whatever... The conservation theme fits in DAK perfectly...

and BTW, I wasn't the one who started the "money making" argument... Someone else did trying to say Avengers is set up to top Avatar in box office numbers... I simply stated facts that were not clouded with pixie dust dreams...

[texas211]

Look at it this way, its a way to get a Pocohontas story into WDW. Afterall, Avatar was basically Pocohontas with guns and no catchy song.

[Stu29573]

Is it a fit? yes... The reasons it is a fit has been talked about plenty already... Forget the story or the war or the violence or whatever... The conservation theme fits in DAK perfectly...

and BTW, I wasn't the one who started the "money making" argument... Someone else did trying to say Avengers is set up to top Avatar in box office numbers... I simply stated facts that were not clouded with pixie dust dreams...

I guess you missed that "in my opinion" part. I'm not saying I'm going to hate it. I'm just saying they could have done better...again, in my opinion.

[Buttercup]

Okay so we're clear then: DizneyFreak is in love with Avatar. To him, it is such a wicked movie and it made more money than anything else on the planet and it deserves to be in Animal Kingdom and it's going to be the most awesome place ever and if we're not 100% excited about it like him we're whiners and complainers and we'd better just stay out of the lineup so he can have Avatarland all to himself. If we're not with him, we must be against him. Got it.

Annnyway....... back to the original post re: the ride. Does anyone know if there is only one ride scheduled for that "land" (the flight simulator)? Or are there going to be a number of different attractions (outside of walking through a glowing forest)? Anyone want to speculate?

[jonahbear2006]

the idea just sounds too universal studios to me.

[waymickey]

Not interested in Avatar land at all. Zero , zilch, no attraction at all. It is not Disney.
The entire area and Idea is a turnoff to me.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Not interested in Avatar land at all. Zero , zilch, no attraction at all. It is not Disney.
The entire area and Idea is a turnoff to me.

How do you feel about Star Wars? Indiana Jones? Twilight Zone? None of them are Disney properties either...

I love the IT ISN'T DISNEY argument... LOL...

[Mousemates]

How do you feel about Star Wars? Indiana Jones? Twilight Zone? None of them are Disney properties either...

I love the IT ISN'T DISNEY argument... LOL...

Nice point...and that is with your choosing not to be exhaustive in your list, since you left out Rockin Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, and a whole lot of rides that have the Disney touch, but that are not truly Disney in terms of their creation. To me, the issue at this point isn't whether "Disney started it" but is if they can do it in a way that has genuine Disney-styled magic. If they can do something even remotely close to say Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter,I'm all for it and it will likely be afinancial winner (and this is coming from someone who isn't all that personally enamored with Avatar in the first place).

[Aurora]

How do you feel about Star Wars? Indiana Jones? Twilight Zone? None of them are Disney properties either...

I love the IT ISN'T DISNEY argument... LOL...

I was going to write the same thing. And add in a few others, along with the fact that in all the animatronic scenes in the Great Movie Ride, only one (Fantasia) was Disney. But no one cries foul about that.

[HackLaSalle]

Aerosmith isn't Disney. Technically most of what we consider Disney... isn't Disney it's just Disney did the most popular version of it. You're looking at a very small list of attractions that are thoroughly 100% Disney.

Figment comes to mind.

But you're talking about a completely immersible land the level of The Wizarding World. If Anyone can do it it's WDI and James Cameron... now if only they have a place for that Titanic Ride...

[waymickey]

How do you feel about Star Wars? Indiana Jones? Twilight Zone? None of them are Disney properties either...

I love the IT ISN'T DISNEY argument... LOL...

I feel that at least these attractions are in the right park DHS. I am not a fan of Indiana Jones or Star Wars but I admit I like Tower of Terror. As for the great movie ride I love it. But it fits in that park and I do wish they would put more disney films into the mix. Honestly DHS is my least favorite park after a ride on TSM and TT we leave. My family spends a bulk of our time at MK and we have grown children in college.
Don't get me wrong I understand why Disney is doing it , It just doesn't interest me. I didn't see the movie and I am looking forward more to the new fantasyland.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Nice point...and that is with your choosing not to be exhaustive in your list, since you left out Rockin Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, and a whole lot of rides that have the Disney touch, but that are not truly Disney in terms of their creation. To me, the issue at this point isn't whether "Disney started it" but is if they can do it in a way that has genuine Disney-styled magic. If they can do something even remotely close to say Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter,I'm all for it and it will likely be afinancial winner (and this is coming from someone who isn't all that personally enamored with Avatar in the first place).

I left out Everest because, well, remember when Disney used to make original rides and not everything had a franchise/movie tie in??? Everest is the last of its kind I'm afraid...

And, well, I got a piece of information about Avatar... Debating if I want to share it or not LOL... if I do share it, just remember, it isn't a confirmation of anything, and since things are still "in development" well, things could chance... And they probably will (for the worse and for the cheaper may I add since, well, that $400-500 million price range?? Forget it, slashed already)....

[DizneyFreak2002]

I was going to write the same thing. And add in a few others, along with the fact that in all the animatronic scenes in the Great Movie Ride, only one (Fantasia) was Disney. But no one cries foul about that.

I remember when everyone was almost in tears that the park formerly known as MGM was no longer going to carry the MGM name... But, wait... When did Disney own MGM?? oh, never... So an entire theme park based on a non-Disney entity, named after that non-Disney entity, housing majority of non-Disney intellectual property, but people eat it up... Mention Avatar, and suddenly people scream IT ISN'T DISNEY!!!!!

And, to be fair, well, neither is Winnie the Pooh, neither is Cinderella, neither is Snow White (who was just made into one heck of a movie by Universal), neither is Little Mermaid... They were only Disney-fied... Wait, when did Disney own Tom Sawyer???

[DizneyFreak2002]

Aerosmith isn't Disney. Technically most of what we consider Disney... isn't Disney it's just Disney did the most popular version of it. You're looking at a very small list of attractions that are thoroughly 100% Disney.

Figment comes to mind.

But you're talking about a completely immersible land the level of The Wizarding World. If Anyone can do it it's WDI and James Cameron... now if only they have a place for that Titanic Ride...

Agh, this post makes me want to share what a birdie whispered to me... Ok, I'll tell you, but remember keep in mind, things are still in flux with Avatar and plans can change (for the worse as always with WDW) and probably will..

Ok, forget the level of immersible theme in Wizarding World coming to Avatar... Be prepared for a huge show building containing Soaring Over Pandora, one eatery, and one shop, with a little bit of nice scenery.... And, well, that's it... Oh, and that budget they talked about??? Well, TDO already wants it slashed, the MBA bean counters have made sure it gets slashed, and, well, we know how stuff turns out when things get slashed...

[DizneyFreak2002]

I feel that at least these attractions are in the right park DHS. I am not a fan of Indiana Jones or Star Wars but I admit I like Tower of Terror. As for the great movie ride I love it. But it fits in that park and I do wish they would put more disney films into the mix. Honestly DHS is my least favorite park after a ride on TSM and TT we leave. My family spends a bulk of our time at MK and we have grown children in college.
Don't get me wrong I understand why Disney is doing it , It just doesn't interest me. I didn't see the movie and I am looking forward more to the new fantasyland.

Doesn't have to interest you.. That's fine.. I can appreciate and accept that... I have no interest in a poorly designed Dumbo queue which looks no better than a mall play ground... But, I understand why they built it.. Great concept, but once again, executed poorly.. But, it will serve its purpose and do its job, so I cannot complain too much, especially since I am not the target audience...

If we are going to get technical and say, well Star Wars and Indiana Jones are in the right park (a park themed to Hollywood and the movies) well, then, shouldn't we close down every other ride in MK, DAK, and two of them in Epcot and move them into DHS since they are based on movies too??? Sometimes, we need to look deeper into the theme and what they are trying to accomplish rather than, well, it is a movie and belongs in a theme park dedicated to movies...

Avatar, in concept, fits perfect... Read Staggs description of it again... just remove AVATAR from the announcement.. What does it read like??? Beastly Kingdomme... And fans were all a flutter over BK...

They have the opportunity to do great things with Cameron and Avatar... but, alas, they are going to jump the shark on this... They have the opportunity to bring more of the conservation message to DAK... They have a chance to bring fantasy-like animals to DAK (even though they are from another planet... who said the fantasy creatures had to be from earth??? I didn't see that written in some DAK law book)... they have a chance to rival and beat Wizarding World... but, as is status quo with WDW, they won't... They will cheapen out, and STILL jack prices 10 times the rate of inflation...

All the while Universal creates another out of this world Potter ride with an incredible themed Diagon Alley, and a possible 4th hotel (land is being prepped as I type this), a well themed water park (and what becomes of Wet N Wild after that??? Better get your fun in there now )... And then what ever else they have planned (and they have a lot of great stuff planned for Uni and IOA for the next 5 or 6 years)... While SeaWorld builds a new Antarctica area with a state of the art penguin attraction, where your ride is trackless, makes you feel like you are gliding on ice, and the ride will be different each and every time you ride it... With LegoLand opening a water park, looking into hotels to make it a resort destination, oh and more park expansion... I forgot to mention, SeaWorld is about to make their area a resort destination too finally having their own hotel and NOT just partnering with others in the area...

The game is being upped in Central Florida... WDW has no answers... And no New Fantasyland is NOT their response or answer to anything... it was forced onto TDO (who also wanted THIS budget slashed) because they bungled the park capacity due to: THEIR CHEAPNESS...

[HackLaSalle]

That's not the first time I've heard the huge show building idea. But they have executed it well in one of the foreign parks (can't think off the top of my head).

It is sad that the bottom line is what drives everything. But they are a business and if the other Orlando parks make inroads then that's what will start to really move things.

When you look at TEA's rankings you see that the first 8 of the top ten are Disney parks. All four Orlando gates lost 100,000 visitors over the past year. (Could be said that all 100,000 were the same 100,000) But IOA lost 1.7 millions guests. We can talk alot about the other parks denting Disney but it's not showing.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Hack, where did IOA lose 1.7 million guests??? Their attendance shot up 30% from 2009 to 2010 and then another 29% from 2010 to 2011... Universal Studios saw only a modest gain from 2010 to 2011 (2 % increase)... IOA is now pulling in over 7 million guests through its gates, attendance has been extremely high so far again this year, and is the one park who is challenging three of Disney's parks in Florida, only 2 million guest differential in attendance between IOA to DAK and DHS...

And where is it denting WDW??? In the pockets... I said this in the ticket increase thread... WDW's bottom line numbers are artificially inflated due to jacking up the cost of food and merchandise... Merchandise sales are stagnant in WDW (cheap genetic merchandise will do that)...

In Universal, merchandise sales are through the roof (thanks to Harry Potter)... THAT is what concerns Disney... The fact people are now leaving property and spending more days at other places... You have to ask yourself why the shift suddenly???

So, while the attendance numbers may look good, they aren't the only thing to look at... look at the bigger picture... The bigger picture shows a major shift in Orlando... And it isn't toward WDW...

[DizneyFreak2002]

Just to clarify the post above (I couldn't edit it)... here are the numbers showing IOA's 29% gain in attendance last year, not a decrease but an INCREASE of another 1.7 million guests:

http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/I...0res_FINAL.pdf

[dizneydeb22]

OK, so some people love the idea of Avatar Land and some people do not. We all get it, but not every ride is meant to appeal to every person!!!!

I wouldn't dare try Mission Space, but that doesn't mean that I berate my husband and nephews for standing in line and going on the ride. I simply do something I know they do not enjoy!

This is not a right or wrong issue...it is about opinion.

I may wind up hating Avatar Land, but I'm going to give it a shot. If I don't like it, I'll go see It's Tough to be a Bug and call it a day!

ONe of the things I love about Disney is the diversity! Diversity of cultures, people, thrills, and so on...

[waymickey]

Avatar, in concept, fits perfect... Read Staggs description of it again... just remove AVATAR from the announcement.. What does it read like??? Beastly Kingdomme... And fans were all a flutter over BK...

They have the opportunity to do great things with Cameron and Avatar... but, alas, they are going to jump the shark on this... They have the opportunity to bring more of the conservation message to DAK... They have a chance to bring fantasy-like animals to DAK (even though they are from another planet... who said the fantasy creatures had to be from earth??? I didn't see that written in some DAK law book)... they have a chance to rival and beat Wizarding World... but, as is status quo with WDW, they won't... They will cheapen out, and STILL jack prices 10 times the rate of inflation...

Ok I see your point. I was not really thinking about the other rides that are not Disney. Probably because some of those rides were there from the start of my going to Disney. I like the idea of Beastly Kingdom and would love them to really do something immersevie.

But if rumours are a little right then a hokey fly over of Pandora in "Soaring Style" has me even more turned off.
Disney is not going to change the tide if they don't start to come up with some real imaginative ideas of their own and be willing to see it through with the $$$$$$$$.