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Pandora: The World of Avatar Announcement, Construction, & Preview Discussion

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Oh and I will be sifting through threads to see who was talking smack about Avatar when it was suggested it would go to Universal and who's praising it now that it's going to Disney. :lol: There's gonna be some quoting in this mutha!

Preach it brotha!
 
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LMAO
 
Full Article from the newspaper:

Cost is actually $600 MILLION..wow!

Disney to build 'Avatar' attraction in Animal Kingdom theme park
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By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel

2:45 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2011
The Walt Disney Co. will build a theme-park "land" based on the movie "Avatar" in Disney's Animal Kingdom as the first step in a broader licensing deal that will lead to similar attractions in Disney parks worldwide.

The deal announced Tuesday with 20th Century Fox gives Disney exclusive rights to use elements from the 2009 blockbuster and from sequels due out in 2014 and 2015. "Avatar," which was directed by James Cameron and grossed nearly $2.8 billion in worldwide box-office receipts, is widely considered one of the most valuable intellectual properties not already tied up by a theme park.

Disney said it plans to build multiple-attraction lands based on the film's fictional world of "Pandora," including themed food and merchandise, rides and entertainment. It's the same approach Universal Orlando has taken with its wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which has fueled huge attendance and guest-spending gains since opening in Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park last year.

Disney said it would begin construction of Animal Kingdom's Avatar land in 2013 and expects to open it to guests about five years from now. A company executive indicated that the price tag would be approximately $600 million.

Cameron said he initially thought Disney would want to build only an individual ride based on his film.

"I quickly realized that their vision for this thing is far beyond what I imagined," he told reporters. "It was kind of thrilling that they wanted to do a land and really bring the world of Pandora to life."

More Avatar lands would follow down the road. Disney currently has five theme-park resorts worldwide and is building a sixth in Shanghai, China.

"We obviously appreciate that this was a film that was enjoyed by millions globally. So it's now a global product," Disney Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said. "We can clearly leverage the global interest in this property in multiple places, although we don't have any plans at the moment or specifics to announce to you."

Disney will license the rights from Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment studio and Fox Filmed Entertainment.

The Avatar land should provide a huge jolt in the arm for the 13-year-old Animal Kingdom theme park. The youngest of Walt Disney World's four theme parks has been criticized by some park fans for lacking attractions and not amounting to a full-day experience on par with the Magic Kingdom or Epcot.

The last major new ride added to Animal Kingdom was the Expedition Everest roller coaster, which opened in 2006. That ride cost more than $100 million.

Although a precise date hasn't been set for completion of the Avatar attractions in Animal Kingdom, an opening sometime in 2016 could allow Disney to capitalize on a fresh wave of fan interest in the 'Avatar' film franchise from the two sequels currently in development. Cameron said the tentative plan is to release the first sequel around Christmas 2014 and the second around Christmas 2015.

"The timing seems to work out well in terms of the sequels," Cameron said. "Really, what we need to resolve is how much of the elements of the second and third films are incorporated into the Avatar land."
 
Hell yeah. That's the most important part. No matter where it goes, WE WIN.

--- Update ---

Oh and I will be sifting through threads to see who was talking smack about Avatar when it was suggested it would go to Universal and who's praising it now that it's going to Disney. :lol: There's gonna be some quoting in this mutha!

I think a lot of the praise we're hearing now isn't so much excitement for Avatar as much as DAK finally establishing a long-awaited Beastly Kingdom-type area.
 
We have a new figure: $400 million.

From Wall Street Journal:

Construction on the area within Disney World's Animal Kingdom, which executives called a "land," is to begin in early 2013 and include rides, attractions, entertainment and restaurants. The Disney World land is likely to cost an estimated $400 million, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Plans haven't been fully fleshed out, the executives said. Speaking at a Tuesday morning press conference, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Thomas Staggs said: "We're just beginning the development phase on this project." The attractions are to be created by Walt Disney's ride designers, known as Imagineers, in collaboration with Mr. Cameron. Mr. Cameron said that the attractions at the land were likely to include re-creations of environments from "Avatar," and possibly from two sequels that are planned for release in 2014 and 2015.

In screenings of "Avatar," Mr. Cameron said, "The scenes people liked best weren't the obvious ones, like the big battles." Instead, he said, the favorites were "the creatures, learning to fly, being in the forest at night. The impression we got was that people just liked being in that world." Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said that the company is likely to add "Avatar" attractions at its other theme parks around the world, though he said no plans had been made.

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Wait.. how many different estimates are we going to get? :lol:
 
Wow a bunch of numbers are being thrown out there, 200, 400 and 600 million....:inquisitve:
 
Oh and I will be sifting through threads to see who was talking smack about Avatar when it was suggested it would go to Universal and who's praising it now that it's going to Disney. :lol: There's gonna be some quoting in this mutha!

Well I personally trashed it in the District 9 thread, but that was only because I was defending that movie. But I've also defended Avatar in other threads. There. Saved you some time lol.

But any ways: OH MY GAAAAAAAAWD

I can't believe I never thought about this before. Considering the film's environmental message, this makes perfect sense for it to be in Animal Kingdom.

As for the comments about dueling coasters, I doubt it. Disney only builds coasters when they have a clever way of hiding the supports (I'm ignoring California Adventure, but even then it's part of the theme), and that's pretty much impossible for a flying coaster.
 
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Well I personally trashed it in the District 9 thread, but that was only because I was defending that movie. But I've also defended Avatar in other threads. There. Saved you some time lol.

But any ways: OH MY GAAAAAAAAWD

I can't believe I never thought about this before. Considering the film's environmental message, this makes perfect sense for it to be in Animal Kingdom.

As for the comments about dueling coasters, I doubt it. Disney only builds coasters when they have a clever way of hiding the supports (I'm ignoring California Adventure, but even then it's part of the theme), and that's pretty much impossible for a flying coaster.

I've always trashed the film (and continue too), but, when Marvel was bought out, I was one to pitch Avatar as a good candidate to replace MArvel at IOA. I never thought of it at DAK but I do love the idea.
 
"The film broke several box office records during its release and became the highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. and Canada and also worldwide, surpassing Titanic, which had held the records for the previous twelve years."

Disney may have just hit the jackpot.
 
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The tweet @DisneyParks sent out about the announcement is a Top Tweet currently and Animal Kingdom is a trending topic in the US on Twitter. Right away, says something about the idea's popularity.
 
Why would it make more sense at Universal? This is the new Beastly Kingdom, essentially. Makes perfect sense at Animal Kingdom.

Could work at either place tbqh. But they'd be different approaches...obviously here you're going right into Pandora...in Universal it'd probably be about creating it or something.
 
I've always trashed the film (and continue too)

Cool story, bro.

I enjoy it as one of the most detailed animated films ever created. I could care less if "the story has been done before."

And with that, I shall completely drop this topic in the interest of keeping this thread from overflowing with debates that most people don't want to read.
 
You know what I'm excited for... extended DAK hours! :happy:

Sorry but this will never happen. It is a safety hazard for the Leonoptery and DAK wouldn't want to upset Peta.

--- Update ---

Cool story, bro.

I enjoy it as one of the most detailed animated films ever created. I could care less if "the story has been done before."

And with that, I shall completely drop this topic in the interest of keeping this thread from overflowing with debates that most people don't want to read.

It is very detailed and pretty. But that can't carry a three hour film for me.
 
I neither love or hate the movie. But Animal Kingdom needs something like this. (Something to attract a larger amount of guests. I personally love Animal Kingdom as it is.)

Maybe I'm just being a negative nancy, but wouldn't having restaurants and shopping on Pandora go completely against what the movie was all about?
 
I neither love or hate the movie. But Animal Kingdom needs something like this. (Something to attract a larger amount of guests. I personally love Animal Kingdom as it is.)

Maybe I'm just being a negative nancy, but wouldn't having restaurants and shopping on Pandora go completely against what the movie was all about?

Not if it's the infiltrating humans of the RDA Corporation selling the goods ;)

Because no other animal parks stay open late? Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, even zoos stay open late during certain parts of the year.

I was speaking sarcastically... Leonopteryx is a fictional animal native to Pandora.
 
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Hell yeah. That's the most important part. No matter where it goes, WE WIN.

--- Update ---

Oh and I will be sifting through threads to see who was talking smack about Avatar when it was suggested it would go to Universal and who's praising it now that it's going to Disney. :lol: There's gonna be some quoting in this mutha!

But, I was younger then....
 
Also, this is a pretty huge slap in the face of D23 attendees to announce this just a month later.

Yes, and no. They probably didn't have the deal squared away yet, which is why they probably waited to make the announcement.

Could work at either place tbqh. But they'd be different approaches...obviously here you're going right into Pandora...in Universal it'd probably be about creating it or something.

Yeah it could, but I was strictly speaking of experiencing Pandora. It fits better in AK, in that aspect.

Cool story, bro.

I enjoy it as one of the most detailed animated films ever created. I could care less if "the story has been done before."

And with that, I shall completely drop this topic in the interest of keeping this thread from overflowing with debates that most people don't want to read.

I know a lot of people have their issues with the movie, but no one can take away this visuals. Let's keep the argument of the movie's plot being hated/loved out of here.
 
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