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

[JungleSkip]

The following are tweets from @MinnieMGirl, who is a pretty well connected Disney source on Twitter. She tends not to give out info unless it's very solid, so take these as you will:

Heads up Avatar apologists: this thing was put over on the entire Parks/Resorts division with no warning. Almost nobody wants it to succeed.

Also I just talked to my first insider I trust who suggested that Avatar may have been cancelled last month.

Please take that with a grain of salt but they know their stuff......

 

[rhino4evr]

Wow, if this happened it would be a pretty big embarassment for Disney. The announcement definitly seemed to come out of no where, almost as if one of their sales guys made this huge deal without getting everyones approval and then totally just set a press bomb out. So if Avatar doesnt happen, what will takes it's place?

 

[jtsalien]

All of that really makes sense. I don't want it to suceed because it's Avatar, I just want something big to be done. But I'm sure everyone else has better ideas than the people who pushed for Avatar.

 

[JungleSkip]

So if Avatar doesnt happen, what will takes it's place?

Good question.

If Disney was smart they'd throw all kinds of money at George Lucas and make a Star Wars land in DHS. As for what would happen with DAK...I have no idea. Personally I don't really care unless it's Beastly Kingdomme or something of the sort. I'm not a proponent of DAK, so I hold very little interest in what goes there.

 

[jtsalien]

Wow, if this happened it would be a pretty big embarassment for Disney. The announcement definitly seemed to come out of no where, almost as if one of their sales guys made this huge deal without getting everyones approval and then totally just set a press bomb out. So if Avatar doesnt happen, what will takes it's place?

You think this is the first time Disney made a huge announcement, then it just all went away?

 

[rhino4evr]

refresh my memory? I guess New Fantasyland has changed quite a bit since it was originally announced too.

 

[jtsalien]

refresh my memory? I guess New Fantasyland has changed quite a bit since it was originally announced too.

Well there was the Muppet Studios, Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers, and Roger Rabbit's Hollywood at MGM Studios. Venezuela, Spain, and the Thames River ride at Ecpot.

 

[kingeric]

refresh my memory? I guess New Fantasyland has changed quite a bit since it was originally announced too.

Big Disney announcements that never came to fruition:
Disney Ski Resort
Disney DVC Resort on the West Coast
Disney DVC Resort in DC
Westcot
Disney's America theme park
Avatarland? lol

 

[JungleSkip]

refresh my memory? I guess New Fantasyland has changed quite a bit since it was originally announced too.

Well, yea. but things they announced and never ended up happening include:

Beastly Kingdomme
A plethora of World Showcase additions
Western River Expedition
David Copperfield's Magic Underground

There's more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

 

[Disneyhead]

How about Hyperion Wharf and Flamingo Crossing?

 

[Jack Heimdall]

I think doing Beastly Kingdom and an Australia section would be better than an Avatar section. Avatar would make them boatloads more money, but an Australia section would be more true to the park, and the continent has dozens of unique animal species to choose from. Beastly Kingdom would just be awesome (and validate all those dragon images ).

 

[JungleSkip]

Avatar would make them boatloads more money

See...I don't really buy that. I don't think Avatar would generate all that much more revenue than any other well done land.

 

[Jack Heimdall]

See...I don't really buy that. I don't think Avatar would generate all that much more revenue than any other well done land.

I agree that it wouldn't have the same percentage increase money wise as say WWoHP or the aforementioned Star Wars Land at DHS would but it would propably do comparatively better than Beastly Kingdom or Australia because of the brand name.

 

[kingeric]

See...I don't really buy that. I don't think Avatar would generate all that much more revenue than any other well done land.

I think that while Avatar land might not be a home run for US visitors, I think it would do a lot more for overseas visitors to getting them to visit WDW. Avatar outside America is so much bigger and better received. That I think an Avatar Land would be an international tourist magnet similar to how the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is bringing in international visitors in record numbers.

 

[rhino4evr]

Hyperion Wharf was cancelled? What are they going to do with Pleasure Island?

I didnt know about a LOT of these...going to start googling.

 

[JungleSkip]

Hyperion Wharf was cancelled?

Not officially. Not yet, at least.

 

[rhino4evr]

ooh..look what I found

http://www.theneverlandfiles.com/tnf/

 

[Cwoolboy]

This news that Avatarland was JUST RECENTLY cancelled interests me. I guess if we don't hear about it again we'll know what happened.

 

[kingeric]

Here is what Disney officially said about Hyperion Wafr

Over on Pleasure Island, we’ve completed removing some of the buildings that aren’t part of our future plans. During the course of this site work, we identified opportunities to further refine our master plan and are pausing to evaluate them. What does this mean for you? While we’re moving quickly, it will admittedly cause a delay in construction. But we’re willing to bet that any delay will be worth the wait once we’re able to share details about the exciting work we’ve been doing.
Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more updates on Downtown Disney!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/07/downtown-disney-update/

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

I actually was looking forward to Pandora. It could make suuuuch an awesome attraction and atmosphere. I have a feeling it isn't going away either. If it were canceled, however, South America with an UP attraction could work. Rumormill at DAK last I checked-which was yesterday-says that, on top of J-Cricket and Pocahontas already leaving, Rafiki is slated to leave Planet Watch as well. Speculation is that RPW may become the new character meet-and-greet hub which would indicate that Camp Minnie-Mickey might not be around too much longer. Just word on the street, so take from it what you will.