AVATAR

How Pandora – The World of Avatar Will Continue the Values of Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Original article by Jennifer Fickley-Baker

Pandora - The World of Avatar, which is set to open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in summer 2017, will transport guests to a visually stunning world complete with floating mountains, bioluminescent plants and all kinds of immersive adventure.

Walt Disney Imagineering just shared the first in a series of videos in which Portfolio Creative Executive Joe Rohde (who played a major part in the original development for Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the 1990s) explains the overall design philosophy of Pandora – The World of Avatar and how that fits into the theming of the rest of the park.

According to Joe, the themes in both the film AVATAR and the values the designers of Disney’s Animal Kingdom had in mind when planning the park are the same: Emphasizing the intrinsic value of nature; Exploring the idea that guests can be transformed through adventure; And inspiring guests to understand and respect the nature that exists in our world.

Check out the video to learn more about what to expect when Pandora – The World of Avatar comes to life in just a few months.

Take a Behind-The-Scenes Look at Pandora – The World of Avatar

Thursday, December 29, 2016 article by Jennifer Fickley-Baker

If you caught the “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration” on ABC earlier this week, you may have seen this amazing sneak peek into one of Walt Disney World’s most exciting expansions: the construction of Pandora – The World of Avatar, which will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this summer.

As you can see, Pandora – The World of Avatar will transport guests to a visually stunning world complete with floating mountains and bioluminescent plants. Here, guests will be able to experience two expeditions that will truly push adventure to the next level. The family friendly Na’vi River Journey will send guests down a sacred river hidden within a bioluminescent rainforest. Their journey will end in an unforgettable encounter with a Na’vi shaman, a figure who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora. And second, the Avatar Flight of Passage excursion will offer the jaw-dropping experience of riding on a Banshee over the world of Pandora.

Check out the video above, in which the project team shares how this new land has already exceeded even their own imaginations.

New Details Unveiled on Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s ‘Rivers of Light’

article posted on November 20th, 2015 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker

When our new nighttime experience “Rivers of Light” opens at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it’ll be one of the most memorable and emotionally stirring shows in the park’s history. And today we’re sharing a sneak peek at some of the amazing sights the show will offer when it debuts in spring 2016.

The show will take place on Discovery River between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest – take a close look and you can you see the Tree of Life in the background. In “Rivers of Light,” a pair of mystical hosts come to the river bearing gifts of light. During the show, the hosts set out from the shore on elaborate lantern vessels for a dramatic dance of water and light to summon animal spirits. With the storytellers as your guides, the wonders of “Rivers of Light” builds to a stunning crescendo.

In addition to the show, you’ll also notice the park’s iconic Tree of Life will undergo an amazing awakening as the animal spirits of the tree are brought to “light” by magical fireflies, revealing moments of wonder and enchantment.

To create “Rivers of Light,” Imagineers and Creative Entertainment partnered with the talents of master puppet designer Michael Curry, composer Mark Mancina and the filmmakers at Disneynature. According to Imagineer Joe Rohde, the addition of “Rivers of Light” to the park’s offerings will serve as that huge “wow” moment that ends a guest’s visit to the park.

World of AVATAR Coming to Life

February 26, 2015

Today the Disney Parks Blog shared this video of a recent walkthrough that took place at the Walt Disney Imagineering campus, as well as this post from Chief Creative Executive Bruce Vaughn:

“Since we first broke ground last year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’ve been looking forward to welcoming guests into Pandora, the mythical land based on the blockbuster film AVATAR. We’re having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees.

This creative process has been one of the most dynamic and collaborative ones we’ve ever undertaken. It began when our then-Chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts proposed to James Cameron that together we might recreate the world of Pandora at Disney. Since that time, our creative development team, led by Joe Rohde, has been working hand-in-hand with Jim, Jon Landau and their team of artists and designers at Lightstorm on every aspect of this project—from overall design to the smallest—yet crucially important—details. And along each step of this process, Tom, as well as Disney CEO Bob Iger have been actively involved in helping guide the creative vision that is shaping the extraordinary world we’re building.

We all recently got together at our offices in Glendale, California and walked through the fantastic progress on the whole land—including the awesome experience of seeing Pandora while riding on a banshee.

When he was with us, Jim said, ‘I think one of the things that people loved about the movie is that they felt as if they had visited Pandora… now, thanks to Disney’s amazing Imagineers, people are going to truly experience Pandora firsthand. From the details in the plants to the production and design, extraordinary thought and care has gone into this entire world. The teams have really created something special, and it’s not going to be like anything else.’

This project is really pushing the boundaries of what is possible. But one of the things that makes Disney Parks so special is that it takes all of our Cast—across the segment—to really bring these experiences to life. We were glad to be able to share our work with the creative teams and thought you might want to see it, too.”

AVATAR-Inspired Land At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Construction Begins For AVATAR-Inspired Land At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Earlier this week, leaders from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Lightstorm Entertainment kicked off the largest expansion in Disney’s Animal Kingdom history with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the park’s new AVATAR-inspired land with blue, Na’vi-inspired shovels.

The area, which is being designed by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with “AVATAR” creator James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment, will be unlike anything ever experienced at a Disney park. Guests will experience the wonders of Pandora when they fly with banshees and explore a rich natural environment with mountains that float and interactive plants that glow at night.

“Disney’s Animal Kingdom is already home to some of our Guests’ favorite attractions,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “With AVATAR, we are adding a spectacular new world and an exciting set of attractions unlike any our guests have experienced. The expansion now under way will make the park a true full-day, must-see experience.”

This week’s milestone is just the first step in a larger expansion for the park that will also include the debut of a new evening spectacular, as well as a nighttime version of Kilimanjaro Safaris.