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

[Brian G.]

again this is what i mean
i dont see how WDW doesnt gain attendance from this
Crappy NFL gave MK a 6% bump

Ehhhhhhh.....

MK is always MK, so anything new will always cause waves; and regardless of opinion - Mermaid and BatB are some pretty big IPs for the princess/young crowd.

Not saying it can't happen, just saying I don't think NFL is any indication of anything for AK.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Also the fiasco with Rivers of Light and keeping the park open late proved that the park is operationally not ready to have late hours.

Food was essentially unavailable as the few carts and kiosks that remained open didn't have any ice and ran out of items early in the evening and weren't restocked (the stockers worked day shifts only).

You can't really see an animal enclosure at night, so the trails shut down, and then the Silent Night Safari was at best "weird" and at worst "absolutely terrible." They didn't run shows either, or modify their schedules to play more in the evenings and afternoon than mornings. So again, the park felt empty with nothing to do.

When the best looking area of the park at night is DinoLand you know there's serious issues.

 

[Nick]

again this is what i mean
i dont see how WDW doesnt gain attendance from this
Crappy NFL gave MK a 6% bump

To be fair, NFL sold itself because it was based on classic Disney animation. Avatar is a harder sell as an IP as most have forgot about it.

 

[Nick]

Also the fiasco with Rivers of Light and keeping the park open late proved that the park is operationally not ready to have late hours.

Food was essentially unavailable as the few carts and kiosks that remained open didn't have any ice and ran out of items early in the evening and weren't restocked (the stockers worked day shifts only).

You can't really see an animal enclosure at night, so the trails shut down, and then the Silent Night Safari was at best "weird" and at worst "absolutely terrible." They didn't run shows either, or modify their schedules to play more in the evenings and afternoon than mornings. So again, the park felt empty with nothing to do.

When the best looking area of the park at night is DinoLand you know there's serious issues.

I feel like they could easily leave some animals out late (maybe have nocturnal enclosures?), but the biggest problem is low-lighting. Lighting is what draws people to places in many cases and a lot of the park just seems dark at night.

Of course the blue glow from Pandora should draw people in I guess.

 

[twebber55]

To be fair, NFL sold itself because it was based on classic Disney animation. Avatar is a harder sell as an IP as most have forgot about it.

i disagree but im not debating it again

 

[Nick]

i disagree but im not debating it again

Hey, i'm excited for Pandora and i'll defend it on many things, but being a marketable IP certainly isn't one of it's better qualities.

I think Avatar will be a grower on people. They may not make that special trip for the opening, but when they do make their trip down, they'll fall in love with the land.

 

[brianlo]

Yeah, but if the attractions are less than expected (screenz and 1 animatronic), who cares?

The Disney fans will love it no matter what, and most people will enjoy it as well. It's just the idea that it's entirely screen based with just one animatronic. If Universal did the same attraction, the Disney crowd would bash it, since Disney is doing it, it will be the second coming of Walt.

Variety.

That's it. Universal builds fantastic rides and Dis is getting one very Uni-esque simulator thrill attraction. I think the Uni fans will love it, because it is very much what we see out of Universal. But it's become just about the only thing we have seen recently from them. They are smartly changing that strategy in the next few years.

Plus a boat ride, which although is Shanghai's Pirates lite (aka a D-ticket instead of a mega-E) is nothing really like what Universal typically builds. Set integration, pacing and an effective marriage of technology that I've only seen Uni pull off recently with Forbidden Journey (but that's an altogether different ride. Part-simulator/thrill/dark-ride/omni-mover) and longer ago with Spiderman.

Kong in Orlando is the only thing open of note outside of Ratatouille in France I've not been on, so I can't offer proper commentary on it.

This adds significant additional variety to Animal Kingdom. It would very much be more of the same if this was being built in Universal, but Animal Kingdom has nothing really like this. That's all I (and many others) want for Universal Studios, variety.

 

[Nick]

Variety.

That's it. Universal builds fantastic rides and Dis is getting one very Uni-esque simulator thrill attraction. I think the Uni fans will love it, because it is very much what we see out of Universal. But it's become just about the only thing we have seen recently from them. They are smartly changing that strategy in the next few years.

Plus a boat ride, which although is Shanghai's Pirates lite (aka a D-ticket instead of a mega-E) is nothing really like what Universal typically builds. Set integration, pacing and an effective marriage of technology that I've only seen Uni pull off recently with Forbidden Journey (but that's an altogether different ride. Part-simulator/thrill/dark-ride/omni-mover) and longer ago with Spiderman.

Kong in Orlando is the only thing open of note outside of Ratatouille in France I've not been on, so I can't offer proper commentary on it.

This adds significant additional variety to Animal Kingdom. It would very much be more of the same if this was being built in Universal, but Animal Kingdom has nothing really like this. That's all I (and many others) want for Universal Studios, variety.

Exactly.

A ride where I don't need to grab a set of 3D glasses beforehand is the first step in the right direction for UNIVERSAL.

For DISNEY, 3D Simulators are less common. They actually have nothing like Spidey, TF, or Gringotts on property. Which is why adding something like it to DAK shouldn't be looked at as Disney v. Uni and instead about improving the ride's park and helping make it a more well rounded experience. That goes for both Disney and Uni. They should both be looking to be well rounded. The more well-rounded you are, you wider your appeal is.

 

[chewbacca1995]

Also the fiasco with Rivers of Light and keeping the park open late proved that the park is operationally not ready to have late hours.

Food was essentially unavailable as the few carts and kiosks that remained open didn't have any ice and ran out of items early in the evening and weren't restocked (the stockers worked day shifts only).

You can't really see an animal enclosure at night, so the trails shut down, and then the Silent Night Safari was at best "weird" and at worst "absolutely terrible." They didn't run shows either, or modify their schedules to play more in the evenings and afternoon than mornings. So again, the park felt empty with nothing to do.

When the best looking area of the park at night is DinoLand you know there's serious issues.

AK's nighttime issue is definitely from lack of indoor attractions. While Pandora will add two more indoor attractions that operate from open to close, the park will still be significantly behind since TDO never bothered to properly address expansion for the park.

In 18 years, the park has added a river rapids ride (that should have been ready by opening day), a carnie mini-land (instead of the Excavator coaster or family-friendly dino dark ride rumored) and Expedition Everest (admittedly a great addition to the park, but the lack of attractions keeps TDO from fixing the Yeti since they can't afford to keep Everest down for extended periods)

If TDO wants to fix AK, they'll need to add a few dark rides/coasters. Lion King and Jungle Book are two obvious examples for dark rides in Africa and Asia. Dinoland could use an alternative option for kids too short/scared to ride DINOSAUR (if only Good Dinosaur earned more than peanuts ). Rafiki's Planet Watch could include a retro Epcot-esque dark ride focused more on teaching about conservation.

There are opportunities to fix the nighttime issues, but the question is whether TDO will find the time in the next decade. I'd say no, because Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, DHS's parking overhaul, the Tomorrowland revamp and the Epcot overhaul are likely going to dominate the next decade. If AK gets any expansion plans, it won't be until at least the early 2020s IMO.

Variety.

That's it. Universal builds fantastic rides and Dis is getting one very Uni-esque simulator thrill attraction. I think the Uni fans will love it, because it is very much what we see out of Universal. But it's become just about the only thing we have seen recently from them. They are smartly changing that strategy in the next few years.

Plus a boat ride, which although is Shanghai's Pirates lite (aka a D-ticket instead of a mega-E) is nothing really like what Universal typically builds. Set integration, pacing and an effective marriage of technology that I've only seen Uni pull off recently with Forbidden Journey (but that's an altogether different ride. Part-simulator/thrill/dark-ride/omni-mover) and longer ago with Spiderman.

Kong in Orlando is the only thing open of note outside of Ratatouille in France I've not been on, so I can't offer proper commentary on it.

This adds significant additional variety to Animal Kingdom. It would very much be more of the same if this was being built in Universal, but Animal Kingdom has nothing really like this. That's all I (and many others) want for Universal Studios, variety.

I agree. While SWL and Pandora seem to rely on screens more than most Disney attractions, WDW has plenty of physical sets/AAs to balance out the screen use.

AK really needs more to do during thunderstorms/nighttime hours, so two indoor attractions are welcome and will greatly enhance the amount of time someone spends in AK (and likely increase the number of late-afternoon Parkhoppers once Rivers of Light finally gets up and running).

 

[Nick]

AK's nighttime issue is definitely from lack of indoor attractions. While Pandora will add two more indoor attractions that operate from open to close, the park will still be significantly behind since TDO never bothered to properly address expansion for the park.

In 18 years, the park has added a river rapids ride (that should have been ready by opening day), a carnie mini-land (instead of the Excavator coaster or family-friendly dino dark ride rumored) and Expedition Everest (admittedly a great addition to the park, but the lack of attractions keeps TDO from fixing the Yeti since they can't afford to keep Everest down for extended periods)

If TDO wants to fix AK, they'll need to add a few dark rides/coasters. Lion King and Jungle Book are two obvious examples for dark rides in Africa and Asia. Dinoland could use an alternative option for kids too short/scared to ride DINOSAUR (if only Good Dinosaur earned more than peanuts ). Rafiki's Planet Watch could include a retro Epcot-esque dark ride focused more on teaching about conservation.

There are opportunities to fix the nighttime issues, but the question is whether TDO will find the time in the next decade. I'd say no, because Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, DHS's parking overhaul, the Tomorrowland revamp and the Epcot overhaul are likely going to dominate the next decade. If AK gets any expansion plans, it won't be until at least the early 2020s IMO.

Yeah, as someone who went to DAK for the night stuff and it started pouring out of nowhere over the summer, there was nothing to see or ride while it was raining beyond Dinosaur and Bugs Life. The theatrical shows had already ended for the day and they also ended up canceling JB: AwM that night bc of the rain. I have a feeling that RoL will be a tough show to run consistently during the summer months.

 

[Tobias]

*Catches up with everything, including more word that the boat ride is screens a go-go with the only AA in the queue*

Well, that boat ride was the only thing I had a shred of intrest in and now it's gone. (Can't say "But Shanghai Pirates.." since for me what looks the best in that attraction are the AA's. Something we keep hearing is NOT in this ride itself.) Good job Diz, this is the first theme park land I just can't get excited for.

 

[twebber55]

*Catches up with everything, including more word that the boat ride is screens a go-go with the only AA in the queue*

Well, that boat ride was the only thing I had a shred of intrest in and now it's gone. (Can't say "But Shanghai Pirates.." since for me what looks the best in that attraction are the AA's. Something we keep hearing is NOT in this ride itself.) Good job Diz, this is the first theme park land I just can't get excited for.

how bout we let it open before writing it off

 

[Mad Dog]

how bout we let it open before writing it off

Yeah. I really have no issues with screen oriented attractions for Avatar. To me, the key is if they are high quality, fun & entertaining attractions. And whether they are close to being worth the investment. That's how I'll judge them.

 

[Tobias]

how bout we let it open before writing it off

It haven't written it off yet, believe me I -want- to get excited for this. But personally for me it's hard to get excited when there's been one thing after another that diminishes expectations, not what I wanna' see from a billion dollar land that's quite a bit more expensive then lands which I am excited about.

 

[darkridelover]

Question- How many kids under the age of 12 have even seen this PG-13 movie from 7 years ago and are familiar with it. My guess is, not many.

 

[twebber55]

Question- How many kids under the age of 12 have even seen this PG-13 movie from 7 years ago and are familiar with it. My guess is, not many.

who cares

 

[Joel]

Question- How many kids under the age of 12 have even seen this PG-13 movie from 7 years ago and are familiar with it. My guess is, not many.

I believe the question should be how many WILL see the next 4. that movie wasn't Disney yet

EDIT: 4 not 3

 

[Truecoat]

Question- How many kids under the age of 12 have even seen this PG-13 movie from 7 years ago and are familiar with it. My guess is, not many.

With 4 more movies by 2023, they'll all know Avatar.

 

[darkridelover]

With 4 more movies by 2023, they'll all know Avatar.

Not if they're PG-13

 

[Joel]

Not if they're PG-13

you just need a parent with you if you're under 13 for PG-13 movies.. most people see PG-13 movies way before 13 y.o.