It was a coy announcement so reminiscent of those made by the Bob Iger of the past – an “Avatar experience” would be coming to Disneyland. During a recent earnings call, Iger was able to use the buzzword “Avatar” on the back of the film’s success, while also satiating theme park fans by announcing a new experience would be coming to Disneyland. What was lacking was details of what that experience would be. Now, a new article from D23 attempts to continue to piggyback off of the multi-billion dollar franchise while still not describing what, exactly, would be coming to Disneyland. Here’s what D23 offered, followed by some of our own commentary:
While details on the coming Avatar experience remain under wraps, it promises to be as amazing as those found at Walt Disney World Resort. “If you’ve had a chance to experience Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, you have a pretty good idea of what Imagineers are capable of,” said Disney CEO Robert A. Iger when he announced the plans on February 8.
Cameron, director of the Avatar films and founder and CEO of Lightstorm Entertainment, added that the immersive parks experiences dovetail with the movies’ themes. “The films are all about connection… with the physical environment, with family,” he said. “I was thrilled to talk with Bob Iger about additional opportunities for people to step into the wondrous world of Pandora.”
The Disneyland Resort announcement has been a long time coming, since Walt Disney Imagineers have been working to imagine more ways to bring Avatar stories and characters to life since 2017.
Added Jon Landau, partner and COO of Lightstorm Entertainment and producer of the Avatar films, “Together with Disney’s Imagineers, and with future Avatar films already in production, we’re excited about where we might be able take future guests.”
Further comments from the film’s stars used keywords like Valley of Mo’ara and world of Avatar, evoking similarities to Disney World’s Pandora – The World of Avatar themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. When the “experience” was first announced, we assumed it would be a throwaway, limited-time experience at Downtown Disney. That said, continued hype from Disney would make anything less than a themed land with attractions a letdown.
While the expansion/experience was announced for Disneyland, it will be interesting to see if Disney wants to keep details under wraps until September’s Destination D23 Expo, or if they will share more details before then.
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro has echoed Iger’s bullishness on the theme parks as recently as yesterday when he said that TRON Lightcycle Run was just the “tip of the iceberg” as it related to theme park investments.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!