With all the material we got for new articles on our trip to Walt Disney World a couple of weeks ago, you may be wondering why I'm revisiting the topic of Avatarland at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Well, so am I, but for some reason, since reading an Avatar "
First Look", on the Disney Parks Blog, I'm compelled to.
Then there were rumors the project was delayed, maybe even dead. I actually thought that was for the best, they should concentrate on other Disney/Pixar projects.
But then just a few months ago it was announced that Festival of the Lion King would be moving, and construction would begin!
I
did not see the movie in it's theatrical run.
Oddly, despite the fact
that it is the highest grossing movie of all time, I only know a couple
of people who did see it in the theater.
A couple of weeks after
the initial announcement, I rented it from Netflix. While I have a 3D
television, at that time, Avatar was only available
either with a Panasonic 3D television, a Panasonic 3D glasses kit, or on
the secondary market for a price I am not willing to pay for any movie.
So I saw it in standard Blu Ray. Now that it's been released to the general public in 3D, I intend on re-renting it.
The
movie is absolutely stunning visually. And while the story is very
simple, and, as many reviewers have pointed out, derivative of several
other films, I enjoyed it, and was even touched emotionally by it. My
wife, however, was left totally cold, and has absolutely no desire to "waste time on it ever again."
The only issue with the movie for me is, while I enjoyed the film initially, it was
almost immediately forgotten.
I'm guessing at how the imagineers will fit this into Animal Kingdom. The film has a preserve the environment message, and that's a
good fit for Animal Kingdom. And, although I have heard several
arguments that the planet in the movie, Pandora, is being destroyed by
humans, what I feel is overlooked is, that without humans who were
against the destruction of the environment, the native people, the
Na'vi, would have lost. Working against the threat together is what
saved Pandora. I am just surmising that this will be the message for the
new Avatar section of Animal Kingdom. We must all work together to save
the planet.
But will this bring in guests? What kind of following does "Avatar" have? What kind of attractions can be built?
Maybe a "Soarin"
type attraction featuring the very dragon like "Mountain Banshees"? The
whole area can almost be a "Beastly Kingdom", which was meant for the
area occupied by Camp Minnie Mickey originally. The images Disney just released in the aforementioned article are certainly beautiful.
Despite
denials that this is an answer to "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter"
at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, I can't believe it isn't.
Does Disney actually believe that Avatar has the longevity of Harry
Potter?
I am very cautiously optimistic.
What is your opinion?
