Avatar land at Animal Kingdom

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Mark 2017 on your calendar. Avatar is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It will be over three years before theme park goers can enjoy this new Orlando attraction, but a project this big and detailed will surely be worth the wait.

Over two years ago, Disney secured the theme park rights to this blockbuster film franchise. Our first look at this new attraction includes artistic renderings recently released by Disney, depicting guests totally immersed in “Pandora.” This is the fictional planet in which the 2009 film featured and will be the new area within Animal Kingdom. Park visitors will be able to walk among floating mountains with beautiful cascading waterfalls; float down a jungle river with bio-luminescent plants, and be able to soar in the sky on a new ride which will simulate riding a Banshee.

The attractions in Avatar Land will include at least these four experiences:

  1. A soaring-style attraction
  2. An immersive boat ride
  3. A walk-through attraction
  4. Multiple themed restaurants and stores

Avatar is currently the highest grossing movie of all time. How Disney will make it suitable for young children is to focus on the imaginative creatures, intriguing characters and the strong theme of family and loyalty. They will not focus on the plot of the movie. The issue will be when a young child experiences the theme park and then asks to see the movie! What will parents say? Perhaps the movie sequel in this franchise slated to be out in December of 2016, will focus on less violence.

When choosing which Orlando attractions to visit, we hope that guests to the Orlando area will keep in mind that Capone’s Dinner & Show is friendly for all ages to experience! A perfect way to enjoy a day at the theme parks is to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the day followed by an evening at this Orlando dinner show!

The addition of Avatar/Pandora will help Animal Kingdom’s night-time attendance. Some guests attending this Orlando theme park feel it is currently a half day or short day attraction. Some days during the year, it closes as early as 5:00 p.m. With a nighttime show with floating lanterns, water screens and glowing creatures, Disney will captivate their guests for several more hours. In some ways, this new Orlando attraction may even be better experienced at night! A lot of focus is going into new technologies in the park’s development and nighttime features are sure to benefit.

Some people are concerned about the safety and health of the real animals at this Orlando theme park. The additional hours and noises could possibly impact them. Pandora’s animals are imaginary creatures, so there is no concern about their addition.  Disney has assured us that the real animals will be taken to an area away from the night activities and not suffer in any way. Time will tell.

This new attraction coming to Orlando will be an exciting one to experience. Waiting more than 3 years will be the hardest part! During the coming years, parts of Animal Kingdom will be under construction and not so attractive. Let’s just hope anyone visiting this theme park between now and when Avatar Land opens will excuse the dust and return to see the final product. By the way, 2017 will also mark the year when the Orlando International Airport’s expansion is set to be complete. The expansion almost doubles the airport’s capacity…perhaps to accommodate all of the Avatar fans!

Last Updated on October 21, 2013