Three Teasers Give Us a Peek at Walt Disney World's New AVATAR Land
If it seems like we've been talking about Walt Disney World's Avatar Land for years, that's because we have. The addition to the park was first announced back in September of 2011, back in the good old days when James Cameron thought Avatar 2 and 3 would be in theaters in 2014 and 2015. Ha! Good one, Jim.
Now here we are in 2017, and though the sequels still haven't come out yet, the theme park area is finally about to open. /Film points us to a couple of new videos and descriptions of two of the park's new rides. First, there's a soothing boat ride called Na'vi River Journey:
Climb aboard a reed boat and soon you’ll see that on the sacred Kaspavan River, every moment tells a story, and every bend sings a song. This expedition into the rainforest deep within the Valley of Mo’ara will take you right into the middle of Pandora and Na’vi culture. Traveling into the darkest part of the forest, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a canopy of exotic glowing plants and amazing animals on the move. Listen closely and you’ll hear the Na’vi Shaman of Songs as she fills the forest with beautiful music about the sacred bond between nature and ourselves.
Then there's Avatar: Flight of Passage, which simulates a flight on the back of one of the movie's banshees.
In this expedition, you’ll experience the vast natural world of Pandora in all of its glory—from the air, on the back of a mountain banshee. This winged predator is one of the most important and culturally significant animals to the Na’vi. Flying on a banshee is an important rite-of-passage for the Na’vi and now, you will get the chance to test yourself. Soaring through ancient stone arches, under floating mountains and over the lush landscape, this expedition is an experience like no other.
And I found an even newer video that basically recaps the previous two but adds the hype of being able to walk under floating mountains:
I'm still not quite sure how Cameron and the Imagineer design team will pull that particular effect off, but I'm sure the results will be spectacular. One thing's clear: this will definitely make Disney World's Animal Kingdom a must-visit destination for fans when Pandora: The World of Avatar opens there in May 2017.