Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' is a themed area inspired by

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

's ''

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

'', located within

Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the ...

theme park at the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

Bay Lake, Florida Bay Lake is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29 at the 2020 census. It is named after a lake that lies east of the Magic Kingdom. All four of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, and one of Walt Disney ...

, near

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

. Set a generation after the events of the ''Avatar'' films, the area is based upon the fictional

exoplanet An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...

ary moon,

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek language, Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions ...

, and features Pandora's floating mountains, alien wildlife, and

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some b ...

plants. Spanning , Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' includes two major attractions, ''Avatar'' Flight of Passage and

Na'vi River Journey Na'vi River Journey is a dark ride attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom's Pandora – The World of ''Avatar''. The ride takes guests through the Kasvapan River of Pandora from the 2009 film ''Avatar'', showcasing native animals and bioluminesce ...

, as well as retail and dining outlets.

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...

began development on Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' in 2011, jointly with Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, with the intention of transforming Animal Kingdom into a full-day operation, complete with added attraction capacity and nighttime experiences. Construction on the area began on January 10, 2014, and the land opened to the public on May 27, 2017.

History

Development

In early 2011, ''

'' creator and director

was approached by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

executives

Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and C ...

and

Tom Staggs Thomas Owen Staggs (born 1961) is an American business executive and investor. He formerly worked at Disney for nearly 27 years, beginning in 1990, serving as chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO) of The Walt Disney C ...

, CEO and then-COO respectively, regarding the possibility of ''Avatar''-themed attractions at

Disney theme parks Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...

. Originally, discussions were held about creating an ''Avatar'' attraction at

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

, perhaps at the park's then-functioning Studio Backlot Tour. Staggs suggested incorporating the film into a newly designed "land" at

to improve the park's attraction roster. Cameron was initially surprised at Disney's larger approach in scope, commenting that "Disney’s vision when they came to me was to create a land. I thought we were going to be talking about creating an attraction." On September 17, 2011, Disney entered into an exclusive, long-term

licensing A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

agreement with Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

for the worldwide theme park rights to ''Avatar''; Disney agreed to pay Cameron and 20th Century a licensing fee and a percentage of merchandise sales. The deal was officially announced to the public on September 20, 2011. The highlight of the announcement was that Disney's Animal Kingdom would receive a new themed area entirely devoted to ''Avatar.'' While no specifics were announced, the new area was described as being several acres in size and costing an estimated $400 million to build, a scale similar to

Cars Land ''Cars'' Land is a themed area of Disney California Adventure, inspired by the Disney·Pixar franchise, ''Cars'', and Route 66 in America. The area, built as part of Disney California Adventure Park's $1.1 billion expansion project, opened on J ...

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Park ...

in California. The area was later estimated to cost approximately $500 million. Disney showcased a first look presentation of the land in October 2013 at the Japan D23 Expo. Construction began in January 2014, with an initially planned opening date in 2016. The deal could see ''Avatar'' attractions added to other Disney theme parks in the future—

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...

and

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

are also in consideration—however, there are no immediate plans to do so. The opening date was later revised to summer 2017. In February 2017, the official opening day was confirmed to be May 27, 2017. The land received a dedication ceremony on May 24, 2017 with Iger, Cameron, producer

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and rec ...

, 20th Century chairman

Stacey Snider Stacey Snider (born April 29, 1961) is an American film industry executive. She previously served as Chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox before its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. Biography Snider was born to a Jewish family. From 1 ...

, and cast members

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

, Stephen Lang,

Joel David Moore Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...

CCH Pounder Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', '' The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...

, Wes Studi, and

Laz Alonso Laz or LAZ may refer to: People * Laz people of the Black Sea area **Laz language First name * Laz Alonso (born 1975), American actor *Laz Barrera (1924–1991), Cuban-born American racehorse trainer * Laz-D (born 1982), American rapper *Laz Día ...

attending the dedication. To promote the park's opening, ABC aired a series of special episodes of '' The View'' live from the park, including a special pre-opening preview featuring James Cameron, as well as a live episode on the park's opening day festivities, which included guests

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the da ...

John Stamos John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera '' General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the ...

Ariel Winter Ariel Winter Workman (born January 28, 1998) is an American actress. She starred as Alex Dunphy in the ABC comedy series '' Modern Family'', for which she and her co-stars won four consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensembl ...

Eric Stonestreet Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supportin ...

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...

Tom Bergeron Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is an American television personality, game show host, comedian and actor, best known for hosting ''Hollywood Squares'' from 1998 to 2004, ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' from 2001 to 2015, and ''Danci ...

, and chefs

Masaharu Morimoto is a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show ''Iron Chef'' and its spinoff ''Iron Chef America''. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food. Career Morimoto received practical training in sush ...

and Art Smith, with musical performances by

Andy Grammer Andrew Charles Grammer (born December 3, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is signed to S-Curve Records. His debut album, '' Andy Grammer'', was released in 2011 and spawned the singles " Keep Your Head Up" and " F ...

and

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

Design

Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' is designed by

and Lightstorm Entertainment with Cameron and Landau acting as creative consultants. Imagineer

Joe Rohde Joseph Rohde is the ''Experience Architect'' for Virgin Galactic. Rohde was previously a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Rohde's ...

, creative executive of Disney's Animal Kingdom, served as creative director for the project. The area was constructed in the former location of Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was originally earmarked for the Beastly Kingdom, a never-built themed land which would have been based around

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

creatures. Instead of including characters or basing the land on existing plotlines from the films, the team emphasized issues such as

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

and environmental stewardship. Project manager Tim Warzecha described the land as a standalone experience from the films, focusing on "all about the people, the environment, the culture, the animals and the beauty of the world." Rohde cited the film's themes and environmental message as compatible to the park's established values. Rohde said: "If you think about the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure, and personal call to action — these are the values of Animal Kingdom. But if you say them again, those are the themes of the film ''Avatar''. So ''Avatar'' and Animal Kingdom will nest into each other very, very neatly." Disney and Lightstorm decided to set the land's timeline a generation after the warring conflict between the indigenous Na'vi and the Resources Development Administration (RDA) that sought to exploit Pandora for its unobtanium in

the first film ''The First Film'' is a 2015 British documentary film about cinema pioneer Louis Le Prince, made by David Nicholas Wilkinson. It argues the case that Le Prince, rather than the Lumière brothers, was the true inventor of moving pictures, making ...

. According to the backstory, the Na'vi and humans have achieved peace and

Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri ( Latinized from α Centauri and often abbreviated Alpha Cen or α Cen) is a triple star system in the constellation of Centaurus. It consists of 3 stars: Alpha Centauri A (officially Rigil Kentaurus), Alpha Centa ...

Expeditions (ACE)–a fictional tourism company–has partnered with the Na'vi to present Pandora as a new destination for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

and scientific research. As a result, ACE established the Pandora Conservation Initiative to preserve and study the native Pandoran species. In September 2011, Cameron confirmed that a flying attraction featuring "3-D projections and creature designs that were cut from the original film" was a concept on the drawing board for the area. Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' includes elements from the original ''Avatar'' film, '' The Way of Water'', as well as three, yet-to-be-released sequels. Rohde initially admitted difficulty in adapting the locations depicted in ''Avatar'' to the physical realm, as Pandora is portrayed in the films solely through

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...

. Therefore, Imagineering adapted the

concept art Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire th ...

and digital designs from the films and expanded upon it, with Rohde explaining that "there was not enough detail in those images for an actual place that you're really going to build." Nighttime landscape in Pandora – The World of Avatar

A major visual feature of Pandora is the Valley of Mo'ara and its floating

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

s. The -tall mountains employ forced perspective to appear larger than they physically are, and are held aloft by steel beams concealed with rockwork and vinery. Designers were sent to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to study the jagged pillar peaks of the

Wulingyuan Wulingyuan (, zh, c=武陵源) is a scenic and historical site in the Wulingyuan District of South Central China's Hunan Province. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is noted for more than 3,000 quartzite sandstone p ...

region for inspiration, as well as foliage studies in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The steel foundations for the floating mountains required a year to complete. Pandora's

species of flora are also found throughout the area. Imagineers created twenty species of Pandoran flora exclusively for the land. The landscaping consists of real Earth plant species mixed with sculpted Pandora flora, with each alien plant requiring its own concealed control box to create the necessary amount of illumination in bioluminesce during the evening hours. New motion sensor technology developed by

Disney Research Disney Research is a network of research labs supporting The Walt Disney Company. Its purpose is to pursue scientific and technological innovation to advance the company's broad media and entertainment efforts. It has facilities in Los Angeles, Z ...

, allows the plant life to respond to

tactile Tactile may refer to: * Tactile, related to the sense of touch * Haptics (disambiguation) * Tactile (device), a text-to-braille translation device See also * Tangibility, in law * Somatosensory system In physiology, the somatosensory system ...

interaction from guests. Audio recordings of Pandoran animals create ambient noise throughout the land. Unlike previous themed lands and attractions in the company's history, Disney omitted traditional theme park attributes throughout Pandora – The World of ''Avatar—''such as attraction marquees, Disney-branded merchandise, and

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

images on the MyMagic+ scanners found in queues—as a way of maintaining the natural theming of the land. The parks'

cast member In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenpla ...

s play ACE field experts. The area features music composed by

James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner's first film score was in ...

and

Simon Franglen Simon Franglen (born Westminster, London, England) is an English composer of classical and film music. He is also a record producer and former musician. His credits include four of the list of top grossing films and six of the list of best-sel ...

based on the original score from ''Avatar'', which was originally composed by Horner and arranged by Franglen. A soundtrack compilation album of Pandora – The World of ''Avatar'' was released by

Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its ...

on January 4, 2019, containing complete ride-through music for ''Avatar'' Flight of Passage and

, atmospheric area sounds, and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It ...

composed for the Windtraders Shop, Pongu Pongu and Sa'tuli Canteen. The music was recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

and

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

in London. Sandra Benton provided the vocals for the Shaman of Songs in Na'vi River Journey.

Attractions

Floating Mountain in the Valley of Mo'ara (34257437711)

* ''Avatar'' Flight of Passage, a 3D flying simulator thrill attraction, where guests fly on a mountain Banshee over the landscape of Pandora. *

, a

dark ride A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, su ...

boat attraction through the Kapsavan River, showcasing the native fauna and flora of Pandora, including Audio-Animatronics and 3-D holograms.

Entertainment

* Swotu Wayä Na'vi Drum Ceremony – a daily outdoor drum circle performance held at the Valley of Mo'ara meant to recreate a traditional Na'vi drum ceremony. * Pandora Utility Suit – a streetmosphere performance where a Pandoran Conservation Initiative scientist wearing an AMP mech suit interacts with guests and educates them about Pandora.

Restaurants and shops

The land contains two food locations and one shop: * Satu'li Canteen – a quick service restaurant. * Pongu Pongu – a food and beverage stand. * Windtraders – the area's only gift shop.

References

External links

*
Official announcement
at the Disney Parks Blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Pandora-The World of Avatar Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Themed areas in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Amusement rides based on film franchises Amusement rides introduced in 2017 2017 establishments in Florida