Two Rides We Know are Coming to Pandora

     It has been a couple years since Disney announced that it would be building a land themed after James Cameron's world from Avatar. The opening has been scheduled for 2017, and details are very slowly coming out as to what will be featured in this new land. We can count on atmosphere, decoration, "floating islands", food, rides, and long lines. In the realm of rides, Disney has confirmed the plans to open two specific rides: a boat-style ride and a flying ride on the back of a Banshee. Here is what we know:

   
     The boat ride will be a slower ride. It will be dark at times, which will give Disney a chance to show off their technological breakthroughs for the land. Imagineers have hinted at an abundance of "bio-luminescent" plant life around your boat. They have also confirmed that there will be small drops on the ride, but made it sound like this would be a relatively tame ride, as compared to the other ride coming to the land. I would guess that your boat will be floating along peacefully in Pandora, on a tour of the land, when a corporation looking to harvest minerals interrupts you and tries to ruin your adventure. Just a guess.
     The second ride that Disney has confirmed is a flying simulation in which guests ride atop Banshees. Joe Rohde of Expedition Everest Imagineering fame has commented that the ride will borrow some technology from Soarin' over at Epcot, but will also bring in new and innovative "ground breaking" technology. He also said it will be a much more thrilling experience than Soarin'. My guess is that Disney is going to use similar technology to that used in The Adventures of Spiderman and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey over at Islands of Adventure. However, I'm sure Disney would never admit this. I am also sure that Disney's storytelling ability will push this attraction well beyond either of those previously mentioned in overall quality.
     Another thing that should be mentioned is the testing of technology for flying creatures that fly independently in the sky. Disney has surprised guests a few times in the sky of the Magic Kingdom by shining a light on a dragon that flies by itself and breathes fire. I could see this working very well with Banshees flying in the skies of Pandora. Here is a link to the video that Disney has released of the dragon technology. That, of course, is speculation. I think Disney is doing exciting things here!

Thanks so much for reading!

-William (www.facebook.com/wdwforthetaking)

Animal Kingdom's Coming Night-time Spectacular: Rivers of Light

     Since its inception, Disney's Animal Kingdom has been the only park in Walt Disney World without a night-time show. In previous articles, I have written about how night-time spectaculars at the World are arguably the most important facet of the parks. The shows are inspirational, thought-provoking, tear-jerking, and bring together the themes of everything you learned and experienced throughout the day. Therefore, I have long advocated for the Animal Kingdom as a half-day park. While the attractions are incredible, the shows beautiful, and the music and atmosphere unique and wonderful, the park has lacked a uniting event to tie together all of the threads of a day at the park. It has lacked a reason to stay and spend time there. However, all that is about to change.
     Disney recently announced officially, and began construction on, a night-time show that will be in the realm of World of Color (at Disney's California Adventure) and Fantasmic!. However, the show will have its own identity, and will feature all new effects and elements that Disney has never done before. Below is the concept art that Disney has released to raise excitement about the coming show:

     

     Some have responded with skepticism about the show, saying that there was a reason there has never been a show. Animal Kingdom has always closed early because the animals in the park need to sleep. Also, a show with bright lights and loud sounds might disturb the animals. However, Disney officials have responded by saying that while the animals are on the savanna and in the exhibits during the day, they go inside to their enclosures at night and are well away from the front of the park. They also say that the show will be suited perfectly for the park that hosts it, implying that the show will be designed to accommodate nearby sleepy animals.  

     This show coincides with the scheduled opening of the Pandora at the Animal Kingdom. Disney is hoping that with these two additions, they will be able to create a reason to visit the park at night, and therefore keep it open longer. The show after dark, as well as the beautifully lit night-time area of Pandora should create plenty of draw to the park at night. One will also notice that the two lands toward the front of the park (Dinoland U.S.A. and Pandora) could both remain open after dark with no fear of disturbing animals. Maybe this was the plan all along...?

     The show will take place on the lake between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest. Construction walls are up around the Tree of Life, as well as around this lake. It is expected that the land around the lake will be expanded, and that trees and other view-obstructing structures will be removed, so as to make a viable viewing promenade. Cranes are up around the Tree of Life, with cherry-pickers being seen next to the tree at night. This leads me to think that the show will include lights and effects on the tree itself. Disney has said that the show will debut some time in 2016, which is interestingly before the scheduled opening of Pandora. Exciting things are afoot! 

Thank you for reading!

-William (www.facebook.com/wdwforthetaking)

Disney's Beastly Kingdom: What Could Have Been

     Happy New Year! I'm back from my holiday vacation and ready to talk some more Disney World! Today I want to share a bit about a land at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This land, however, was never built. Though Disney broke ground recently on an Avatar themed land at the Animal Kingdom, the original intent of the Imagineers was to build an area of the park that focused on mythical creatures such as dragons, unicorns, and the like. This would have given the park two lands based on real continents (Africa and Asia), and two lands based on Animals you can't see anywhere else (Dinosaurs and mythical creatures). The parallelism here is a nice image.
     In 1998, Animal Kingdom opened with three lands available to the public: Africa, Dinoland U.S.A, and Camp Minnie Mickey. Asia wasn't ready for opening day, and Camp Minnie Mickey was always intended to be a place holder for the soon-to-come "beastly kingdom". In the opening of the park, the dragons and unicorns played as important a role in the signage and suspense for the future as did elephants and tigers. To this day, the Animal Kingdom features a "unicorn" section in its parking lot, a dragon on its insignia, and a few other hints for what was to come.
     The most important remnants from the planned kingdom lie along the banks of the Discovery River, which flows around Discovery Island. Many fans will remember that at one point, guests could ride boats on a tour on this river, and get some beautiful views from the park. One important facet of this tour was a mysterious encounter with a rock formation outside of Camp Minnie Mickey. As the boat floated by the rocks, which seemed to be shaped like a dragon (or is it your imagination?), sounds of monsters could be heard from inside, and fire would be shot out of the mouth of the dragon! This was intended to be a little teaser for the land that was soon to open in the park. If you cross the bride to Camp Minnie-Mickey today, you can still see this rock formation in the distance, though Disney tries to hide it now.

http://saitonews.tripod.com/beastly.html

      As the Animal Kingdom grew and aged, the beastly kingdom made less sense. Guests wanted more contact with real animals, and imagineers worried about the impact that fantasy-themed rides would have on the animals. The Festival of the Lion King quickly became the park's most successful show, and was planted firmly in Camp Minnie Mickey. Protesters also made sure Disney heard how much they didn't appreciate comparing real animals to fantasy ones. We will see how people respond to the new Avatar-themed land. For now, it is fun to think about what could have been. We will also see how much of this land ends up coming to fruition with some Avatar attractions as vehicles, rather than Disney-original themes.

Avatar-Land?! But the children!

     This post, I want to briefly talk about a couple possible points of view one can take in response to Disney's announcement of Pandora coming to the Animal Kingdom, as well as its acquisition and planned use of Marvel superheroes in the park. When I first heard each of these announcements, my reaction was distinctly negative.
     I was in Disneyland, riding the Sun Wheel, when I peered on my phone. I saw the announcement that Disney was planning to add Avatar to its Animal Kingdom park in Walt Disney World, and frowned. I looked around at Paradise Pier, the twinkling lights, the whimsy and magic, and thought about the violent and vulgar and adult world of Pandora, as created by James Cameron. How on earth could Disney put that movie into its arsenal and use it to create a magical experience in its theme parks? Unfortunately, I stopped thinking about it after that because it was saddening me.
     I was at Universal CityWalk when I heard about Disney's acquisition of Marvel. I had just exited Islands of Adventure, and was contemplating the shortcomings of Universal Orlando as compared to Disney: their lack of detail work, lack of consideration of interaction, and general grave lack of magic in the parks. I had just seen their Marvel Superhero Island area of Islands of Adventure, and had not had a single interaction with an employee, had seen paint peeling of off the Incredible Hulk, and had been saddened. I was about ready to head back to Epcot and feel like I was part of something important and beautiful. Then I read the news that Disney had bought Marvel. Marvel; the theme of the land I had just exited, full of huge flexing muscles, and heroes who just seem to punch the bad guys to death at the end of the movie.
    Since these moments, I have had a few thoughts:
    First, Disney is never going to let franchises like Avatar and Marvel overtake and supplant the fairytales on which it was founded. When you walk down Main Street USA, do you see any mention of Indiana Jones? Or Star Wars? Aerosmith? American Idol? Secret Life of the American Teenager? All things Disney has used in its parks, and some of them even worked well!
    When I thought of these franchises in the Parks, I got scared, and then I realized Disney has been doing this for years and it had never phased me before! Is Avatar for children? No! Is Indiana Jones for children? Absolutely not! Those movies are violent and sexual and not at all appropriate for children. However, no one ever complains about the fact that Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland is inappropriate for kids. The same goes for Star Tours. Star Wars is violent, and Star Tours is still a wonderful experience at the parks.
    All that said, I don't personally care for Marvel, or what it teaches society, or how it makes me feel. Avatar was a big and cool movie, but also not particularly uplifting. However, I think Disney can do something incredible in the parks. And more importantly than that, I don't think we have to worry about either of those brand names replacing what we love: the magical whimsy and nostalgic "dreams come true" mantra that we all come back for while strolling down Main Street.