Am I the only one puzzled by Pandora?

[cigar95]

I am the one and only person charmed by DinoLand. I really like it. Primeval Whirl is one of my favorite rides.

Once you catch the satire, it's actually rather clever. The difficulty is that to make it really work, they needed to carry the satire even further.
Regrettably, I'm one of those whose brain gets scrambled by Primeval Whirl, so I haven't ridden it in ages. Same reason that the two Universal attractions that were the worst for me were Jimmy Neutron and Cat in the Hat.

 

[BrianL]

Once you catch the satire, it's actually rather clever. The difficulty is that to make it really work, they needed to carry the satire even further.
Regrettably, I'm one of those whose brain gets scrambled by Primeval Whirl, so I haven't ridden it in ages. Same reason that the two Universal attractions that were the worst for me were Jimmy Neutron and Cat in the Hat.

I think it only works on those of us who might have been to one of those roadside tourist trap type things when we were kids. Cheesy? Yes, very, but fun. I'd like to see a few changes made, but the theme of the land is not the problem.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I never saw the movie. We might watch it before we go in September. I'm looking forward to it simply for the new rides and it will probably be beautiful. I probably won't give it a thought that it's actually attached to a movie.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Pandora was their response, they are depending on it to boost attendance and they have sunk a fortune in to it for a reason ... and it's not to just expand AK, that could have been done for much less.

There is a difference between a response and an answer. I feel like you subtlety moved the goalposts.

Of course they responded with Pandora. That's obvious just by looking at the time line. But I don't believe it's their "answer" to Harry Potter World. Their answer was more the combo of Pandora, TSland, and SWland. But when you look at all 3, Pandora is the appetizer. Nothing more.

 

[mamamelody2]

I also am puzzled by Pandora. But I look forward to seeing it!

 

[PatMcDuck]

My family LOVED Avatar, and they are all very excited about Pandora. It is a really good movie, sort of sic-fi but not really overly complex sic-fi. So even non sci-fi people could enjoy it. It has a strong conservation enviornmental message. Would it have been my first choice? Maybe not, but maybe yes when I really think about it. It is far more exciting than the original "Beastly Kingdom" theme for AK expansion.

The movie was especially gorgeous in theaters on the big screen, compared to on TV via DVD or streaming. I think taking a young man in a wheelchair and having him explore Pandora, with such excitement was so entertaining. My only complaint might be that is is super long, like a typical James Cameron film. But I remember in the theatres, I did not feel that way at all, I was entranced.

 

[GPC0321]

The only time I've watched Avatar was in the theater, and we saw it 3-D. The one thing I remember about it, besides it being a sci-fi version of Pocahontas with blue people, was how pretty Pandora was, and how cool I thought it would be to go there.

So, for that reason alone, I'm excited to see Pandora coming to AK. It fits the conservation theme, and with new movies coming out (I didn't realize this was the case until this thread), it will remain relevant. And I just love AK so much. I'm coming to the realization that we probably won't be able to visit AK on our short December trip. Just too much Christmasy stuff to do, and I don't want to run my poor old folks ragged. It makes me sad, especially with RoL, Tiffins, and Pandora. But! That gives me a great reason to hopefully go back!

 

[MystikaFaith]

Most people I know who did not see it in the theatre on the big screen in IMAX or 3D don't like it. Avatar made the money it did because it was groundbreaking 3d and stunningly beautiful on the big screen--- everyone wanted to look at it-- I don't think it was ever really about the storyline itself.

Exactly, it was the 3d impressiveness that drew the masses in at the time, but that's old news now. The storyline was garbage. I highly suspect the sequels will flop. That said, I'm excited for the new rides. New rides are new rides and the theming does seem very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I would have much rather had the original "mythical creatures" land that was planned.

I will go see the stuff in the new "land" but I still have no desire to see the movie.

I often hear it did well but I know of no one personally who saw it. I seem to recall many people seeing it multiple times...those who did love it. Perhaps that's how it made so much money?

 

[Tuffcookie]

IMO, the movie was okay. That said, I am looking forward to something new at AKP. With Rivers of Light and Pandora Land, this will maybe become a park more pople will chose to spend an entire day in!

TC

 

[cobright]

Presumably you're aware that the effect you note is not about "anti-environmentalism" but about politics.
And with that comment, I probably send the thread down the slippery slope to a swift and inevitable closure.

I think most "anti-" philosophies are political. Anti-environmentalism, anti-intellectualism, or whatever is by definition a reaction to something. The ones that make it onto the 24hr news cycle tend to be political. And, whatever... I only bring it up because I think that it had something to do with how the American market perceived or received this film. I'm not making a political point and nobody really needs to inject one either (the entire history of the internet might seem to disagree with me). Personally, I have heard compelling political arguments for and against environmental causes.

Except that I think that, broadly speaking, politics had something to do with with why this movie is seen as a bit of a dud by so many despite its record breaking success, the political aspect doesn't need to go any further then that. It's not controversial to suggest that a significant portion of our country is (right or wrong) dubious of environmentalist claims, whereas much of the rest of the world is far more accepting of them. And it's certainly not controversial to suggest that Avatar had a blatantly strong, even accusatory and judgmental, pro-environmentalism message.

 

[PetePanMan]

Even if you didn't like the movie, some of the images / lands / creatures were visually stunning. The boat ride and flight attractions are based on some of the best aspects of movie.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I've not seen Avatar (DH has and loved it) and to be honest, I'm not interested in seeing it. But I'm really looking forward to visiting Pandora. I'm sure Disney has done an amazing job and I don't think I'm going to have needed to see the movie to enjoy it.

 

[Lesverts]

Reports from the time suggested Disney was originally approached with the rights for Potter but passed on it.

Disney didn't pass. JK Rowling did. Every credible report I've seen is that Rowling refused to give up creative control and walked right into the waiting arms of Universal where they agreed to her terms.

Disney, and by Disney I mean Iger, was betting on an established IP to draw in crowds compared to building a new land based around something else. Namely the Beastly Kingdom which wouldn't have had the 'built in' audience that an IP would. It has kind of back-fired on them given the dramatic decline of Avatar.

 

[DVCcurious]

Further, if people still visit Tom Sawyer Island, I have a hard time believing they won't visit Pandora.

But Tom Sawyer is a classic novel everyone has to read in high school (maybe not everyone, but a lot of people). I'm sure most Americans know the story of Jim and Tom riding on a raft on the Mississippi River heading north to freedom.

Will people know about Avatar 150 years from now? Probably not.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

But Tom Sawyer is a classic novel everyone has to read in high school

Not relevant, IMO. People visit it because it's there. There is nothing at Disney that is empty. Everything has crowds. Why? Because they spent money and so they are going to get their money's worth.

And Tom Sawyer was just an example of an area that isn't used to its full potential. I could have easily cited It's a Small World. That has big crowds still even though the ride stinks.

 

[Nancyg56]

So you both aren't going to go to Pandora when you visit AK? To me, that's kind of silly to miss out on something potentially great just because you didn't like the movie. I've never even seen it.

And in answer to shouldn't it be a movie people care about - there are quite a few people who visit Universal to see Harry Potter based on positive word of mouth, not because they have read the books or seen the movies.

Marketing - if Disney does it right people won't need to associate Pandora with anything but an awesome land in Animal Kingdom.

I think that the idea that one must love a movie to appreciate an attraction or a Land in WDW is kind of narrow minded. I cannto wait for this new Land to open. It looks pretty darn special. I have never seen Avatar and may not bother before I go back to Disney, but I will not miss Pandora. If the visual effects are 1/2 as stunning as they were promised, this wil be a wonderful addition to DAK.

I also agree that DIsney marketing will be spot on in regards to drawing folks into the new land. DAK is pretty special as it is, so adding another dimension will only be helpful.

I've never had any interest in seeing Avatar. Actually, I'm shocked that it was such a huge grossing movie, since it was not even a small blip on the radar when it was released! Maybe some good will come out of this, and Avatar land will have a good restaurant! LOL

Tiffins. It is right "next door". Nomads lounge is there as well.

 

[iheartbelle87]

Love this! Neither DH or I have seen Avatar BUT I thought we missed something BIG in 2009 but I guess not... we're still planning on watching it before our May trip so we can feel like we have a better sense of what the check is going on when the new land opens

 

[brockash]

Hoping this won't come across the wrong way because I always look forward to seeing new things at WDW and Pandora is no exception, however . . .

I am a bit puzzled by the choice of Pandora as a new land at AK. I mean Avatar came out in 2009 and while we went to see it when it came out, I honestly haven't given it a second thought since then. I really don't even remember much about it. Is there a sequel coming out or something? My 15 year old son loves all the Star Wars movies and other action/SI movies but he could care less about Avatar.

While I will be excited to see what it is all about when we are there in July, I can't say that I'm excited because of the Avatar theme per se, more just because it's new. It just seems like an incredibly outdated option to me. I understand that it is probably more difficult to come up with a new theme for AK but it just seems odd to me.

No one in my family (extended included) has seen Pandora (or for that matter even knew it was a movie lol) and it's not like we don't see movies, but it must have been something that didn't interest us, and while we're happy to experience new rides/attractions, that's all they'll be to us is a ride. At Disney, attractions are usually much more than just a mechanical ride for us, but we'll see what we think. No one in my family (kids, nephews. nieces, siblings, etc.) really cares about the Pandora stuff. It never comes up in conversation and I doubt we'll put much effort in making sure we get to experience it if there's much of a wait...which is very out of character for our family and Disney stuff lol.

 

[River Country]

IDK I am kinda torn. I never saw the movie but I will watch it before my July trip. I don't think you have had to seen the movie to enjoy this area. I think its a better use of space for AK then Camp Minnie Mickey was. 2 new attractions and one looks like its a spin off of Soarin' which looks cool. We will check it out but to say I am as as excited about this as I am SWland or TSland ummmmmmm no