Pandora The World of Avatar New Details

Just this past weekend Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde and Director James Cameron gave us a whole bunch of new information about Pandora – The World of Avatar, including the back story of the bridge leading into the land and also info on the restaurants and gift shops, and that they are shooting for a “Summer” 2017 opening date (hopefully we don’t get delays like our Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular we are still waiting for.

Now we have even more new details about Pandora The World of Avatar, and about what we are really waiting for: the attractions!

Na’vi River Journey boat ride:

This is going to be a calmer more family friendly ride from what we hear.  It will take guests down the Na’vi River on a magnificent journey through the bio-luminescent forest of Pandora and will focus on the Shaman of Songs who keep the forest alive.  The visuals are absolutely stunning!  The first picture at the top of this page is a shot from the attraction.  The animatronics are absolutely amazing….if you thought they were good on the new Frozen ride, this is in a totally other universe.  Watch one of the animatronics, the Na’vi Shaman in this video:

One of the reasons it’s so realistic is because the size of the Na’vi being so much bigger than humans allows the Imagineers to make the animatronics much more complex, allowing for this realistic movement.  I’ve never seen audio animatronics like this before and if this is what we will see, we are in store for a truly amazing experience.

I’ve heard that the ride system will be similar to the one that the new Pirates of the Caribbean in Shanghai uses.  If you haven’t seen the video of the newest Pirates ride click here and check it out.  With those animatronics and the ride system from Pirates, this will be an absolute can’t miss attraction.

Flight of Passage attraction:

We also got some awesome info about this attraction that allows you to get on top of a Banshee and fly through the land of Pandora.  This will be in 3-D and riders will use some sort of 3-D goggles while in flight. I’m interested in exactly how this system will work.  I envision some kind of system similar to a bike from the new Tron attraction in Shanghai, but you stay stationary while enclosed in a capsule or something.  I’m wondering how you will be able to “link up” with other guests like they say you will be able to do.  This is sure to be a more “thrilling” attraction compared to the more laid-back Na’vi River attraction.

There were new shots of the mountains and the plant-life, which will interact with guests.  The only bummer to me was that the actual Na’vi will be confined to the attractions, so you won’t see the giant alien race walking around Pandora or in the restaurants or anything.  That’s a bit disappointing, but I guess I understand the logistics of it…maybe in the future!

People are going to be so immersed into this land it will be like nothing Disney has shown before.  I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us the Summer!  Stay tuned for more updates…

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Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about the Pandora The World of Avatar New Details.  What do you think of the new attractions?  What do you think they will be like?  Isn’t that animatronic the best you’ve ever seen in your life?  Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂

Photo Credit: Disney