Kaltxì! travelers from Earth towards the mysterious and the mythological world of Pandora. Today marks the grand historical grand opening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom of a fictional world from James Cameron’s blockbuster hit from 2009 of Avatar. Guests are transported towards this alien moon of Pandora where they can discover floating mountains, bioluminescent forests, and teaching guests of the environmental challenges that can be related back towards Earth.
Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) is your tour group that consists of different tour guides, scientists, and conversationalists of bringing civilians from Earth towards Pandora and learning how importance of protecting nature and how importance are the indigenous people of the Na’vi are.
This is the largest expansion between the collaboration of Walt Disney Imagineering and Lightstorm Entertainment in where visiting by the day in which you can experience the lush and immersive views of Pandora. By the nighttime, experience it in a whole different vibe and setting of the bioluminescent forests and seeing all the beautiful colors of alien planet life come to life.
Guests can also try the brand new Satu’li Canteen from the Na’vi culture of many different cuisines to try out or adopt your own Banshee from Windtraders to be connected with your inner “Avatar”. Adopt your own Banshee has been the most popular purchase for guests visiting the planet of Pandora and can return back home safely back towards Earth to keep.
Satu’li Canteen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Source: (©Disney Parks Blog)
The 12-acre expansion of Pandora takes place many years after the first Avatar film from Cameron’s smash hit and it isn’t about Jake or Neytiri, it’s all about “you” going towards the planet. ACE Employees will answer any questions you can ask about Pandora and the civil war between the RDA Mining Company and the Na’vi who literally tried to damage and crippled the Pandora from the first film. The fact it’s so convincing your actually living and be submerged in towards Pandora, that it doesn’t feel like your in a theme park and a “actual living world” realistic world.
The Valley of Mo’ara is only just a section your in the planet of Pandora and has two attractions for guests to experience, Flight of Passage and the Na’vi River Journey. The Na’vi people aren’t present in the valley due towards ACE taking over the location for their guests to invite them in. However, guests can spot many clues, references, and easter eggs of their remains to spot of their presence that they were there.
The Valley of Mo’ara and floating mountains that can be seen from every angle when visiting Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Source: (©EasyWDW)
Flight of Passage will take you on a unremarkable journey with gorgeous native Na’vi art work through the queue towards the ACE laboratories that research the planet of Pandora and some other “hidden” surprises too. Na’vi River Journey will take you on a calming boat ride through the vibrant and lush rainforest of Pandora and will able to see Disney’s most highly advance audio animatronic of a Na’vi Shaman.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Pandora share the same core philosophical views and culture of wildlife and the importance of nature of how much we have to converse and protect it. Joe Rohde, who is the Portfolio Executive Creative for Walt Disney Imagineering and the man who brought Pandora to life explained this quote perfectly about the relationship between the two from ABCNews:
Portfolio Creative Executive, Joe Rohde of Walt Disney Imagineering is one of the driving pioneers that brought Pandora: World of Avatar from James Cameron’s blockbuster hit from the screen towards real life Source: (©LA Times)
“Animal Kingdom was founded on a set of values that inform everything we do,” Rohde said. The intrinsic value of nature, psychological adventure, or seeing and experiencing something you never have before and finally, that the story is about the person visiting, a personal call to action are the three values, Rohde said. “What happens in Animal Kingdom is your story and when you think about those values, they are the same ones that sit under the movie ‘Avatar.’
From myself, having a much more and educational understanding between Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Pandora, this daunting of a challenging task was from the impossible towards the possible of what the two mega teams have created. Cameron and Rodhe for their teams are the driving pioneers of what life would be like on the planet and what their guests can see, touch, feel, and smell in this captivate atmosphere.
The Na’vi Shaman, in the Na’vi River Journey attraction is Disney’s most realistic and highly advanced audio animatronic that they ever created for Pandora: The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Source: (©LATimes)
Walt Disney Imagineering and Lightstorm Entertainment have certainly hit a home run since six years ago that it was announced of Cameron’s blockbuster film would be brought towards the park. The hard work and dedication will be certainly for many years to come and what the upcoming Avatar sequels that Cameron has planned will certainly reflect upon guests despite them being a fan or not seeing the film.
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