Walt Disney World General
Topic: 9/20/11 AVATAR-Land (True-Life Adventureland)

#	Author	Message
1	AutoPost Tue 9/20/2011 9:41p	This topic is for Discussion of: 9/20/11 AVATAR-Land (True-Life Adventureland)
2	Disneymom443 Wed 9/21/2011 4:51a	I'm looking forward to it, I know my DS and DH will really like it. :)
3	jedited Wed 9/21/2011 4:37p	First, If the movie wasn't so dumb, then maybe this would be a good idea. Second, I think this is a BAD business decision. Why would Disney promote a property it doesn't own?!? I know, "what about Star Wars and Indiana Jones?" Those 2 properties were added originally when Disney had nothing else going for it. The studio was dying and it was a way for Disney to re-invirgorate itself. But NOW Disney has TONS of it's own sucessful properties to chose from.
4	gmaletic Wed 9/21/2011 4:42p	@jedited I think the answer might be: what Disney property would work -at Animal Kingdom-? Is there one you can think of that has the pull of Avatar? (Which is, admittedly, unknown, but at the very least, it's the most successful movie of all time.) I can't think of a recent Disney property that works there, but maybe I'm forgetting something. I think they were specifically addressing shortcomings with Animal Kingdom, e.g., its evening performance.
5	FerretAfros Wed 9/21/2011 9:07p	I'm not sure that Avatar will have the pull that Disney seems to think it will have. Yes, it made a lot of money, but there are very few people still talking about it, 18 months later. What about 5+ years from now, when the place finally opens? Will it be 'relevant'? Will anybody care? And I'm not convinced that it's a good fit for DAK. Yes, it could fill in some voids in the park's lineup, but at what expense? DAK so far has had a pretty consistent vision. This throws all that away. Variety, yes; good fit, notsomuch. I'm fine with Disney stretching beyond their own properties, but this one is a head scratcher.
6	Doobie Thu 9/22/2011 5:20a	I agree if Disney has to do a property this is a good fit. I can't think of anything else in the world of Disney/Pixar/Marvel that really would fit for Universal Studios. But I don't think Avatar on its own will necessarily be a huge draw and wish Disney didn't feel the need to anchor a major Animal Kingdom expansion on an existing franchise. There was a time when Disney would just create a great land that wasn't based on a franchise but, at least under current thought, that seems to be a thing of the past. Doobie.
7	SuperDry Thu 9/22/2011 8:13a	<<< What about 5+ years from now, when the place finally opens? >>> That's about when Avatar 2 and 3 will have come out and will be appearing on BluRay. I think a comparison could be made to Indy and Star Wars: the references the related attractions make to the film franchises are somewhat timeless. People relate to them even though the film may not have been this year's blockbuster. <<< DAK so far has had a pretty consistent vision. This throws all that away. >>> The park currently has references to real live animals as well as extinct ones. I think there always the notion that they'd also like to cover mythical ones as well - that and the jungle setting seem to make it fit to me. From what I've read so far, it at least has the potential to be something very immersive with a "sense of place" much like WWOHP. My only disappointment so far is what Doobie said: <<< There was a time when Disney would just create a great land that wasn't based on a franchise but, at least under current thought, that seems to be a thing of the past. >>> Yea, those were the days. I liked when there were things in the park that existed only in the park, with the exception of souvenir items and a soundtrack that you could buy. The point was that there were experiences you could only have in the park itself and couldn't have at home on DVD. Given that this isn't that, it sounds pretty good to me.
8	gmaletic Thu 9/22/2011 8:32a	@Doobie Regarding the need to bring existing franchises into the park rather than have Imagineering create their own...it's the same thing that's happened in the pinball industry. Stern—the only pinball manufacturer left—only builds games based off of movies and TV shows. (Indeed, they've even built an Avatar pinball machine.) They've gained a built-in market in exchange for the ability to offer a truly novel experience. With Stern it's understandable, because they're fighting for their survival. Disney's not, so it would be nice for them to be more adventurous. You'd think that a property like Pirates would show that original, valuable properties can come directly out of Imagineering. (Though I wonder: given that Imagineering hasn't been creating many original "stories" for a few decades now, do the kind of storytellers that want to tell original stories even work there anymore? As an organization, is it still up to that task?)
9	Doobie Thu 9/22/2011 8:45a	From the start DAK was supposed to be a place that celebrated animals of the past, present and fantasy. The fantasy never came to be (until now) but it's not a new notion and I think it can work just as well as the animals of the past do. <<< You'd think that a property like Pirates would show that original, valuable properties can come directly out of Imagineering. >>> I have no doubt that WDI can create environments like this. They did at DisneySea not so long ago. I just don't think Disney wants to take that risk right now. At least with their own properties I can understand the economic benefits of the cross promotion. But now, not only does it not benefit Disney if the Avatar brand is promoted in the park, they're actually paying for the privilege to do it. Universal clearly needed that kind of boost for their parks. IOA was a great park and it stall lagged in attendance. It needed the WWOHP name to put it over the top. But I firmly believe a land done as well as I expect this to be done but not attached to a known property would have given Disney the same or nearly the same benefit as this will. And without paying the licensing fee. The one part of this I am happy about is James Cameron is known for his high standards. Hopefully he will not let Disney get away with any corner cutting like they would be able to get away with using their own properties. Doobie.
10	Manfried Thu 9/22/2011 8:52a	Cameron is known for high standards and not suffering fools, something WDI seems to be full of these days. Maybe this will shake things up at WDI the way they should.

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