'Avatar' Land in Disney Set for 2017 Launch; First Look at the Park Expansion [PHOTOS]
Disney has shared images giving people a first look at the Avatar land expansion to the park, that is slated for launch in 2017.
Fox and Disney had announced their plans for Avatar theme park attractions in 2011. The first will be opened at Animal Kingdom in Orlando.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Disney had licensed exclusive global rights to the Avatar franchise from Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. The filmmaker will also assist in developing the attractions. Iger said they envisioned the park as being an experience via which visitors to "enter the Avatar universe and explore it first-hand."
"James Cameron is a groundbreaking filmmaker and gifted storyteller who shares our passion for creativity, technological innovation and delivering the best experience possible,' he added.
"Avatar created a world which audiences can discover again and again and now, through this incredible partnership with Disney, we'll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before. With two new Avatar films currently in development, we'll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore," said Cameron. "I'm chomping at the bit to start work with Disney's legendary Imagineers to bring our Avatar universe to life. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality."
In attempts to bring Pandora to life, the park will feature a nighttime jungle of bio-luminescent plants that will be made alive with light and sound. And guests will also experience what it feels like to soar into the sky riding a Banshee. There will also be all-new entertainment experiences, including a new nighttime spectacular where live music, floating lanterns, water screens and swirling animal imagery will combine to bring a show to Discovery River.
