It doesn’t officially open to the public until May 27th, but Disney has been giving media and annual passholders special access to their newest land, Pandora: World of Avatar. The new land rips the landscape directly from the film, and begins a story all it’s own. While the new area features two signature attractions, it’s the landscape that Disney hopes will blow you away.
We had the chance to check out the new land during annual passholder previews, and the land is simply stunning.
Watch: Take a tour through the Valley at Disney’s Pandora: World of Avatar.
Honestly, we hope that Disney keeps the barrier up to the land, because it really creates a sense of wonder as you go behind it, and across the bridge. That first look at the mountains is amazing. The only thing that we hope to see is some kind of fog surrounding the mountains.
Disney has created this all new world with it’s own story. The events of the four films have already happened. Earthlings know of the film through the “documentary” called Avatar. It was a dramatized version of the real life events that happened on Pandora. Now, some years later, the air is breathable, thanks to the discovery of native plants.
Everywhere you go are unique looking plants, mixed in with a lot of native Florida plants. There’s also small lakes, waterfalls, and all manners of creatures stirring around the land.
This is also a land that is battle scarred, with remnants of the wars left behind. The Na’vi and the people from the fictional travel company, Alpha Centauri Expeditions, have worked hard to rework some of the artifacts left behind and use them in their every day life. From the huge mech suit, to the military canteen, everything now has a purpose. The land is taking things back, and making the world whole again.
When we first got to the area, it was mid-afternoon. The animal sounds were pretty minimal, with bird like sounds and insects buzzing around. As the day got later, the sounds grew louder and made it very clear that bigger, and more aggressive animals were about. The other cool thing is that the area truly goes through a metamorphosis. While the bio-luminescent plants weren’t working, we did get to see some really neat blacklight effects. Yes, it kind of sounds cheap, but when the lights go down and the glow starts to happen, it’s really a different park altogether.
There are very few interactive elements in the land, with maybe some drums, and squirting creatures, but the land works as a thing of beauty. Hopefully we get to see things like the light up footprints, and touch reactive plants that Disney said was going to be in the land once everything opens on May 27th.
Slideshow-Check out hundreds of pictures from Pandora: World of Avatar
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