Disney has revealed a behind-the-scenes glimpse of its upcoming theme park attraction based on James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi fantasy film “Avatar.”
The addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Fla., is a re-creation of Cameron’s mythical jungle planet Pandora, the lush home of the film’s blue Na’vi protagonists.
Imagineers have been working on the project since 2011, and Disney is finally unveiling some of their creations in a video and Disney Parks blog post.
The video shows a recent gathering of executives, including Cameron, at Imagineering’s offices in Glendale, Calif. In the video, Cameron inspects models and walks in Disney’s version of Pandora’s bioluminescent forest; the ground lights up with each of his footsteps.
“We’re having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees,” Bruce Vaughn, Walt Disney Imagineering’s chief creative executive, wrote in the post. “This project is really pushing the boundaries of what is possible.”
The “Avatar”-themed addition is expected to open in 2017.
Will you visit Disney’s Pandora? Let us know in the comments.
– Noelene Clark | @NoeleneClark | Google+
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