Slated to be Animal Kingdom’s largest expansion in history, Avatar Land which is currently under construction, is scheduled to open in 2017. The massive project that is a collaborative partnership between Disney and Lightstorm Entertainment was announced in 2011 and the construction works started in 2014.
Walt Disney Imagineering has recently revealed details of the design of the new attraction, called Pandora, the mythical land based on the wildly popular movie Avatar.
Initially, the three Avatar sequels had been planned to begin shooting next year simultaneously and the release date for Avatar 2 was announced December 2016. At the same time, the first phase of World of Pandora at Animal Kingdom in Orlando is slated to open in 2017. However, the director James Cameron said in New Zealand in January that the next Avatar film will be delayed until 2017 because the scripts for the three sequels haven’t been completed yet. The first of the three next Avatar films is currently scheduled to premiere at Christmas 2017. It is likely that the Avatar attraction will open before the release of the sequels.
Disney is reportedly expected to be using elements from the next three Avatar films in the new Pandora land. The art concept images were shown for the first time at the D23 Expo in Japan last year. A few other video teasers were released later, showing spectacular sight of the park during the day and night, a walking path with bioluminescent plants, floating mountains, a boat ride and plenty of night time entertainment. One of the main attractions being built at World of Pandora in Orlando will be a ride simulating a flight on the back of a soaring banshee.
Undoubtedly, the most enthusiastic fans of Avatar are going to truly experience Pandora’s world firsthand.