So, I know that Avatar is the highest grossing film EVER, but that being said, I wasn't really a big fan. Amazing technology aside, I thought the storyline was derivative and hackneyed. I mean, I've seen Fern Gully. Needless to say, I was (at first) a little disappointed when I heard that Pandora was going to be an entirely new land in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. I honestly wondered what Disney could possibly be thinking. Lou Mongello of WDW Radio made me feel a little bit better about it in his reassurance that Disney always knows what it's doing and in the fact that it hasn't really disappointed yet (although SpectroMagic fans might disagree on that point).
Anyway, I had sort of forgotten all about it until the D23 Expo in Tokyo revealed all new concept art. And even though I'm still not a fan of the film's cliched storyline, I'm in love with what Disney's planning. See for yourself:
Anyway, I had sort of forgotten all about it until the D23 Expo in Tokyo revealed all new concept art. And even though I'm still not a fan of the film's cliched storyline, I'm in love with what Disney's planning. See for yourself:
Honestly, after seeing that preview, who doesn't want to visit Pandora? It looks GORGEOUS! I love the idea of the new attractions, and I love the idea of keeping Animal Kingdom open even later. I can't wait to see how they execute the bioluminiscent forest. And maybe, just maybe, the next few Avatar films will have better story-lines that go beyond the blue Pocahontas-Grandmother Willow thing. But even if the next few movies are just live action versions of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, you can't argue with the fact that the scenery of Pandora is breathtakingly sublime. You also, in my opinion, can't argue with James Cameron's skill as a technological innovator or Joe Rohde's skill as a consummate Imagineer. I think when those two things are combined, Disney probably can't go wrong.
What do you think?
What do you think?