Disney's Avatar Land is Great Even if You Don't Love Avatar. Share. Walt Disney World's Pandora: The World of Avatar is well worth visiting whether you care about the movie or not.

By Eric Goldman and Trish Troesh (Photos) It was easy to be cynical about Pandora: The World of Avatar leading up to its opening at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando last week. And look, I shared a lot of those worries. It’s been 8 years since Avatar opened and in the time since - - despite still being the highest grossing movie ever - - the film has sort of fallen off the pop culture map. While long- promised sequels are in the works, it felt like no one cared about Avatar anymore, so why would they care about an entire theme park land devoted to it?

News, reviews, previews, tips, and downloads for multiple platforms. Award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki explores the parallels between the rise and fall of Elvis Presley and America itself in his latest documentary 'Promised Land. Learn about the riders, places, and crews that make up the Arcadia movie, and what makes them all unique. Full film releasing on iTunes October 10, 2017. · · MARCHING TO ZION Full Video - Who are God's Chosen People? Documentary featuring: Steven L. Anderson, Paul Wittenberger Order the DVD today: http://store. · We pay a visit to Walt Disney World's new Pandora: The World of Avatar land and find it works even for non-Avatar fans.

The answer is simple: Because it’s a terrific experience, no matter your investment in the film that inspired it. I’m someone who never was much of an Avatar fan to begin with, finding the film beautiful but hollow, and I haven’t revisited it since I saw it in the theater… and yet I loved Pandora. It’s a wonderfully made theme park experience, capped off by one hell of a ride. So what is it about Pandora that makes it so worthwhile? Let’s go over some of what you’ll find. It Has One of the Best Theme Park Rides Ever.

Flight of Passage is a masterpiece. I love this ride so much, I wrote a separate story just about why it’s so effective and why it’s one of the best theme park rides I’ve ever been on - - and as a huge Disney parks fan (and theme park fan in general), I don’t say that lightly. I won’t repeat myself here - - you can check out my full writeup about it - - except to say that the ride is genuinely emotionally moving in a way I’d never experienced on a theme park ride… and honestly, in a way I didn't experience from Avatar, the movie. The ride made me want to be a part of this world for the first time. The Entire Land Looks Great.

Okay, it’s easy to tell the large versions of the floating mountains of Pandora aren’t really floating - - and rather a clever piece of architecture - - but they’re quite impressive to look at, nonetheless. The one thing most people will agree on about Avatar, the film, is it looked great, and Pandora has been lovingly recreated at Animal Kingdom. Those rock formations draw your eye immediately, and they’re surrounded by several lovely waterfalls. The alien plants that fill the area are colorful and fascinating, and the cave art and other nuances both throughout the land and in the queue areas for the two rides helps build out the world.

Plus, there's an “AMP” mech suit on display that is very cool to check out. But it Looks Especially Amazing at Night. As interesting as Pandora is visually by day, it’s phenomenal at night.

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In the film, Pandora was a bioluminescent world and here, that’s been brought to life in vivid detail. Walking into the land at night, you can't; help but stare at the ground, which is filled with a trippy, mesmerizing glow - which then extends everywhere, in those alien plants, trees and rocks all through Pandora. At the time, laying on the lit- up ground in Pandora seemed like a perfectly logical thing to do. It’s easy to “ooh” and “ahh” at it all, and if the wait times for the rides are too long, you still can have a really cool experience just walking around the area at night. The Na’vi River Journey Is Chill.

Besides Flight of Passage, the other ride in Pandora is the Na’vi River Journey. Unlike the more intense experience on Flight of Passage, the river is meant to be friendly both for all ages and for those who may like their rides on the calmer side. It’s essentially a classic Disney boat ride, only instead of watching pirates in the caribbean, you’re floating through Pandora. The beginning of the ride sets the stage for what’s to follow, as you float along a serene, bioluminescent riverbank with many Pandora insects and such surrounding you.

A bit of film footage is used for creatures and Na’vi in the background, but most of what you’re seeing is physically built - including a really impressive animatronic of the Na’vi "Shaman of Songs" at the end that has some rather amazing movement, showing how far this technology has come since it was introduced into rides of this sort. The Shaman of Songs on the Na'vi River Journey ride.

That being said, the ride feels like it’s lacking a certain something - a couple of extra big moments that might help it stand out more or tell more of a story. The climax is that aforementioned Shaman and yes, she's a notable creation, but it still felt like this could have paid off better. Watch Extraterrestrial Online Forbes.

The Food is.. Decent. I was a bit let down by this aspect of Pandora, simply because Disney has a lot of great food at their parks. And the concept behind some of the Pandora food - - served at the Satu’li Canteen - - is fun, like the “pods” which are essentially Chinese bao- type buns, but filled with different kind of foods than you’d get in a typical bao. The cheeseburger bao sounded delicious - but then I saw it included ketchup, mustard and pickle inside it, the latter of two of which I don't like at all. Obviously personal tastes will vary dramatically, but it seemed very odd to automatically include ingredients typically used as toppings that people can decide on themselves - the vegetable curry pod, to be fair, was better.

Honestly though, you're better off sticking to the customizable bowls that include various options (rice, salad, beef, fish, tofu, etc.) and were quite good. However, the food still felt like it was lacking a bit of oomph and something extra you'd want for a themed land. The Mo'ara Margarita and the Night Blossom. More successful (albeit not what you want when truly hungry) was the Pongu Pongu drink stand located outside the canteen.

The non- alcoholic Night Blossom and alcoholic Mo'ara Margarita are both colorful and tasty (especially the Night Blossom) and incorporate boba balls in a fun way, and the one snack there - - the pineapple- flavored Pongu Lumpia - - is very good. There are also several beers here, including one that’s colored green. The Merch is Amusing. Ah, the cornerstone of any theme park experience - the merch store! Windtraders is Pandora’s big store, located, of course, right as you exit Flight of Passage.

Honestly, as much as I loved the experience in Pandora: The World of Avatar, I wasn’t as compelled to buy a bunch of items as I am in theme park areas based off films and characters I have a deep interest in, but I’m guessing some will want to pick up more of the items here. There are fun “alien” candies to purchase, and I got the one Flight of Passage- labeled item (a thin hoodie) because damn it, that ride rules and I wanted a memento from it. While there are some "Pandora" labeled items, plus some that simply feature imagery from the world, other items here are labeled for ACE (Alpha Centauri Expeditions), the fictional travel group that has brought you to PAndora in the storyline used to fuel the entire experience. The most popular item it seemed though - - certainly when I was there - - were the toy banshees. Similar to a Harry Potter wand type experience, you are matched to the right banshee for you before your purchase. The banshees can then be fixed on your shoulder and, using a remote you hold, you can move their heads and open their mouths, giving them the illusion of life and allowing them to interact with people - painless finger chomping included.

While I didn’t get one myself, I saw the appeal, especially for kids. They run $4. 9. 9. Walt Disney World cast member Jenny - - or, ahem, Pandora resident Jenny! The other notable “toy” is an Avatar action figure you can have made based on your own likeness.

At $7. 5, this isn’t a cheap figure, but obviously the appeal is it’s going to look like you… though mine didn’t really look like me at all (though one could argue Zoe Saldana’s actual Avatar character only looks sorta/kinda like her, so this is keeping with canon?).

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