A sprawling themed land coming to the Disneyland resort based on “Avatar: The Way of Water” and other upcoming films in the franchise promises action-packed thrills on the wide-open seas of Pandora.
A new Avatar experience planned for Disney California Adventure was among a host of new attractions announced during the recent D23 fan event in Anaheim that will roll out over the next five years as part of an ambitious expansion plan.
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Much of the information available on the Avatar land coming to DCA is based on concept art created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Disney’s creative arm uses concept art to visualize potential ideas and get fans excited about a project — which can change and evolve over time.
Let’s take a closer look at seven things you need to know about DCA’s new Avatar themed land.
Concept art of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disney)
1) What’s the story behind the new Avatar land?
The backstory of the new Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure taps into the $5 billion action sci-fi franchise that will ultimately feature five films by 2031.
Disney acquired the Avatar franchise in 2019 as part of a $71 billion deal to purchase 21st Century Fox.
DCA’s new Avatar themed land will be based on the second film “The Way of Water” from 2022, the third film “Fire and Ash” coming in 2025 and other upcoming movies in the franchise.
Disney hasn’t called the Avatar addition a “themed land” just yet — variously describing it as an “experience,” “destination” and “area.”
Concept art suggests the Avatar experience coming to DCA will be a massive themed land on the scale of the 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and the 12-acre Pandora themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida.
“It will be at a scale and a level that is worthy of these epic stories,” Imagineer Ali Rubinstein said during the D23 event in Anaheim.
Concept art of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disney)
2) What attractions will be found in the new Avatar land?
So far, Disney has only discussed a single new attraction that promises action and thrills on the wide-open seas of Pandora.
The innovative boat ride will take riders on a journey through a Pandoran rainforest glowing in luminescent blues, greens and purples.
“Guests will go on the adventure of a lifetime in search of majestic natural wonders that can only be found on Pandora and the beauty — and danger — that come along with the journey,” Rubinstein said during D23. “This is going to be a dynamic, intense and emotional experience on a grand scale that we know our guests will love.”
Concept art shows riders in boats heading toward a towering ribbed rockwork structure that likely hides a massive attraction building. The boats pass under two bridges on a vast body of water that is fed by several waterfalls.
Concept art of the land shows three other possible locations that might be home to additional attractions.
Interconnected Quonset huts seen in an aerial view of the land could house a second major attraction that has not yet been announced.
A series of tiered ponds with spouting geysers looks similar to the new Journey of Water attraction inspired by the “Moana” film at Florida’s Epcot theme park.
A ring of Panopyra love flowers in an enclosed cocoon-like area looks like a teacup flat ride similar to the Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland.
Concept art of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disney)
3) What Pandoran creatures will appear in the new Avatar land?
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Concept art shows Viperwolf, Arrow Deer, Tulkun and Hammerhead Titanothere creatures throughout the water ride in the new Avatar land.
The fiercely territorial and highly cooperative Viperwolves hunt in packs and devour their prey with bone-crushing jaws. Concept art shows a pack of Viperwolves prowling in the tree branches above the water as riders pass beneath in a boat.
“While this world can be beautiful, if we lose our way, it can also be dangerous,” Rubinstein said during D23.
The fast and elegant Arrow Deer has distinctive sail-like membranes on its head and neck that can expand and retract.
The massive four-eyed, six-limbed Hammerhead Titanothere raises its beautiful purple crest when threatened or mating.
Concept art of the boat ride shows Arrow Deers lining the riverbanks and a Hammerhead wading in the water.
The enormous and passive whale-like Tulkun is highly intelligent and linguistic with sophisticated music and poetry abilities. Concept art shows one of the majestic sea creatures bursting out of the water to the surprise of riders in a boat.
Concept art of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disney)
4) What Pandoran flora will appear in the new Avatar land?
Concept art of the boat ride in the new Avatar land shows Panopyra, Helicoradian and other Pandoran plants.
The healing and nutritious Panopyra known as the “love flower” looks like a jellyfish and has a primitive nervous system.
The salmon-colored Helicoradian plant has the ability to coil and retract rapidly at the slightest touch.
Concept art shows the Panopyra and Helicoradian dangling above boats traveling through a lush rainforest.
“Along the way, we discover dense forests full of incredible animals and bioluminescence flora, taking us all away to the wide open seas of Pandora,” Rubinstein said during D23.
Concept art of the Avatar themed land proposed for the Disneyland resort. (Courtesy of Disney)
5) What Na’vi environments and RDA structures will appear in the new Avatar land?
Interconnected Quonset huts and military-style base buildings established by the Unobtainium-mining Resources Development Administration (RDA) can be seen on the edge of the Avatar themed land in the concept art.
Concept art shows triangular sun shades covering the Marui villages of the reef dwelling Metkayina clan seen in “The Way of Water.”
The familiar floating Hallelujah Mountains of Pandora are connected to the ground and each other by cable-like vegetation bridges.
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Concept art shows a semi-circular rock formation that looks like the ribs of a massive animal at the center of the Avatar themed land.
Nearby, a rock formation that looks like stretching tendons wrap around tiered ponds with spouting geysers.
Concept art of an immersive theme park planned for the westside expansion in the DisneylandForward plan. (Courtesy of Disney)
6) Where will the new Avatar land be built?
Disney officials have announced that the new Avatar experience will be built in Disney California Adventure — without specifying an exact location.
That means the Way of Water destination could be built inside the existing DCA theme park, the DisneylandForward westside expansion area or on the esplanade between the two parks.
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One possible location for a West Coast version of the World of Pandora would be in DCA’s underused Hollywood Land studio backlot and the adjacent pedestrian esplanade and bus depot between the two parks.
An Avatar experience was teased as a potential DisneylandForward expansion project. The DCA portion of the theme park expansion area is located in the Downtown Disney parking lot south of the Pixar Place Hotel.
DisneylandForward allows Walt Disney Imagineering to think more broadly about what’s possible and develop ideas about what the Avatar destination can become, according to Disneyland officials.
Scale model of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disney)
7) When will the Avatar land open?
Disneyland has not yet announced when construction will start or set an opening date for the Avatar-themed destination.
An Avatar themed land would take the longest to build from scratch of all the new attractions announced during D23 for the Disneyland resort.
A full-scale Avatar themed land based on “The Way of Water” would likely take as long to build as Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge — which took four years. A single Avatar attraction without a complete land could be finished sooner.
SEE ALSO: Will Disneyland replace Winnie the Pooh ride in Bayou Country?
The lineup of projects planned for the Disneyland resort likely puts the opening date of the new Avatar land on the calendar in 2028 at the earliest — and 2029 if new attractions planned for Avengers Campus get slotted in before Pandora.
The extended timeline for a new Avatar themed land built on an epic scale likely means construction will need to begin within the next year or so.