Avatar Way of Water Ride Update?

[Aishaahm]

I’m wondering if anyone thinks Disney may include a water/sea-based ride option for Flight of Passage to include the new water riding creature seen in the trailers? I’m sorry if this has been asked! I think it would be so cool! Obviously it would be nice to kind of do both in one ride,maybe start on a banshee but dive into the ocean on one of the new creatures, but might be cool to have an air OR sea option. So excited for the new movie which is getting amazing reviews from movie critics. Also, super excited to see where/how Pandora in Animal Kingdom may include updates to incorporate new characters/concepts!

 

[DavidNYC]

Don't see a ride that popular being taken down to implement something like that. What you're proposing is a major refurbishment which would require significant downtime in a park which can't afford to take a major attraction down.

 

[Aishaahm]

I guess I was thinking this would be more or less just a different visual playing, no major refurbishment. Same ride vehicle,same everything just different visual journey if that makes sense. They actually have many different combinations of the same “flight” that play already. I was thinking they could designate maybe one side (left queues or right queues)/ auditorium with an underwater journey and one with air/banshee. Doesn’t seem like a major refurbishment at all in my mind (just pop on a different video/journey clip) , but I’m not an imagineer!

 

[Chuck96]

I'm certain before Disney expenses any changes/expansions to Pandora, they want to see how the new movie does financially. There isn't a lot of room over there. I'd love a second FoP experience, but that is not an inconsequential amount of work (either technical or planning - Rhode and Cameron collaborated pretty heavily on the original concepts. Cameron is currently pretty busy, and I doubt he'd accept a "fill-in" pattern. He'd want the A+ treatment he got with Rhode before.

Still, I love Pandora, would love to see what they have in mind if they decide to expand or enhance.

 

[HopperFan]

I guess I was thinking this would be more or less just a different visual playing, no major refurbishment. Same ride vehicle,same everything just different visual journey if that makes sense. They actually have many different combinations of the same “flight” that play already. I was thinking they could designate maybe one side (left queues or right queues)/ auditorium with an underwater journey and one with air/banshee. Doesn’t seem like a major refurbishment at all in my mind (just pop on a different video/journey clip) , but I’m not an imagineer!

Every movement that floor and ride vehicle make is closely in sync with the movie. The only way the ride is successful is if you on your vehicle move perfectly with the movie. The entire system would have to be reprogrammed and heavily tested to make sure the effects work.

And we don't even know how successful the movie will be and if it can dig them out of the big red hole Cameron has put them in. I think the reason he wanted to make all the upcoming movies at once is he feared after 2 that Disney would pull the plug on it.

They would be better off with installing a 3rd attraction with a whole new feel.

 

[Chuck96]

Disney put themselves in "the hole" when they bought Fox. Cameron's deal was with Fox. This multi-film release strategy has been his plan for the past decade, since well before Disney purchased Fox.

Cameron doesn't make movie decisions based on fears his plans won't work. While I don't believe his new Avatar film will become the highest grossing movie of all time, like his last two, I think it's a safe bet that it will make its money back and a little more.

 

[Captain UP]

I’m wondering if anyone thinks Disney may include a water/sea-based ride option for Flight of Passage to include the new water riding creature seen in the trailers? I’m sorry if this has been asked! I think it would be so cool! Obviously it would be nice to kind of do both in one ride,maybe start on a banshee but dive into the ocean on one of the new creatures, but might be cool to have an air OR sea option. So excited for the new movie which is getting amazing reviews from movie critics. Also, super excited to see where/how Pandora in Animal Kingdom may include updates to incorporate new characters/concepts!

It's always been my impression that Flight of Passage wouldn't be terribly hard to update- ultimately, it's just a super fancy video you're watching. Syncing the ride mechanism to the new video might be the toughest part, but still much easier than, say, the full rebuild of Splash Mountain.

 

[Captain UP]

Don't see a ride that popular being taken down to implement something like that. What you're proposing is a major refurbishment which would require significant downtime in a park which can't afford to take a major attraction down.

They have multiple theaters, right?

 

[DavidNYC]

They have multiple theaters, right?

That's not a take one theatre down at a time update. That's the type of thing they can do for regular maintenance - not a full fledged update such as what was proposed. They also wouldn't run a ride with half of it updated and half of it not.

 

[DavidNYC]

I guess I was thinking this would be more or less just a different visual playing, no major refurbishment. Same ride vehicle,same everything just different visual journey if that makes sense. They actually have many different combinations of the same “flight” that play already. I was thinking they could designate maybe one side (left queues or right queues)/ auditorium with an underwater journey and one with air/banshee. Doesn’t seem like a major refurbishment at all in my mind (just pop on a different video/journey clip) , but I’m not an imagineer!

But Disney also cares about Story and they have designed the entire ride (queue, preshow, etc.) for this. It's not nearly as easy as you would think and still would require significant downtime for the most popular ride in a park already with limited major rides.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Don't see a ride that popular being taken down to implement something like that. What you're proposing is a major refurbishment which would require significant downtime in a park which can't afford to take a major attraction down.

It could theoretically be an update to the movie portion only. But we've heard nothing about it of course.

 

[Captain UP]

That's not a take one theatre down at a time update. That's the type of thing they can do for regular maintenance - not a full fledged update such as what was proposed. They also wouldn't run a ride with half of it updated and half of it not.

I'm aware it could be a long term project. And you wouldn't need to operate the ride with half one story and half the other- you just close the half that was open the day the new part is ready to go.

 

[Captain UP]

James Cameron confirmed that he's spoken to Bob Iger about updating the attraction and that it is being discussed.

 

[Aishaahm]

James Cameron confirmed that he's spoken to Bob Iger about updating the attraction and that it is being discussed.

That is really amazing! Thank you for sharing. I had a feeling it might be similar to how they’ve updated Star Tours with newer Star Wars Universe characters/locations. So excited to see what this might be like when it is updated some day!

 

[conandrob240]

What!?!? No way!!! But they definitely should add a water ride. We could travel
Under the sea in those little
Capsule submarines. Such a stunning movie

 

[Navisongtalker]

Love love LOVE the avatar films. However i havent even been to WDW since the late 80s, so i havent even stepped foot on "home" (pandora), yet!

Maybe they will just make a brand new attraction where you can just punch Quaritch in the face for two entire minutes.