Originally Posted By FerretAfros Wow, they really didn't want to show any of that model did they? I think the concept art they showed is new, but is a similar perspective to one they've already shown The glowing plants look pretty neat, but look a lot like some of the stuff in Journey to the Center of the Earth in TDS. It's a very impressive attraction with a lot of neat effects, but these look like they were pulled straight from that. I'm also not sure how that projection footprint thing will work with heavy crowds and real-world use and abuse, but it's a neat concept
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a game changer in the same way that WWoHP and to a lesser extent Cars Land were. The way they are marketing this thing with little tidbits here and there to generate press at careful intervals suggests that Disney feels it has something massive (literally and figuratively) on its hands.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I get the impression that James Cameron would never be involved with anything that wasn't massive and impressive.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "I get the impression that James Cameron would never be involved with anything that wasn't massive and impressive." Kind of like JK Rowling. Making the comparison to Potter pretty apt.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I get the impression that James Cameron would never be involved with anything that wasn't massive and impressive." The concept art of the "floating" mountains has me salivating, and I'm not even a big fan of Avatar.
Originally Posted By dagobert A lot of steel work is going on at Avatarland. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://damouse.com/2015/07/03/steel-multiplies-in-latest-avatar-construction-update/">http://damouse.com/2015/07/03/...-update/</a>
Originally Posted By dagobert LA Times has posted an article about what to expect at Avatar Land. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-avatar-land-disney-animal-kingdom-20150707-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/travel/...ory.html</a> >>>The alien land's marquee attraction will be an E-Ticket banshee flight simulator similar to Soarin' at Epcot and Soarin' Over California at Disney California Adventure. Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, who is spearheading the project, says the new ride system will be "considerably more thrilling" than the original Soarin'. A D-Ticket indoor boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean will take riders on a river journey through the illuminated forest of Pandora.<<<
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>D ticket?<< By all accounts, it won't be on the scale of POTC, the gold standard E-ticket, so that seems like an odd comparison to make in the article. I'd expect something more in line with Maelstrom, though hopefully with a more logical storyline
Originally Posted By dagobert I basically know all the ticket types and what to expect from certain types, but is there a source that defines all the ticket types?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros There's no real solid definition, since it continued to evolve throughout the time they had tickets. I believe they only had A, B, and C when the park first opened, but they quickly realized that they could charge a D for some of the bigger attractions and added that level. When the Matterhorn, Monorail, and Submarine Voyage opened in 1959, they added E tickets, and bumped several of the existing attractions up to that level It was always a sort of balancing act between an attraction's construction cost, operating cost, and popularity. As attractions aged, several were "demoted" a level or two, in order to keep the popularity up. Because of this, there are no specific rules for what each ticket type meant
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt When ticket books were retired at DL thill rides like Big Thunder and Space Mountain were listed as E tickets. Of course The Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Small World were too. However, there were some Es on the list that likely would not make the cut today. The Country Bears, Monorail, and The Enchanted Tiki Room, for example.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a game changer in the same way that WWoHP and to a lesser extent Cars Land were.>> Really? HP is a beloved series - adored. Avatar doesn't even come close to the same following. I'm absolutely certain that even Cars Land will register higher on guest expectations than Avatar Land will. Even if executed well it won't have that in-built appeal that you can't buy. That is why we should never have allowed Rasulo to turn down Rowling and WB's demands over Potter. It is the biggest misstep by the parks in more than a generation.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>It is the biggest misstep by the parks in more than a generation.<< Do you know what the sticking points were that made Disney walk away from getting the rights to the Harry Potter theme park attractions?
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ Yup. They wanted full creative control and a larger slice of the merch sales than we were prepared to give up. Ironically it would have looked very similar to deals that Disney pushes on its licensee partners. The first phase had been designed and we were good to go. Then Rasulo put his foot down over the revenue sharing and they went skipping off to Uni. It would have been spectacular. I don't think Uni Creative did the best possible job with the attractions and our signature E-ticket would have blown Forbidden Journey out of the water. The model used to be on the second floor of 1401 Flower as you enter Joe Rohde's team - it used to made me feel very sad when I saw it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Even if executed well it won't have that in-built appeal that you can't buy.<< Which makes me wonder why they pushed for it so hard. Will the popularity of Avatar 5+ years after the film's release do more for the land than if they had done a generic theme like "South America" or "mythical creatures"? At least with those, guests won't feel like there's some backstory that they need to know in order to appreciate the area >>They wanted full creative control and a larger slice of the merch sales than we were prepared to give up.<< It may be a rumor, but I heard that a specific part of that control was to be the size of the stores, which is why WWOHP's shops are always overcrowded. Supposedly Disney wanted stores that were scaled to a theme park environment, but it was a sticking point with Rowling >>...and our signature E-ticket would have blown Forbidden Journey out of the water.<< Considering how revolutionary that attraction is, I find this statement very intriguing. I'd always been under the impression that the plans weren't particularly ambitious, as Disney was doing their best to save money in those days. I guess it's a shame that it will never get built.
Originally Posted By leemac <<It may be a rumor, but I heard that a specific part of that control was to be the size of the stores, which is why WWOHP's shops are always overcrowded. Supposedly Disney wanted stores that were scaled to a theme park environment, but it was a sticking point with Rowling>> JK is meticulous about everything. She wanted the stores to look exactly like they do in the movies - all Victorian and claustrophobic. That wasn't an issue for us. She wasn't keen on HP product being sold in the mart stores like Emporium and World of Disney though - that was a tough sell to P&R management. <<Considering how revolutionary that attraction is, I find this statement very intriguing.>> There is a reason you don't see Kuka arms in attraction everywhere - they were never designed for the intense weight of a theme park conveyance. We spent a long time evaluating their usefulness and the engineering side concluded that they would not be reliable. Tony Baxter in particular was a big proponent of the tech but the delivery side of WDI rejected it. I've no idea what downtime FJ has but I know a lot of industry folks who won't touch Kuka.
