Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest-ID-81278.asp" target="_blank"><b>Latest: Picture: Disney Releases Image Related to Avatar-Land Development</b></a> <p>In a presentation to the media this morning Disney released a new image related to Avatar development. It shows Imagineer Joe Rohde, Avatar director James Cameron, Imagineer Bruce Vaughn and Disney Parks Chief Tom Staggs looking at a model of work on Avatar. Vaughn, who gave the presentation, made a point of saying everything shown here has already changed and evolved. No other new information on Avatar was given in the presentation.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img height="272" width="400" src="http://laughingplace.com/files/latest/20121207-1.jpg" /><br />{big}</p> <p> </p>
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Vaughn, who gave the presentation, made a point of saying everything shown here has already changed and evolved.>> Does everyone see the Emperor's new clothes!? I totally can see them!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt <<Vaughn, who gave the presentation, made a point of saying everything shown here has already changed and evolved.>> Well I hope so. There's nothing resembling a fully developed themed land in the picture.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper What the first post fails to mention is that both Vaughn and Tom Staggs both said they still do not have a set plan on what they are doing for Avatar. This picture, IMHO, is more smoke and mirrors trying to insist this project is still perfectly fine with no problems.
Originally Posted By leobloom By saying everything in that model has changed, does he mean it's been downsized to nothing? I see some trees...some hills...a couple of nondescript buildings.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt >>What is James Cameron thinking in that picture?<< "Where are the rides?" Is it me, or does it look like he was photoshopped in?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Is it me, or does it look like he was photoshopped in?>> Ha! It actually kinda does.
Originally Posted By leobloom Haha That was my first thought Hans. That they photoshopped Cameron in. What an odd image. Can't say it exactly convinces me Avatar is rolling along nicely.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<What an odd image. Can't say it exactly convinces me Avatar is rolling along nicely.>> Like I said, smoke and mirrors. Give the fanbois a blurry glimpse at a model that could be anything to try and get them to thing everything is going smoothly.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <What is James Cameron thinking in that picture?> "Where will be find all the tiny little people to inhabit this tiny little land?"
Originally Posted By oc_dean Couple friends are saying .. It's quite possible this entire announcement was so knee-jerk-reaction to Potter in Uni Orlando ... that they whole idea in itself is so "smoke and mirrors" ... We wouldn't doubt the whole announcement fades away .. and forgotten! Since then ... Lucasfilm has been purchased. And we think something Star Wars related could hit the Hollywood Studios park. Think about it - a continuation of a Star Wars theme ... where Star Tours currently sits. All guessing. Of course. But my gut feeling ... a Star Wars area in some park, has more impact than Avatar.
Originally Posted By hopemax You can almost hear the announcement already. "Walt Disney Imagineering is constantly dreaming of new ideas that will bring magic to our theme parks. However, sometimes real world considerations impact how many of those wonderful plans we can actually build at one time. Avatar is a wonderful world and we were excited to have guests visit, but we could not ignore the impact and adoration our fans have for the Star Wars franchise. Many of our own Imagineers have dreamed about visiting Tatooine or the forest moon of Endor since they were children. So Avatarland is kaput, welcome Star Wars land." And then they can use history to show how this is no big or new thing for Disney because once upon a time Pirates in FL shoved Western River Expansion to the dustbin.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Couple friends are saying .. It's quite possible this entire announcement was so knee-jerk-reaction to Potter in Uni Orlando..." I can buy that the release of this image was designed to give the impression that the project is running along smoothly to quell rumors that the project has been plagued with problems. However, the idea that this bit of awkward marketing has anything to do with Disney looking over its shoulder at Uni and HP is complete BS in my opinion.
Originally Posted By TP2000 How embarrassing for Orlando management that they felt they had to stoop this low. This picture is absolutely nothing, and it's all they had to talk about. It's a table full of carved green Styrofoam blocks, with nothing there except... Styrofoam hills. If you squint you can kind of make out a little Styrofoam snack bar by Staggs elbow. Or maybe it's a Styrofoam DVC cart? And James Cameron and the Plaid Shirt guy look photoshopped in. And there's absolutely no opening date, nor even a hint at a basic timeline for anything. Very, very odd that they would even release this photo. It casts more doubt on the entire project than if they had just said Avatarland was still in development and not released any image of anything.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "If you squint you can kind of make out a little Styrofoam snack bar by Staggs elbow. Or maybe it's a Styrofoam DVC cart?" Hah!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree that they're really not doing themselves any favors with this image. If they wanted to convincce us that they were serious about this project, they should show a drawing, rendering, ANYTHING that actually showed something, and say that the plans had changed from that. All this model shows is some basic grading and landscaping, plus a couple huts that look like they were taken from Epcot's African Outpost. I would have believed them more if they just had one of the sugar coated people at the Blog make another meaningless post to remind everybody that it's still in development. How long has it been since they announced it? Close to 2 years, right? If we don't see anything of substance in the next 3-4 months, I think that they'll have to officially call off the charade.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Ferret, you raise an important question: how do we even know that the model on the table and rendering in the background is Avatarland? OK, I'm starting to sound like a Disney conspiracy theorist.
Originally Posted By TP2000 That flat expanse of green Styrofoam they call the Avatarland "model" looks a lot like every other model of every other Disney theme park project. Except for this model, they have removed all of the buildings, structures and man-made facilities and just left the barely sloped flat Florida swampland as represented by the green Styrofoam. They did leave that little snack bar in the corner by Staggs elbow though, just so we know they are serious about this Avatar project.
Originally Posted By leemac I'm totally perplexed as to why Vaughn chose that particular image. I was trying to rack my brain as to when I first saw it and it was definitely in the summer. The "What's Next?" was cancelled when Media Relations realized that there was nothing to announce and felt the need to try and scramble something together which became this odd presentation. It would have made more sense just to cancel the whole thing. I've lost count how many different incarnations of this stupid land have been milled in the shop. It doesn't seem to be any further advanced in the nearly three years since we first started working on it. It as always a knee jerk reaction to losing Potter and it still makes no sense whatsoever. It definitely wasn't Photoshopped though. The lighting is particularly harsh due to the meeting room that is used at 1401F for these shoots.
