Latest news About Pandora: The World of Avatar !

Here are the latest news about Pandora : The World of Avatar opening at Disney's Animal Kingdom in five weeks from now! Bloomberg Business Week has posted a long article not only about it but also about the competition with Universal Studios, and you can read it HERE. They've also posted in the article brand new daytime and nighttime pictures of Pandora, shot by Stephen Wilkes, like the ones you have above and below ( click to enlarge the pictures ).

The Chicago Tribune has also posted an article HERE about Pandora in which we learn that "the period backdrop of this Pandora is a full generation after the original movie. By now, all conflicts have been resolved, and, within Pandora's floating mountains and multicolored rainforest, all storylines can begin with a clean slate.

To experience Flight of Passage, "you proceed through sacred caverns resembling (Cambodia's) Angkor Wat and end up at a technological facility," Rodhe says of the approach to the ride's boarding station. En route, instructional lessons are provided in preparation for this Na'vi rite of passage. Once properly advised, "you will fly on the back of a banshee.You're going to plunge, you're going to dive, you're going to swoop," Cameron said in a Disney World promotional video. "It's like dreaming with your eyes wide open."

The high-rush experience is programmed to last a good four minutes, "because you can only fly so long," Rodhe says. He further notes that the acrobatic adventure has been tested against nausea, although he does admit, "Little kids might be scared." Asked if the Flight of Passage might be compared to Soarin' Around the World at Disney World's adjacent Epcot, Rodhe responds, "This isn't Soarin'. It's more like Flyin'."



Joe Rhode then talks about the Na'vi River Journey. "Rodhe calls the ride "a romantic musical journey into 'bioluminescence.'" (This much-used scientific term means "the emission of light by living organisms" — so think fireflies and jellyfish, only on Pandora, the flora and fauna and even the ground itself also contribute to a phosphorescent rainbow of light.)

In this instance, visitors will board reed boats "as the beauty of the forest unravels before us," says Rodhe. Along the way, expect to be met by "a rich species of animals," with the adventure culminating in an encounter with the Na'vi shaman of songs. According to her press bio, the shaman "has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy into the forest through her music."



Talking about forest, here is a night picture of a Pandoran forest...



...and below a new Imagineering video in which members of the project team give us the first detailed look at the land’s interactive plants, tell us how you’ll be able to hear and sense different animals throughout the land, and interact with bioluminescence at night.




Pandora will also dish up its own distinctive quick-service restaurant, the Satu'li Canteen, where planet-to-table fare runs the gamut from customized quinoa and vegetable salad bowls to steamed "pods" filled with either a cheeseburger or vegetable curry.

Nearby, the drink stand calls itself Pongu Pongu, after an expat to Pandora, and the Disney beverage team put together a fun, creative menu of libations. To match the “pods” (bao buns) and bowls at Satu’li Canteen, the Pandoran Sunrise is a non-alcoholic mix of tropical Juices blended with Powerade Melon – you can get in the souvenir Satu’li Canteen Flute Flask.



Wine by the glass is Banshee, a small Napa Valley winery with a serendipitous name (guests fly on the back of a mountain banshee on the exciting Avatar Flight of Passage experience). A Banshee Chardonnay and Banshee Pinot Noir are on the menu by the glass. And there’s a refreshing Dreamwalker Sangria with a splash Blue Curaçao.

Two ales round out the beverage menu: Hawkes’ Grog Ale with a fruity hop character (a taste of apricot and peach, a hint of wheat on the finish), and Mo’ara High Country Ale, a malty amber ale with the aroma of herbal spice hops and tastes of caramel, toffee, and nuts.



Next door at the Pongu Pongu walk-up window, the Night Blossom frozen drink is a non-alcoholic mixture of limeade with apple and desert pear flavors topped with passion fruit boba balls (you can get in a souvenir Pongu Pongu mug with a glow cube).

The Mo’ara Frozen Margarita is another frozen drink with Sauza Conmemorativo Añejo Tequila with strawberry and blood orange flavor topped with strawberry boba balls - which will also be available in a souvenir mug.

Also, WDW website just released a new image of what looks to be the Banshee Connect experience in Pandora. According to the Pandora website: “Banshee Connect” service is where you will be matched with a tiny version of the beast; a robotic creature that you can take home with you for a price."

Apparently DAK guests will have the choice in “Banshee Connect” of small Banshee perched on a wall and WDWNT think that a guest "will somehow be linked ( Ndr: from the ride ) with one Banshee in particular that they can then purchase and take home". This Banshee Connect service may be located inside the Windtraders shop in the Pandora land.



DAK guests might be surprised how the land - although super immersive - might look smaller than they thought. Which lea me to this question: why didn't they use the land that you can see on the picture below where is a quite big parking lot? Personally i would have put the big show building more in the back where the parking lot is and it would have give more space for Pandora's vegetation in front of it. May be the've kept the space where is the parking lot for future rides additions? Time will tell...


Pandora: The World of Avatar will open on May 27th at Disney's Animal Kingdom!




Pictures and Videos : copyright Disney, Bloomberg Business Week