'Avatar Land' Coming to Disney World in $400M 'Harmony' Project
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts have joined hands with James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring “Avatar” to Disney World.
The entertainment moguls reached a long-term, exclusive licensing agreement to develop “Avatar Land” based on the most successful film in Hollywood’s history. According to executive’s estimates, the project is said to cost up to $400 million and take about five years, the L.A. Times reported.
Construction will begin inside the Animal Kingdom of the Orlando, Florida Disney Park in 2013. Disney explains its location as placing emphasis “on living in harmony with nature.”
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Eventually “Avatar Land” will reach other Disney parks around the world.
In a statement, James Cameron said, “Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park-goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of ‘Avatar’ with an unprecedented sense of reality,” according to Reuters.
The news conference also revealed that future “Avatar” theme parks will be based on the upcoming sequels to the movie, which are planned for 2014 and 2015.
When discussions with Disney began about the design of the attraction, Cameron said he “quickly realized their vision for this thing was far beyond that I imagined, and I’ve got a pretty good imagination.”
2009’s “Avatar” grossed nearly $13 billion in worldwide earnings and reignited 3D-film making. The tale of the alien race Na’vi’s struggle against destructive humans seeking natural resources from their home called Pandora. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and earned three at the ceremony in 2009.
“’Avatar’ created a world which audiences can discover again and again now through this incredible partnership with Disney,” said Cameron. “We’ll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before.”
Cameron said that the second “Avatar” is in pre-production stages and will reach theaters at Christmas 2014.
