PHOTOS, VIDEO: Take a Look at AVATAR Land Construction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom From Above

WDWNT on April 13, 2015

We have a special treat for you today! Our own Nick LoCicero flew high over the construction site for Pandora: The Land of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom earlier today and he has some video and photos from his trip to share with us! First up, a video fly-over which will give you a really good look at the site and how big it is compared to the rest of the park:

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The DINOSAUR show building is huge, but it appears to be about the same size as the structures rising in Pandora, albeit the AVATAR buildings will be much taller

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You can clearly make out the theaters for the Banshee ride now, but it is unclear if the structure next door is related to that ride or the boat attraction

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The site looks much more interesting than it did last time we checked in…

Dirk Wallen’s 3/3/15 WDW Photo Report (Hat is Gone, Toy Story Mania Expansion, Haramabe Marketplace, ETC.)

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom this week and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

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NO MORE SORCERER’S HAT

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Neverbeast banners up in the Animation Courtyard

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Also, an ad for Big Hero 6 on Blu-ray

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A Tomorrowland billboard has gone up by PIXAR Place

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An Inside Out billboard at the other end of the street

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Still no signs of life at the Backlot Tour

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A Cinderella billboard behind the Great Movie Ride

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After years of waiting, walls are up outside of Stage 1, possibly the home of a third Toy Story Mania track

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Moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, walls have engulfed what was the Island Merchantile pin cart

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Work continues on Rivers of Light

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From Everest, you can see the vertical construction of AVATAR

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Also, the prep work for Rivers of Light

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We assume the need to run pipes through the viewing area is for some water effects that will take place in the audience, similar to World of Color

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Work continues on revamping the entrance to Kali River Rapids

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Work continues on the new Africa Marketplace area, including the Harambe Marketplace restaurant

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Some of the buildings in the marketplace are nearing completion

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A look at the AVATAR construction walls… still nothing to see here

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And one last look at Rivers of Light construction

ARTWORK & VIDEO: Disney Reveals AVATAR-Land Model & Gives First Look at Bio-luminescent Plants

WDWNT on February 26, 2015

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During a recent meeting with James Cameron, the team at Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Parks management showed Cameron the latest progress on the AVATAR land being built at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Above you’ll see the latest model for the land, and below you’ll see a video where Cameron take s a look at some of the nighttime bio-luminescent effects guests will find in the land:

If you look closely around the 0:11 mark, you’ll see artwork for some sort of drummer entertainment group for the land in the background. Besides that, there is a lot of blurred-out or hard to see plans hanging on the walls behind them.

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What we can see looks pretty interesting. What do you think?

Backstage Tales Tour Replacing Backstage Safari at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on January 29, 2015

Backstage Safari tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be retired Feb. 27, and an enhanced version of the tour will debut March 1 as Backstage Tales.

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Backstage Tales will give Guests the opportunity to experience behind-the-scenes tales and “tails.” During this in-depth program, Guests will get an insider’s look at the innovative ways Disney is meeting challenges in areas such as conservation, animal nutrition and medicine, animal care and behavioral studies.

Guests will:

Visit the Animal Nutrition Center and see how more than 3 tons of food are prepared and distributed each day.

Go behind the scenes and explore a backstage animal-housing area.

Tour the state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, where they may witness animals being treated.

Stop by the Animal Programs Administration building and learn how Disney promotes global wildlife conservation and animal well-being.

Backstage Tales, which joins Wild Africa Trek as a premium experience at the park, will be offered to Guests ages 12 years and older daily, 7:30-11:15 a.m.

Guests can continue to book Backstage Safari by contacting 407-WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687) for tours through Feb. 27. Backstage Safari is offered every Monday and Wednesday-Friday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.

Guests can book the Backstage Tales tour now.

Kali River Rapids Ride Entrance To Be Relocated During Upcoming Refurbishment

WDWNT on January 29, 2015

Guests always seem to be confused about how to get to Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, so Disney is going to be making it a little easier for them to find it…

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The former home to the old FastPass machines for the ride will be the new attraction marquee and entrance when the ride returns from its refurbishment scheduled from January 20th through February 9th, 2015. Hopefully this will help guests locate the attraction easier than the more subtle signage and location in use today at the park.

CONFIRMED: Table Service Restaurant to Be Added to Pizzafari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

Internal Disney documents confirmed this week that there is “work to add table service restaurant to Pizzafari” ongoing.

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Pizzafari is a counter service restaurant that has operated at Animal Kingdom since opening day, a fairly large counter service restaurant that often has trouble filling all of the gorgeously themed seating space it has. In fact, during the early 2000’s, a back portion of the restaurant was used as an annual passholder lounge. These days, the restaurant offers a fairly standard menu with fast-food pizza and a chicken Caesar salad, as well as a pretty lackluster breakfast.

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The information so far is unclear as to how the table service restaurant will work… will it be an extension in the back of the restaurant, or will the restaurant be a hybrid much like Be Our Guest Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom? either is possible. We’ll have to wait to find out more.

The project is part of a larger expansion of the park which includes two new sections of Harambe, Africa, the Rivers of Light nighttime show, new nighttime entertainment, a nighttime version of Kilimanjaro Safaris, and the AVATAR themed land. Changes to Pizzafari now add to a rather large dining overhaul happening at the park currently, with a remodeling of Flame Tree Barbecue, the closure of Creature Comforts to become a Starbucks location, and the opening of the Harambe Marketplace counter service location in 2015.

Tom Corless’ 12/8/14 WDW Photo Report (Hub Remodel, New Magic Kingdom Merchandise, Animal Kingdom Construction, ETC.)

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

I recently visited the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks at Walt Disney World and have plenty of newsworthy photos to share with you from my trip, so let’s see what’s new and exciting:

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We begin with the latest progress on the Hub at the Magic Kingdom

It may look rough, but with some dirt moved, some lamps installed, and some concrete poured, this is done

The other side looks a lot more complete

Most of the lamp & speaker towers are already installed here, leading us to believe this side will open by Christmas week

The new lampposts are nice, but I will miss the green coloring on everything…

A look over the walls from the other side

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So… this happened…

Anyway… there are touch-points at the exit of Splash Mountain now to claim your photos

Provided everyone kept their clothes on, you can tap this to get your pictures

The “Made with Magic” wand is now out

You can change the color of other Made with Magic items

An incredible new line of Magic Kingdom merchandise has been released

I LOVE this notebook

Not related, but a new shirt

Some 2015 items are out

iPhone 6 Plus cases have arrived in GIANT packaging

Moving over to Animal Kingdom, work continues on the new pathway on Discovery Island

Walls in front of the Tree of Life were pushed back

So there’s a new area with planters that has been revealed

New Animal Kingdom merchandise

Not much new to see at the walls to AVATAR

Can’t see much at the future site of the Africa Marketplace either

Rivers of Light construction still isn’t much to look at yet…

The other side of Disney Outfitters and the new walkway through Discovery Island

Some people believe the work near Flame Tree BBQ is for a covered queue, but it looks like a service window to me…

It’s fairly small, but has openings on each side…

I’m guessing Starbucks or maybe a place to offer picnic packages once Rivers of Light begins in 2016

A look at the new path in front of the Tree of Life

Expedition Everest also has touch-points to claim photos as well

Not quite as well themed as some of the other ones…

I at first was excited about this Expedition Everest shirt

Until I saw that i had the wrong year…

Animal Kingdom is open after dark most nights currently, so if you can, get over there and do some walking around with the park’s light son (yes, they have lights)

 

See? LIGHTS!

Creature Comforts to Become Starbucks? Joffrey’s Coffee Moving to a New Location at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

If you enjoy a good cup of coffee with your day At Animal Kingdom, you’ll definitely want to read this…

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A new Joffrey’ location is being built next to Flame Tree Barbecue

The existing Joffrey’s operated coffee cart on Discovery Island is closing and Joffrey’s will be taking over a new service window attached to Flame Tree Barbecue fairly soon(unrelated to the 3 month refurbishment of the restaurant coming in early 2015 to better accommodate viewing of the Rivers of Light show when it arrives in 2016).

The reasoning for this is Joffrey’s would lose its prime spot in the center of the park, leaving a fair market for another coffee company to open shop on the west side of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

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Creature Comforts will close on January 5th, 2015

Creature Comforts operated as just a store until recently when some of the shop was turned into a MyMagic+ Service Center. The Service Center inside is rarely used by guests, and most of the merchandise left in the store can be found elsewhere in the park, so the store is closing its doors on January 5th, 2015. In June 2015, it is quite possible a Starbucks will open in the space currently occupied by Creature Comforts.

If true, Animal Kingdom will be home to the 6th and final Starbucks location planned for Walt Disney World.

While none of this has been confirmed by Disney as of yet, it is highly likely at this time. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

AVATAR at Animal Kingdom: New Details on Banshee Attraction; Boat Ride Canned?

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

Bob Iger was certainly busy telling everyone about the plans for the Disney Parks yesterday, and the long-running, controversial, and enormously-budgeted AVATAR project wasn’t left out. Iger recently scaled some scaffolding at Walt Disney Imagineering and took a test-ride on a mock-up of the Banshee ride for the new Animal Kingdom theme park land.

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“It felt so real, so lifelike, there’s never been anything like it.”

The vehicles will be the banshees themselves, with movements that should “mimic a breathing beast”. Think of it as a next-generation Soarin’, but the environment on-screen will be presented hi-def 3-D as you ride in a giant alien creature.

The boat ride attraction for the AVATAR land was not mentioned as many report rumors that it may no longer be part of the project.