PHOTOS, VIDEO: New 6-Minute Behind the Scenes Look at Pandora Reveals More Than Ever Before; Banshee Is a Virtual Reality Ride

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

If you stayed up to watch ABC’s Nightline last night, then you saw the most comprehensive and impressive preview to date of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The 6-plus-minute tour shows everything from Flight and Passage and the Navi River Journey, to the food and floating mountains of the land. Take a look:

Revealed in this video, it appears that the Banshee image that was leaked to us was just a test seat used at Walt Disney Imagineering during the early development of the Flight of Passage ride. Instead, guests will sit in a row in the seats pictured below and experience a “virtual reality” thrill ride.

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In the interview, Landau states “This is where people will be able to link with a Banshee and actually fly across Pandora.” The pre-show experience matches you with your own personal Avatar. Guests then sit in the attraction in “link chairs” that connect to the Banshees virtually, which is all very similar to the film where humans become Navi people through Avatars. Nightline goes on to call the attraction a “Virtual Reality experience”, leading us to believe it will be a Soarin’-type ride system with 3-D and virtual reality technology at play to make you feel like you really are flying on the back of this creature. The link chairs do no have backs, so you will be seated as if you were riding a Banshee, but in the safety of seats with plenty of protection from falling.

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The 6-plus-minute behind the scenes look is fascinating and shows way more than just these clips about Flight of Passage, so make sure that you check out the whole video above. You’ll even see more of the fantastic nighttime bioluminescent glow of Pandora… and its drinks…

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

PHOTOS: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Expanding Bus Loop for Pandora – The World of AVATAR

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

We are just a few weeks away from the opening of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, and now the park is getting the finishing touches ready for the large influx of guests they are expecting.

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From the parking lot, you will notice a batch of new trees going up just behind Pandora.

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Given time, the trees should grow in and block the view of the massive show buildings for the land’s two attractions.

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Meanwhile, it appears as though a third bus loop will be added shortly, adding more bus stops for Disney Transportation, as well as another structure to hide the backstage area from the view of guests.

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The new loop will be the closest to the park, just north of the two existing terminals.

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Guests will enter and exit from this space, fairly close to the security checkpoint of the park.

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Luckily, these do not take very long to construct, so it should be functional long before May 27th and the opening of Pandora.

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We also have a short video of the construction, as well as the latest progress on Pandora, and the first piece of AVATAR merchandise released at Walt Disney World:

PHOTOS: Disney Launches Countdown to Pandora – The World of AVATAR Merchandise

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

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As we inch closer to the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar in summer 2017, Disney has announced a new limited edition pin collection coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park starting today, March 2. This item is the first AVATAR related item to be sold at Walt Disney World, marking a milestone for the project.

March, April, and May Pin Releases for Pandora: The World of AVATAR Countdown

March, April, and May Pin Releases for Pandora: The World of AVATAR Countdown

There will be one new pin released each month from March to May. The first pin in this collection (above left) will be released on March 2. The second countdown pin (center) will be released on April 6. The final individual limited edition pin (above right) will be released on May 4. Each individual pin will have an edition size of 1,250 and will be released at Discovery Trading Company in the park.

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Artist Dylan Cole designed the travel posters which inspired this pin collection. Attendees may recall getting a first look at the travel posters during the D23 Expo in 2015. Dylan provided design work on Disney’s “Maleficent,” and is currently Co-Production Designer for the upcoming “Avatar” motion picture sequels. Today, guests may see these posters near Tiffins restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.

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The final two pins in this collection, called “Completer pins,” will only be found in the five-pin boxed set containing all five travel posters. The boxed set will have an edition size of 250, and will be released during the opening of this new land on May 27.

There will be a purchase limit of two limited edition pins, per style, per guest, per release. These pins will not be available via Shop Disney Parks app or the Disney Parks online store.

Live Chat with Pandora Experts Launches on VisitPandora.com, AVATAR Land Website

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

The VisitPandora.com website takes itself pretty seriously, delving into the backstory of the ACE organization that will be guiding you through Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Well, they now even have a live chat feature, where you can talk to one of their experts…

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Down in the lower right corner of the site, you’ll find the opportunity to chat with Kam Demarco, Lead ACE Field Expert.

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Kam’s bio can be found on the about us page, along with several of his imaginary colleagues.

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The live chat is completely automated, so sometimes responses generate something genuine and cool, and other times… well, you’ll see…

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Let the jokes about “alien wraps” begin…

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You can talk to this thing for hours, and it will continue to spew facts. Every once in awhile, you may ever spur a good response to a question. You’ll just have to keep trying to uncover all of the amazing facts and tips this live chat can offer!

This post is brought to you by…

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I’m joking, but how awesome is this logo from the VisitPandora.com website? Anyway, Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

VIDEO: Latest AVATAR Ad Shows Guests Walking Around Pandora for the First Time

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

The latest ad for Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom gives us our first really good look at the landscape of the area, showing guests walking under the mountain, and a sweeping shot of the mountain range and area below towards the end. Take a look:

Here are some stills of interest from the video:

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Above is some of the woven art of the Navi, which Disney had created by real artisans (from this world).

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The shot at the end gives a sweeping look of the finished exterior product inside of the land.

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 27th, 2017.

VIDEO: Coronado Tower, Transportation, The Fanily Feud and More on WDW News Tonight

WDWNT on February 23, 2017

Last night on WDW News Tonight…

    • The Coronado and Caribbean are expanding! Our staff gives some thoughts
    • The alternate entrance walkway closes at Hollywood Studios
    • Tom talks about the Oscars for the sole reason of getting one overused joke into the show
    • We can’t do a show without a little Guardians and AVATAR talk
    • Is Celebration at the Top a worthy event?
    • We continue our discussion about the state of transportation at WDW
    • “The Wonderful World of Psychotic Comments presented by The WDWNT Inner Globe Society
    • We play the Fanily Feud presented by Theme Park Connection

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Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on 105.5 FM, 660 AM, and AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida, as well as online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vacation topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.

VIDEO: Imagineer Joe Rohde Explains How AVATAR Fits in Animal Kingdom; A New Look Inside Pandora

WDWNT on February 23, 2017

Today, Disney has released a new video showcasing Pandora: The World of AVATAR. In this video, Imagineer Joe Rohde explains how AVATAR will fit into the park, a question many a guest has asked over the last 6 years:

Here are some fantastic stills of water flowing through Pandora, marking the first time we have seen this landmark in construction:

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Nighttime Lighting & Projection Mapping Test for Pandora – The World of AVATAR at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

With the announcement of the opening date for Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom made this week, we decide3d it might be a good time to go check on the nighttime lighting tests that are regularly occurring as night falls over the park.

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We arrived at dusk and it was a beautiful night.

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As night fell, we could see a plethora of blue light cascading over the mountains and trees of Pandora.

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There was also another projection mapping test occurring as we left.

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For a much clearer and better look at all of these lighting tests, please watch our video below (it offers views that my iPhone 7 Plus can not):