Earlier today, Disney officials dedicated Pandora - The World of Avatar, just ahead of its May 27 2017 grand opening.
Executives from the Walt Disney Company and Lightstorm's James Cameron and Jon Landau were joined by actors from the Avatar movie Wes Studi, Joel David Moore, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, Sigourney Weaver and Laz Alonso.
(L-R) Jon Landau, Wes Studi, Joel David Moore, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, James Cameron, Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, Bob Iger, Sigourney Weaver and Laz Alonso pose during the dedication of the new land, Pandora – The World of Avatar “Working with Jim and his team was a dream come true for us, as we pushed the limits of creativity and innovation to bring the digital world of Pandora to the real world of Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” said Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Now anyone who has ever dreamed of visiting this extraordinary world can explore the astonishing landscape and ecosystem, soar on the back of a banshee and actually become part of the AVATAR adventure.”
“I never thought I’d see the day when the Pandora I imagined could be made physically real,” said Cameron. “Working with Disney to bring this world to life has been an amazing experience, and the result is something I think everyone will love for generations to come. It really feels like you’re stepping into a dream.”
“It’s not the movie AVATAR that we are portraying,” said Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “It is the planet Pandora where you can come, you can visit, and have your own unique adventure. Rather than reliving the adventures of characters from the film, you’re going to come to the planet where those things happened — and have your own set of adventures you can own.”
Following the ceremony, James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver took a ride aboard Na'vi River Journey.
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