Big Changes Coming To Disney's Animal Kingdom: AVATAR and More!

One thing is for certain - Disney certainly knows how to keep us excited, every single trip we take. And lately, it seems that this excitement isn't simply for that nostalgic, child-like feeling we get we ride old favorites like Peter Pan's Flight or Small World. And it's not just for that feeling of family, joy, peace, and hapiness when we walk down Main Street USA, surounded by smiling Guests and Cast Members waving to us with oversized Mickey hands. Lately, Disney has upped the ante. We have been treated to grand scale excitement, like traveling through an enchanted mirror to the Beast's castle. We have even been able to eat in the Beast's ballroom or the mysterious West Wing. We anxiously await our mid to late 2014 Disney World vacations, when we will get to experience the brand new, state of the art, roller coaster type ride, smack in the middle of the Enchanted Forest section of Fantasyland - the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! And now, for the first time, we have some seriously incredible details about what is coming a little further down the line and, let me tell you, it's going to change the face of Disney's Animal Kingdom Park forever, creating a caliber or excitement and entertainment that will easily rival the other 3 main Disney Parks. And it will be coming in the form of AVATAR.

The movie, AVATAR, takes place in the fictional, and breathtakingly beautiful land of Pandora. That land is what is going to be brought to life, for Guests to explore and enjoy. And while they are enjoying those astounding landscapes and reveling in the beauty of the a world painstakingly brought to life by the team of James Cameron, Lightstorm Entertainment, and Disney Imagineering, Guests will be treated to several new attractions, as well. Tom Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, has helped us to picture a scene in which "guests will encounter awe-inspiring floating mountains and wander through a nighttime jungle of bioluminescent plants that are alive with light and sound.

Guests will also discover what it feels like to soar into the sky riding a Banshee."

The new AVATAR expansion of Animal Kingdom has given Disney the opportunity to really take a look at the rest of the park and make those changes that will put it on par with its other properties, if not surpass some.

Tom Staggs goes on to explain that, "As part of the largest expansion in the history of the park, we'll be adding all-new entertainment experiences, including a new nighttime spectacular where live music, floating lanterns, water screens and swirling animal imagery all combine to bring a show to Discovery River that will delight out guests and truly cap off their day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The park will introduce more nighttime entertainment as well, including live performers on Discovery Island and a new nighttime version of the Kilimanjaro Safaris."

Quick disclaimer here, not about the expansion, but in regard to the movie, AVATAR, itself. The movie has an PG-13 rating for its violence, language, and adult themes. So, while all parents obviously get to make their own choices about what TV shows and movies they allow their children to watch, I wouldn't feel right about getting everyone all jazzed up for this new area without at least mentioning that. Because, as parents, we are going to make whatever decisions that we are going to make, but we certainly always try to make them "informed" decisions.

With that being said - Disney has done it again! I had better start planning my, what do you think 2016? 2017? vacation now!

UPDATE:

Here's the video that was shown at the D23 Expo in Tokyo,

when these announcements were made.

Tweet