Fans of “Avatar: The Way of Water” that grossed $2.3 billion at the box office may soon be able to board a boat and explore the Pandoran oceans seen in the blockbuster film if Disneyland moves forward with plans for an Avatar themed land teased for the Anaheim theme park resort.
Disney CEO Bob Iger offered a first look at the Avatar themed land proposed for the Disneyland resort during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, April 3.
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The concept art shows jutting rocks and floating mountains amid gushing geysers and alien flora. A boat filled with riders passes through an aqua-green lagoon heading toward a cascading waterfall.
Iger described the concept art as “creative inspiration” for a potential Avatar experience being designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. Disney’s creative arm is teaming up with “Avatar” filmmaker James Cameron on the new land.
Iger has been teasing an “exciting Avatar experience” for the Disneyland resort since February 2023. At the time, Iger described Avatar as a core franchise for Disney.
A D23 blog post promised the Disneyland resort’s Avatar experience would rival Pandora — The World of Avatar themed land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida.
During the shareholder meeting, Iger also discussed the $1.9 billion DisneylandForward proposal seeking approval by the Anaheim City Council on April 16.
“We are excited about the stories our guests could experience at Walt’s original theme park destination after approval of DisneylandForward — including the chance to experience all-new Avatar adventures with a visit to Pandora,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro wrote in a Disney Parks blog post.
The DisneylandForward proposal before the City of Anaheim seeks to update a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.
DisneylandForward has dangled themed lands based on Tangled, Frozen, Peter Pan, Zootopia, Toy Story, Black Panther, Coco and Tron as potential expansion projects in Anaheim.
Disney has announced plans to invest $30 billion in Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and other theme parks around the globe over the next decade.
