My family and I were fortunate to be part of the first DVC preview of Pandora: The World of Avatar. By now I’m sure you have seen anything and everything that you have wanted to about Pandora (please don’t call it Avatarland)…but here is some more.
DVC/AP Previews:
We arrived before EMH, rope dropped DAK, and promptly walked toward where the Pandora previews were being queued (across from Pizzafarri/Tiffins). At 8:01 am we were about 5th deep for our 9-11am “reservation”, and they told us the plan was to let everyone in early (to get a jump on the whole day of previews ahead). We were let in at 8:30am and were handed a paper Fast Pass for our Flight of Passage time (the “E-ticket” headliner attraction for Pandora).
Remember paper Fast Passes?Immerse Yourself
Now, with any land or attraction coming from Disney Imagineering, there is always a back-story to help develop the environment and give it meaning and depth. For Pandora: The World of Avatar, the story flows that we are Eco-tourists on a trip with ACE (Alpha Centauri Expeditions). When we are walking over the bridge, we are being teleported over 4 light years from Earth to the moon of Pandora…specifically, in the Valley of Mo’Ara.
Do not run from Large Animals!?At this point, it’s important to know that Disney intends this area to take place 30 years after the movie Avatar. Being tied to the Avatar movie franchise is fraught with controversy…but the bottom line is…WHO CARES! Once you step foot in this immersive world, the movie will be far from your thoughts. Just know that it is a foreign world where every sight and sound is unique…a similar feeling like entering any Disney immersive area (i.e. Carsland).
Infamous Flaska Reclinata…”interactive” for an explosive good time.Wind Traders (left) for merch and Pongu Pongu (right) for drinks and the soon to be famous snack (IMHO): Lumpia (pinapple cream cheese filled egg-rolls)We searched and found LOTS of nice sitting areas that looked “built-in”Rides for the History Books
There are two rides in this new land: Na’vi River Journey (slow boat ride), and Flight of Passage (headliner flight simulator). I am not going to spoil the rides…but I will spout off technical details. For River Journey, Disney introduces some amazing detailed and layered storytelling. They really display their technology advancements to date in one ride, including arguably the most advanced animatronic ever implemented. The ride comes across to people as short and without a traditional narrative…hence people come away confused. But I feel like this ride will grow in stature over the years as people understand the flow and story…and appreciate the vast detail. There was a story that came out a few years ago, people thought that Industrial Light and Magic (former Lucasfilm special effects group) was creating an advanced boat ride for StarWarsLand…but I think this is that ride! Don’t expect anything special from the queue on this one…plus it is primarily covered outdoors…but hey, so are Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safari.
Shaman of Song, let’s hope she doesn’t become “Disco Shaman of Song”Flight of Passage is…well it’s hard to put into words other than…ZOMG, THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE RIDE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! Yeah…that about sums it up. I went into this ride as skeptical as anyone…I am so over screens, I thought they were lazy design and merely cost cutting measures. I still think that to a degree…but just like the 3D animation of the movie Avatar was groundbreaking in its depth and “immersive-ness”, so too is Flight of Passage. I’ve heard: “Soarin’ on steroids”, “Soarin’ meets Star Tours”, etc…but it’s so much more than anything Disney has offered. It starts with the highly detailed and deep Standby queue (and yes, you have to experience this at least once). Incidentally, I heard it was designed for a 5 hour queue…which tells two things: they really know they have something big on their hands, AND they themed 5 hours worth of queue line and it shows! Once again, I won’t spoil the ride here…there’s plenty of places to go for that. But I will say that a person working on the animation said it has more pixels than the entire Avatar movie! I did some rough math and I suspect that it is ~8K (8 times HD resolution). That would allow them to have 4K per eye of a 3D projection (alternating each eye to achieve the 3D effect)…this makes this projection the first 8K public projected display on the planet!! I am somewhat of a videophile…so I was ready to attack this assessment. I can report back that it is indeed the best 3D projection I have experienced…full stop! That is the secret sauce to immersion…the technology plays in concert with the graphics (which were fabulous). There are lots of other little secrets that I won’t divulge…but WOW, they do impress. There are some rumblings from journalists that put the ride around 3.5-4 stars (something akin to most average rides at WDW). But I am here to tell you, it is on par with Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain (two of my favorite 5 star rides)…but quite honestly, with the queue it blows them out of the water.
We haven’t been the first to pass through here (fun fact: Na’vi have 4 fingers, human Avatars have 5)Cave art adds to the mystique of the queueYou transition to a more mechanized area as you near your Avatar “synch” momentAnd yes, you still exit through the gift shop (Wind Traders), but this mountainous exit offers amazing photo opportunitiesI could go on and on about the detail and advanced interactive elements of Pandora (plus no signs of traditional Disney)…but this blog is running long. I will leave with a smattering of pictures (including some amazing food from fast casual Satu’li Canteen). We were not made to leave at our designated time…so we lingered in the area until nightfall. The CM’s told us that the night features will not be activated yet for this preview (only some black lights for the pathways)…so we have a lot of more to look forward to in future visits. For Flight of Passage, There is some controversy of minimal ADA compliance, and fears of slow rider rates…but as of right now it is the best attraction in Orlando in my opinion.
Besides Wind Traders, there is one subdued kiosk (yes, that’s THOSE tails)Bowls featuring three steps: pick a protein (Mahi-Mahi shown), a secondary side (sweet potatoes shown), and a sauce (creamy herb shown)The Cheeseburger Pods (aka Bao Bun) stole the show (kid’s meal shown)Blueberry cheesecake with passion fruit curd…beautiful as is deliciousFREE REFILLS!!! (no RFID chips) Soon to be “The Snack”: Lumpia (pineapple cream cheese filled crepe egg-rolls)You’ve heard of the Starbucks Unicorn…get ready for the Night Blossom. This non-alcoholic drink’s sweetness just oozes out of the screen, doesn’t it?Sunset shots from the Flight of Passage queue exit will be where the cool kids go.“Bio-Illuminescent” plants were not activated…but the black-light effects are everywhere.Enjoy the black-light effect on your clothes…an unintended consequence.
As the Na’vi say: kìyevame (See you soon)…until then, please visit our sponsors:
Lets take a look at what’s brewing in the world of Joffrey’s, the greatest coffee and tea company on the planet.
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**New seasonal specialty drinks will be offered at our Kiosks coming end May including:
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ICED COCONUT LATTE: delicious espresso mixed with coconut syrup and cold milk served over ice.
ICED RASPBERRY MOCHA LATTE: rich espresso blended with dark chocolate sauce and raspberry syrup mixed with cold milk over ice.
(ALL DRINKS ARE AVAILABLE WITH ALCOHOL) Yes Please!!!! 😉
**Finally Joffrey’s is working on a new signature restaurant blend…. I have a guess on what it is, do you???? We will make sure to keep you posted on when it will be available.
That’s what Joffrey’s has brewing this month.
If you want to order some of their amazing coffee and teas or just take a look at their website for some great info click here: Joffrey’s
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There I was, thumbing through Facebook on my smart phone, and came across something quite peculiar: Heavy Metal Disney music. I scoffed at first and ignored it. I then saw it again pop-up on a reputable site for everything “nerd”. I decided to give it a shot, I clicked on it and was able to listen to a heavy metal version of Beauty and the Beast. I pressed play and was immediately taken aback. This is actually quite good, almost great. The article also stated that the album was released in 2016 and was only available in Japan (I was deflated). Then I thought, “iTunes.” And there it was. I purchased the album and must say, it is very good.
The Album: Metal Disney
1. Introduction (Intros at the beginning of movies)
2. Mickey Mouse Club March Mickey Mouse Club
3. I See the Light -Tangled
4. A Whole New World- Aladdin
5. It’s a Small World
6. Beauty and the Beast
7. Under the Sea -The Little Mermaid
8. Go the Distance- Hercules
9. Can You Feel the Love Tonight -The Lion King
10. Disney Song Medley
11. When You Wish Upon a Star -Pinocchio
The Band: D- Metal All Stars
Vocals- Michael Vescera (Obsession)
Guitars-John Bruno (Obsession)
Bass- Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Quiet Riot, White Snake, Dio etc)
Drums- BJ Zampa (Dokken)
From the band’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/Dmetalstars/about/?ref=page_internalNow At first, I was a little skeptical of the song list. I am not a huge fan of ballads and about half of the album is what I consider Disney ballads. You know, the songs that get you right in the feels. But I was pleasantly surprised of how the band arranged them. They still get you right in the feels, but is kicking you in the tail end at the same time with gut busting drums and face melting solos.
Now the band members were prevalent in the 80’s during the reign of glam and hair metal (Poison, Motley Crue). The influence can be heard, especially with the vocals. However, they implemented a very thrashy (Metallica) sound which is my favorite genre. If I were to describe the sound to a person with some metal knowledge, I would say they sound like an 80’s East Coast Thrash Metal band (Anthrax, Overkill).
My favorite song on the album is probably The Disney Medley. It contains 5 classic songs that every Disney fan will know, and can sing along to it. This is probably the most thrashy of the list which is probably why I like it so much. I was actually very surprised by the band’s version of It’s a Small World. I though it was going to be 4 minutes of nothing but “it’s a Small World after all,” but it was not. They filled most of the song with some very entertaining guitar solos and breakdowns.
As the writing of this post, the physical album is not available in the United States, but it can be purchased from Japan for a pretty penny. But you can download it from Apple iTunes for about $10.
So if you’re a fan of heavy metal, and a fan of Disney music, get this album. It is very entertaining and you will not be disappointed.
And of course, as you are head banging away to Metal Disney, grab you a mug of Joffrey’s Coffee or Tea. But wait between songs, wouldn’t want you to spill any during the banging of the head.
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