During its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, The Walt Disney Company shared concept art for what a future experience based on the Avatar movies could look like. This was a brief glimpse of what could possibly be but it will undoubtedly foster more conversation, excitement, and opinions as people analyze every inch of this piece of art and dream about what could be. An initial glance appears to show a land with a raft-type water attraction and no massive floating mountains. This could mean that the area will be leaning into Avatar: The Way of Water.
“We have one Avatar-based land, Pandora, in Florida; we’re going to put a second one in California. That doesn’t mean we can’t put one somewhere in Asia or somewhere in Europe, for instance,” Iger said during the presentation. The release of this concept art was placed with Iger also acknowledging that the DisneylandForward proposal will be going before the Anaheim City Council later this month.
This concept art was shared as Iger was sharing about the possibilities for Disney’s parks in the future. The parks, part of the Experiences segment, will be seeing $60 billion invested in them in the coming 10 years. 70% of this investment, Iger said, would be spent on capacity-expanding experiences for guests. This includes new attractions, lands, entertainment, and character experiences. 30% of the investment will be devoted to ensuring that the guest experience is top-notch and maintaining the things that Disney creates for its Experiences segments.
There have been several possibilities that have been teased for what could come to the Disneyland Resort, in particular, with the DisneylandForward proposal. This has included the possibilities of a new Frozen area, Zootopia, or even Black Panther. At this point, however, nothing has been announced or confirmed. This will not be done until the DisneylandForward has been approved and plans can begin to be solidified.
Iger first announced an Avatar-based experience for the Disneyland Resort in 2023. Since initially announcing it, he has referred to the experience as a land. Disney publications have continued to define it as an experience though. The concept art that was released during the annual meeting is the first official look at what could come with this new Avatar offering at the Disneyland Resort.
Shortly after the shareholder meeting, Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared a statement on the Disney Parks Blog about how Disney is continuing to turbocharge the future of Experiences. This includes the update about the Avatar experience. D’Amaro said, “Avatar is the latest example of how we are looking to create new and innovative ways to bring our powerful stories to life. Over the past decade, we’ve delivered massive, immersive experiences at our destinations around the world, including new lands and attractions based on Star Wars, the Avengers, Pixar and more.”
D’Amaro went on to share about the recent additions to Disney parks around the globe, along with some upcoming ones including Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort and the expansion of the Disney Cruise Line with new ships and destinations. Disney also has partnered with Epic Games to bring Disney properties to Fortnite as well. He wrapped things up by saying, “And all of this is just the beginning – there are so many stories in our library yet to be explored. As we turbocharge Disney Experiences over the next 10 years, we’re investing aggressively and thoughtfully to give you more of what you love. There has never been a more exciting time at Disney Experiences. I’m looking forward to having you on this journey with us.”
What do you think of this concept art? Are you excited about Avatar coming to the Disneyland Resort? What do you most hope will be included? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro’s Full Statement
Continuing to Turbocharge Disney Experiences
Earlier today during The Walt Disney Company Annual Meeting of Shareholders, our CEO Bob Iger shared some incredible updates from across the company … including an update at Disney Experiences that I am very excited about.
We were thrilled to unveil a piece of inspirational artwork developed for a potential new Avatar experience at the Disneyland Resort. 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.
Avatar is the latest example of how we are looking to create new and innovative ways to bring our powerful stories to life. Over the past decade, we’ve delivered massive, immersive experiences at our destinations around the world, including new lands and attractions based on Star Wars, the Avengers, Pixar and more.
This was evident late last year when we opened World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland and, just a month later, Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort, where we continue to receive tremendous response from our guests.
We’re keeping that momentum going in 2024. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens this year at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and we’re about to unveil Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, the largest single-land expansion ever at a Disney park. I was in Paris last week and met with the teams who just completed the transformation of the Disneyland Hotel and are now building the Frozen-themed land at our Walt Disney Studios Park.
Our expansion is as active on sea as it is on land. Disney Cruise Line will continue adding to its reputation as the top choice for families as we open a new island destination this summer in the Bahamas, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Then in December we’ll set sail on the next ship to join our fleet, the Disney Treasure.
In the digital realm, our relationship with Epic Games is going to create a new games and entertainment universe that will connect fans and players with our characters in ways we have never done before.
And all of this is just the beginning – there are so many stories in our library yet to be explored. As we turbocharge Disney Experiences over the next 10 years, we’re investing aggressively and thoughtfully to give you more of what you love. There has never been a more exciting time at Disney Experiences. I’m looking forward to having you on this journey with us.
This post was updated with information from Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro.
