Disney doesn’t announce ‘Avatar’ at Disneyland for the fourth time

Pandora in California … Maybe

Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, shared the image below, which he described as “inspirational artwork” for the project, during today’s annual Disney shareholders meeting.

“Our Imagineers have been hard at work dreaming up what guests might expect,” Iger said.

“We were thrilled to unveil a piece of inspirational artwork developed for a potential new ‘Avatar’ experience at the Disneyland Resort,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said later on the Disney Parks Blog. “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.”

Iger and D’Amaro’s comments stressed a lack of confirmation. This is a “potential” project, its “inspirational artwork” merely depicting what visitors “might expect” or “could experience,” and subject to change — not only by Disney, but by the city of Anaheim, Calif., whose approval Disney must earn to expand Disneyland Resort as part of the DisneylandForward initiative.

Today marks the fourth time Iger has spoken publicly about Disneyland’s “Avatar” project without formally announcing solidified plans (see previous comments 1, 2, and 3).

This publicity technique has become routine for Disney; the company has utilized the tactic to tease “what could be” built in the future “beyond Big Thunder” at Magic Kingdom Park and in replacement of DinoLand, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park (concepts for both pictured below), but has yet to formally announce attractions for either project.

In the wake of such pseudo-announcements often come misinformation and false headlines, many innocently reported by writers tasked with the challenge of interpreting Disney’s vague verbiage.

Boats? Banshees? A Closer Look at the Concept Art

The vista in the “Avatar” concept artwork shares similarities with Pandora – The World of Avatar, which opened in 2017 at Animal Kingdom, but isn’t a 1:1 match. That being said, last month, Iger referred to the Disneyland Resort “Avatar” project as a “land.”

In the concept art for California, the cliffs’ formations are more circular than their Floridian counterparts; above them, banshees fly. In Florida, visitors ride banshees on the indoor Avatar Flight of Passage attraction (“and, uh, fly”), but don’t see the creatures in any outdoor area. Incidentally, last week Universal Orlando Resort shared that dragons will fly within the “How to Train Your Dragon” area of Universal Epic Universe.

Also in the concept art, a boat ride travels through an outdoor waterway, as opposed to the indoor, nighttime-set placement of Na’vi River Journey in Orlando (pictured under the concept art zooms below). Also notable in the artwork, creatures appear to sunbathe on a small island in the middle of the lagoon.

Again, though, the artwork doesn’t indicate Disney’s final intentions — and even if it did, the city of Anaheim still has a say in the finished product.

Questions Remain for Disneyland’s “Avatar”

Disney has not yet specified in which theme park — Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park — it intends to build the “Avatar” experience. D’Amaro mentioned “Walt’s original theme park destination” (meaning Disneyland Resort, the name for Disney’s entire property in Anaheim), not “Walt’s original theme park” (which would refer to Disneyland Park, whose gates opened in 1955).

DisneylandForward “goes to Anaheim for approval later this month,” Iger said. Neither Iger nor D’Amaro specifically mentioned today which stories and franchises may be part of DisneylandForward beyond the “Avatar” experience; however, in a March 11, 2024, presentation to the Anaheim Planning Commission, Disneyland President Ken Potrock pointed to World of Frozen in Hong Kong and Zootopia in Shanghai as “examples” of ways DisneylandForward could “continue Walt’s legacy of bringing stories to life in Anaheim.”

Disney has a 10-year plan to invest $60 billion into expanding and maintaining Disney theme parks and global experiences. Both Iger and D’Amaro have repeatedly used the word “turbocharge” to describe this initiative (and both did so again today).

More from Disney Shareholders Meeting 2024

Also during the shareholders meeting, Iger directly addressed the imminent arrival of Epic Universe to the Orlando area. The Universal Orlando Resort theme park will be a new neighbor and direct competitor to Walt Disney World Resort when it opens in 2025. Read Iger’s remarks in our earlier coverage:

Explore Pandora

For a deep dive into every corner of Animal Kingdom’s Pandora – The World of Avatar, explore over 50 videos in the Pandora playlist on our Attractions Magazine YouTube channel.

If you’re interested in visiting Disneyland Resort, we recommend Mouse Fan Travel for a free, no obligation quote and free help throughout your trip.