Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3D flying simulator attraction within Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Set in the Avatar universe, the attraction allows guests to take flight on a native mountain Banshee and soar across the landscape of Pandora.[4]
| Avatar Flight of Passage | |
|---|---|
.jpg){kind=avatar} Avatar in the standby queue | |
| Disney's Animal Kingdom | |
| Area | Pandora – The World of Avatar |
| Coordinates | 28°21′19″N 81°35′32″W / 28.3554°N 81.5921°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 26, 2017[3] |
| Opening date | May 27, 2017[1][2] |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | 3D flying simulator |
| Designer | |
| Theme | Avatar |
| Music | |
| Vehicles | Link chair |
| Rows | 3 (between three levels) |
| Riders per row | 16 |
| Duration | 4:24 |
| Height restriction | 44 in (112 cm) |
| Audio-animatronics | Yes |
| Pre-show hosts | Dr. Stevens Dr. Jackie Ogden |
 Lightning Lane Single Pass available | |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
 Assistive listening available | |
 Closed captioning available | |
Cast
edit- Alison Blanchard as Dr. Ogden
- David Danipour as Dr. Stevens
Development
editWork on Avatar Flight of Passage began in 2012 and involved staff from Walt Disney Imagineering, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, and Weta Digital. All of the footage in the ride is original, with Executive Producer Amy Jupiter revealing, "Everything you see in the attraction’s main show was original to this production. We were fortunate to be able to use the model and texture assets from the first film during our templating/visualization process. We were also able to use animation cycles for our [background] characters."[5] Weta Digital provided the main ride film footage.[6]
Ride experience
editIn the attraction's storyline, the humans and Na'vi are attempting to restore the banshee population to natural levels, after the mining tactics caused by the Resources Development Administration generations prior. Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) has reactivated the avatar program through the Pandora Conservation Initiative as a method of conducting research, and allows guests to link with an avatar to fly on an Ikran (known to humans as a "Banshee") to partake in the Na'vi's tribal coming-of-age tradition.[7]
Set within the remains of a former Resources Development Administration facility, the attraction invites guests into the ACE lab where guests are linked to an "avatar" and fly aboard a banshee across the Valley of Mo'ara.[8]
The ride's visual effects are in 10K resolution at 60 fps stereo.[9]
Warning cards
editOn February 27, 2018, after four incidents had occurred,[10][11] Disney added warning cards for riders before entering the ride. The cards were similar to those on Mission: Space and warned riders about fear of heights, motion sickness, and the seating restraints.[12] These cards were removed in late 2018 and have been replaced with a pre-recorded message which communicates similar information to guests. The message plays only in the queue room immediately before the ride experience. Cast Members give a safety spiel with warnings before entering ride room.
Reception
editAvatar Flight of Passage was ranked in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new ride of 2017 with 15% of the vote, to come in second place.[13] The ride won the 2018 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project.[14]
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ranking | 2[13]
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References
edit- ^ "Pandora – The World of Avatar to Open May 27, Star Wars Lands Coming in 2019 - The Walt Disney Company". The Walt Disney Company. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (February 7, 2017). "Just Announced: Pandora – The World of Avatar Will Open May 27 at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Wolf, Colin. "Disney's Pandora: The World of Avatar is now in soft-opening mode". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ Graser, Marc (December 10, 2014). "'Avatar' Ride Coming to Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ McGowan, Chris (June 25, 2018). "AVATAR: FLIGHT OF PASSAGE: A Cinematic, Multi-Sensory 3D Experience That Soars". VFX Voice. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ Murphy, Mekado (July 31, 2017). "Inside Avatar, the Theme Park Version". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ Porges, Seth (April 26, 2017). "Everything You Need To Know About Disney's New 'Avatar'-Themed Land". Forbes. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ Martens, Todd (April 29, 2017). "What it's like to walk, ride and fly through Disney World's new Pandora park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ "AVATAR: FLIGHT OF PASSAGE: A Cinematic, Multi-Sensory 3D Experience that Soars". VFX Voice Magazine. June 25, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Disney's Avatar Ride causes woman to pass out, according to new report of theme-park injuries". Fox News. July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ "Disney: 2 health issues reported at Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom, report says". Orlando Sentinel. January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ "PHOTO: Guests Riding Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom Now Given Warning Cards". WDW News Today. February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ a b "Park and ride winners" (PDF). Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Avatar Flight of Passage Honored with Industry Award for Outstanding Visual Effects". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
External links
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