In Praise of Avatar Flight of Passage
For more than five years now, a single attraction has dominated Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This ride claims more traffic than anything else there, and I’m including the animals when I say that!
Animal Kingdom
Guests cannot get enough of Pandora – The World of Avatar, and they’re particularly passionate about its E-ticket experience.
Today, let’s sing the praises of Avatar Flight of Passage, a ride that’s even better than you realize.
Photo: Disney
Avatar Fever Once Again Contagious
The timing of this article isn’t a coincidence. At the time of publication, director James Cameron is once again dominating the box office.
The director of Titanic and Avatar has somehow done it again. Avatar: The Way of Water should claim a top-five spot in the all-time box office any day now.
Photo: Disney
At that point, a single director will claim three of the largest box office grosses ever, an incomprehensible feat.
Many years ago, Disney recognized an opportunity. It could build a theme park version of Pandora, the alien world that’s home to the Na’vi.
pandora
At the time, Disney didn’t even own the Avatar intellectual property. Still, it built this themed land due to a belief in the concept and the excellence of Imagineers.
The timeline for Pandora’s creation remains a curiosity to outsiders, too. Disney started the project in 2011 but didn’t break ground until 2014.
Then, a series of delays slowed development until Pandora eventually debuted in 2017.
Fittingly, Disney acquired the rights to Avatar less than two years later when it purchased most Fox assets. By that point, theme park guests had already fallen in love with Pandora.
Photo: Disney
Imagineers somehow brought impossible feats like the Floating Mountains and bioluminescent plants to life.
We see them during each visit, and I hope we never take the marvel of the achievement for granted.
Flight of Passage
Still, as great as Pandora remains as a whole, tourists single out one part of it as the heart and soul of the themed land.
We embrace Avatar Flight of Passage.
Photo: Disney
How to Train Your Banshee
In 2010, DreamWorks Animation told a story called How to Train Your Dragon.
As delightful as that film is – and it was my favorite release of 2010 – Cameron beat it to the punch.
Photo: Livingbydisney.com
In late 2009, Avatar highlighted the concept in a different way. Let’s call it How to Train Your Banshee.
At one point in the film, Jake Sully took his fake Avatar version of a Na’vi and somehow created a network connection with a Banshee. That’s the technical term for what the scene really was: horseback riding in mid-air.
Sully hopped on the back of an unwilling Banshee and rode that creature until the duo eventually bonded.
Photo: touring plans.com
Jockeys have done this for more than a century now, but it looks cooler in 3D. Similarly, rodeo cowboys attempt the feat a lot. They’re lucky to last eight seconds, though.
For Sully, falling off the Banshee after eight seconds would have meant a plunge to certain death. As such, he had incentive to conquer his beast.
Flight of Passage
Avatar Flight of Passage expands the premise of that sequence into a fully immersive themed attraction.
In the process, Disney marries two remarkable ideas into a single thrill ride.
Flight of Passage
Soarin’ on Steroids
On the one hand, Imagineers employ the same technology from Soarin’ Over California, a ride that debuted in 2001.
Photo: DVC Shop
That ride involves a sort of hand gliding wherein an apparatus lifts you high into the air, where you stare at a massive IMAX screen for several minutes.
This is what Soarin’ looks like when it works:
However, if you keep watching, you’ll notice how Soarin’ appears when the lights are on.
You’re unlikely to think about the ride mechanics due to the remarkably immersive nature of the attraction.
Photo: OC Register
Avatar Flight of Passage employs the same underlying technology. During the ride experience, you can glance left or right and notice the other riders in the theater.
You just don’t do this because you must take your eyes off Pandora to notice anything else in the auditorium. Who wants to do that?
Photo: Facebook/Imagineer Podcast
That brings us to the second point. While riding Avatar Flight of Passage, you do more than explore the open air of Pandora.
You also consume the culture at a brisk but reasonable pace. Your Banshee will fly through several settings, including a forest and the ocean.
Image Credit: Disney
In fact, the theming here makes me wonder whether Cameron informed Disney of his plans for Avatar: The Way of Water. Many similarities exist between some of the water creatures during the ride and the ones we watch in the film.
Throughout this experience, we fly around, avoiding the obstacles that would kill lesser Na’vi. And Disney highlights the exploration in fascinating ways.
In Praise of Avatar Flight of Passage
For starters, the ride cart for this attraction proves unique. Ostensibly, Imagineers have shaped it like a motorcycle. It harbors a few secrets, though.
Photo: touring plans.com
For instance, when you push your legs against the vehicle during your ride, you may notice the sensation of breathing.
Disney wants you to feel as if you’re on a living Banshee. So, it has sprinkled little touches like this throughout the ride to enhance the immersion.
Photo: diz-abled.com/
Similarly, the animation of Pandora imbues every creature with its own personality.
In fact, I have a special friend at the end of the ride. Do you know the moment when your Banshee touches down, signifying the end of your flight?
Photo: World of Walt
While your pet stands on the branch, you should stare straight down. There’s a tiny little dude trying to eat a snack.
The sudden, loud arrival of your Banshee freaks out this creature. So, he does NOT look happy.
Photo: Youtube/LMG Vids
Hilariously, nobody thinks to look down since there’s a space whale splashing in the center of the shot.
I couldn’t even find a YouTube video that shows my friend! Here’s the closest one. He’s kind of a blurry blob on the right of the screen:
That’s how rich and detailed Avatar Flight of Passage is. A dozen different ride videos can miss the same sequence.
The mistake is perfectly understandable as well. One character from literally thousands appearing in the ride possesses a behavior and a personality!
Photo: Theme Park Tourist via Wikipedia
You’ll discover similar Easter eggs like this as you ride Avatar Flight of Passage. It’s not an easy thing to do, though.
You must train yourself to move your eyes away from the primary story.
Flight of Passage
The attention to detail on this ride is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced at Disney.
Imagineers have fully infused the world of Pandora with life!
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Feature Image: ThemeParkTourist.com
