Avatar Set for Theme Park Treatment

BURBANK: James Cameron‘s worldwide 3D blockbuster Avatar will be the basis for new attractions at Disney theme parks and resorts, beginning with Walt Disney World.

The exclusive agreement between Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment kicks off with an Avatar-themed attraction within the Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World, with construction due to begin by 2013. The other locations will be determined by Disney and its international theme park partners. Cameron, his producing partner, Jon Landau, and their Lightstorm Entertainment group will serve as creative consultants on the projects and will partner with Walt Disney Imagineering in the design and development of the Avatar themed lands.

“James Cameron is a groundbreaking filmmaker and gifted storyteller who shares our passion for creativity, technological innovation and delivering the best experience possible,” said Robert A. Iger, the president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “With this agreement, we have the extraordinary opportunity to combine James’ talent and vision with the imagination and expertise of Disney.”

“Avatar created a world which audiences can discover again and again and now, through this incredible partnership with Disney, we’ll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before, Cameron said. "With two new Avatar films currently in development, we’ll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore. I’m chomping at the bit to start work with Disney’s legendary Imagineers to bring our Avatar universe to life. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of AVATAR with an unprecedented sense of reality.”

“This exciting new venture combines the world of Avatar with the enormous reach of Disney and the incomparable talent of Jim Cameron,” commented Fox Filmed Entertainment’s chairmen, Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. “While Jim is bringing audiences further into Pandora with the next two chapters in the Avatar motion picture saga, the theme park attraction will likewise bring a new dimension to the amazing universe he created.”