The future of 'Avatar,' on and off the screen

By Sarah Sluis

The second Avatar movie isn't set to release for another three years, in Dec. 2014, but there is plenty of news about the blue-tinged Na'vi.

While James Cameron is filming the sequels to Avatar, Disney plans to create Avatar-themed attractions in its Animal Kingdom park Orlando, Florida's, Disney World. It's worth noting that Avatar is a 20th Century Fox property, so Disney must have acquired theme park rights, something it's only ever done before for the non-Disney properties Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Animal Kingdom is one of the newer parks in Disney World, and many of its attractions are weaker than those in other parks. With a couple exceptions, most of the attractions don't tie in to existing film properties, making Avatar a welcome addition to the park's entertainment options. Perhaps that's why Disney was so eager to integrate Avatar into that park, and not, say, Future Land in the Magic Kingdom. Currently, Animal Kingdom has zoo-like attractions, including a safari and a petting zoo, a show about A Bug's Life, a river rapids ride, some train attractions, features on dinosaurs, and a Mt. Everest coaster. None of the attractions focus on the future, except in a vague environmentalist way.

To predict the success of the Avatar attraction, one need only look to Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The attraction, which includes replicas of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, towns that feature heavily in the series, and a roller coaster ride, opened last year and has boosted attendance in the park astronomically. It seems odd and unfortunate that the attraction opened just a year before the final film--shouldn't they have been able to finish the attraction halfway through the movie series? By starting work before the second and thrid Avatar films have entered production, Disney should be able to open the park in tandem with the final movies' releases.

In related news, James Cameron announced that he plans to film Avatar 2 and 3 at a 60-frame rate, something he first mentioned at this year's CinemaCon. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit will use a 48-frame rate, so Cameron expressed hopes that the ability to project different frame rates will come as a software upgrade, and not by forcing exhibitors to buy new equipment. In fact, his company Lightstorm Entertainment has partnered with Christie to collaborate on research, development, and deployment of the new technology. Cinema owners do not sound as if they will be left in the dark. Between the Avatar theme park and the technological upgrades for which Cameron is advocating, the impact of his multi billion-dollar property continues to flex its strength.