Disney recently has gone, as some fans might say, to infinity and beyond.
Recent visitors of Orlando’s Walt Disney World theme park within the last decade would likely have noticed pastel colored walls with signs featuring quotes from Walt Disney himself concealing the construction of new editions to the parks. With the opening of Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios expected this summer and the ever-expanding Star Wars attractions at the same park, it seems as if Walt Disney World is constantly looking for new ways to improve and add to a guest’s experience. Over winter break I had the privilege of visiting Walt Disney World and seeing two of the park’s latest additions. In Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar is an entire new section of the park based off of the fictional land from the acclaimed 2009 film. At Magic Kingdom, the nightly firework show that ends the day for most guests has recently been changed to Happily Ever After, which includes newer Disney movies and is influenced by modern technology.
The unveil of Pandora has been anticipated by many fans, and the result did not disappoint. As soon as you walk into Pandora you are met with the breathtaking sight of the world’s seemingly floating islands that reside over a restaurant, a concession stand where you can purchase neon colored slushies topped off with fruit flavored Boba, and two new attractions. Before visitors even get to go on the new rides, the sheer look of Pandora could be enough to cause some to experience a little bit of Disney magic. The Avatar Flight of Passage allows riders to experience flying on a banshee, the fictional birds from the film, and the Na’vi River Journey brings to life Pandora’s bioluminescent river. Though if you plan to visit Animal Kingdom anytime soon, be prepared. The crowd dashes over to Pandora as soon as the gates open in order to get in line for the new attractions, which are the longest wait times at the park. On the day I was at Animal Kingdom, the wait times for Avatar Flight of Passage were sometimes as high as 210 minutes. I was lucky enough to have a FastPass for the attraction, and while the banshee ride was definitely fun and felt like a more intense version of Epcot’s Soarin’ I probably would not have waited over three hours for it.
Over at Magic Kingdom, the crowds grow at the end of the night surrounding Cinderella’s Castle and wait to watch the new fireworks show. A half hour before the official show began, Disney gave viewers a preview of what was to come in Once Upon a Time by telling the story of fan favored films such as Frozen and Peter Pan from the narrators of Beauty and the Beast characters Mrs. Potts and Chip. Scenes from each movie mentioned are projected onto the castle, but this new technology update really begins to show once Happily Ever After begins. The castle is digitally transformed to fit the scenes of each scene and musical number, is seemingly destroyed by some of Disney’s biggest villains, and then rebuilt into a mosaic featuring a variety of characters. Fireworks light up the sky accompanying what is being projected onto the castle. But perhaps the most surprising part of Happily Ever After was the use of films not often represented in the parks through attractions or restaurants. 90s classics such as Mulan, Hercules, and The Hunchback of Norte Dame and modern hits like The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Moana were each featured in the show along with a song from each film. Each park at Walt Disney World has a distinct end of the night projection or fireworks show, and during my trip Happily Ever After received one of the largest crowd reactions both during and at the end of the show.
Here’s to hoping the park’s future additions will be just as magical!