Disney Parks Announce New ‘Star Wars’, ‘Toy Story’ And ‘Avatar’ Themed Attractions

At the Disney D23 EXPO on Saturday, Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced some exciting plans for new attractions at the Disney theme parks in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California. Star Wars, Toy Story and Avatar will all be getting their own new themed attractions, representing a shift away from the traditional Walt Disney characters.

Disney Parks is adding more Star Wars based attractions.

Star Wars land, which will come to both Disney Word and Disney Land, will be the ‘the largest single land expansions either of those parks have ever had,” Scott Trowbridge, the Imagineering executive overseeing the project told fans at D23. The area will replace Disneyland’s current Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland and open up nearby ‘backstage’ areas. Work on the land is expected to commence sometime in 2017.

Another new attraction Pandora- The World of Avatar aims to make guests feel like they are actually inside the world created in James Cameron’s 2009 Oscar winner. The park’s creative team have been working alongside Cameron and producer Jon Landau to create a special immersive attraction that will be unforgettable for visitors.

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“We’ve been working side-by-side with Jim and Jon to make sure that what we do is true to the story, characters and vision for the beautiful, mythical, epic land of Pandora,” Imagineer Joe Rohde said. “We’re creating a transformational experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” The attraction will be situated in the park’s Animal Kingdom.

The world of Toy Story is also set to come to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in an attraction which will make guests feel as though they are actually in the backyard of Andy. The attraction will feature oversized objects to give guests the feeling that they actually are on the movie’s set.

More: ‘Toy Story 4’ To Feature Love Story Between Woody And Bo Peep!

The area will also include a ‘Family-friendly roller coaster ‘ with guesting boarding Slinky Dog’s back, an Alien saucers attraction where you’re taken for a spin on a flying saucers and an expanded Toy Story Mania! which will grow to include the world under Andy’s bed.

Speaking about the upcoming changes at the parks, Tony Baxter who oversaw the introduction of the Star Tours attraction in the late 1980s said the company needed to make sure its parks stayed current. “Making it relevant for each generation and on and on means you have to keep fine-tuning it,” Baxter said. “So that it does have that emotional play for each person who comes in, whatever they like, 60 years from now.”

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