In a surprising announcement, The Disney Parks Blog revealed on Tuesday that filmmaker James Cameron's Lightstorm Interactive and Disney Parks would be joining forces to create an AVATAR-themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

A scene from the film

At a press conference at Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs announced the beginning of a creative partnership with Cameron and his producing partner Jon Landau to develop attractions based on the world of AVATAR, Cameron's 2009 blockbuster.

The project is only in its design phase, so scant information on the scope and scale of the endeavor came out of the conference, but Disney did reveal that construction is set to begin in 2013. Unknown at this time is whether the AVATAR land will be replacing an existing Animal Kingdom land, or utilizing as yet undeveloped acreage on the property.

EMMETT'S COMMENTARY:

Now here's that all-too-rare piece of Disney Park news that catches those of us who follow such developments closely by surprise!

How do I feel about it? Well, I suppose I should start off by admitting that I am a huge fan of James Cameron's films, especially his 80s films The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. AVATAR, however, for all its beautiful, lush scenery and amazing FX work, felt a little lacking for me in the story and characterization departments. I thought that the film was a thinly veiled retread of a familiar storyline, with a one-dimensional villain to boot. Despite the film being nominated for Best Picture, it's clear from a quick perusal of online reviews that a significant percentage of critics and regular moviegoers shared this opinion of the film.

A sweeping vista from the film

All that being said, I think that as a theme park experience, AVATAR has the potential to be one of Disney's best. James Cameron's Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time was and remains a stellar theater experience at Universal. Imagine the immersion the filmmaker will be able to accomplish with an entire land at his disposal. As of this writing, it's not clear what sorts of attractions will feature in AVATAR-land (my name for it, not Disney's), but already my imagination is churning with dreams. Dark rides? Outdoor forests? Simulators? A theatrical experience?

To drive my point home, consider that while watching the film for the first time theatrically in 3-D, I remember having one "complaint": that the film felt more like a theme park attraction than a movie. The cardboard characterizations of the film would have worked well in the 15 - 20 minute short film format that Disney has pioneered in experiences like Captain EO.

For fans who have been hoping for something new to come to Animal Kingdom for half a decade, this announcement surely comes as a big surprise. It may not be what people have been wishing for (Beastly Kingdom? A fixed Yeti?) but it's a big deal nonetheless. Will Cameron and Disney be able to draw non-AVATAR fans to his new land? Time will tell!