Updates on the Avatar Experience Coming to Disney California Adventure

A new Avatar attraction is coming to Disney California Adventure that will send guests on an adventure of a lifetime in search of majestic natural wonders that only can be found on Pandora. And while Pandora is beautiful, danger comes along with this journey.

During Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that the new Pandora destination was coming to Disney California Adventure park. While Pandora—The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is based on Oscar-winner James Cameron’s Avatar film, this new destination at the Disneyland Resort will draw inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and other upcoming Avatar films. In California, guests will be able to experience Pandora in a brand-new way.

The new and thrilling attraction will bring all the action, excitement, and wonder of Avatar to life as guest travel the wide-open seas of Pandora.

Location, Location, Location

So, the two big questions are where is this new Avatar experience going to be located and when can we expect it to open – or when construction will be started? Rumors have been circulating for a while about the location of the Avatar experience and which of the Disneyland Resort parks the attraction will be in. Now, we have confirmation that the destination will be located at Disney California Adventure park, but we do not have confirmation on a physical location at the park.

Hollywood Land

Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure park is one of the locations where the new Avatar destination could be located. This area is mostly vacant with the exception of “Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!” and the exit for “Mickey’s PhilharMagic”. There is a stage and merchandise location in Hollywood Land but the stage is not used on a regular basis. Also, Hollywood Land is used a lot for food kiosks during the many festivals at Disney California Adventure. However, there is a large plot of land behind Hollywood Land including several buildings in Hollywood Land that could be used for the expansion.

Before the Disneyland Resort could expand to the area behind Hollywood Land, a new location for the buses would have to be constructed. Part of the potential plans of DisneylandForward was to construct a new parking structure across from the Disneyland Resort behind Harbor Blvd which would also be adjacent to Disney Way. The new parking structure would also be the new bus drop-off and pick-up location which would free up the current area behind Hollywood Land. But, what will happen to Hollywood Land? Will it stay? Will part of the land stay? We currently do not have answers.

Personally, I feel like Avatar would be out of place in this expansion area. I think Zootopia or even Frozen would fit better. However, neither of those project were announced during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

Pixar Place Hotel Parking Lot

There are also other possibilities for where the Avatar experience could be located. The destination could be constructed in the Pixar Place Hotel parking lot across Disneyland Drive. In order for guests to visit the destination, Disney could construct a bridge or a tunnel over or under Disneyland Drive for guests to access the new destination. Also, something similar to the Haunted Mansion setup could be constructed where guests enter a building on one side of Disneyland Drive, travel under Disneyland Drive in a tunnel as part of the queue and then have the show building on the other side of Disneyland Drive.

At this time, Disney has not announced a physical location nor have they announced when we can expect this project to be completed – or even started. I feel like we have been teased about this project since January with not really much more information besides a few artist concepts of the attraction. With the new expansion of the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney gave us more information on Monday after D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event ended. So, it is possible we will receive more information on Avatar this week or in the coming weeks. And when we do, I will be sharing that information with you, Mouseketeers!