In 2011, Disney announced a deal with James Cameron to place an Avatar themed land in the Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The construction of the add on to Disney’s fourth park began in early 2014 and it became known as Pandora – The World of Avatar. Here we are three years later and the opening of the land is just around the corner. The rope will drop on May 27, 2017 to be exact, and many people are anticipating the expansion of the park. However, with any idea, there are some skeptics. So, will Pandora flop or will it be a successful venture for the Disney Company?

The original Avatar film was quite successful, so it was smart of Disney to partner itself with a franchise that has done as well as the James Cameron film did. This will be a nice change of pace for the Animal Kingdom as well. Currently, many people only view it as a half day park because of it’s lack of attractions and real “it” factor compared to the other parks in Walt Disney World. The addition of Pandora could be just what the park needs, providing more attractions, restaurants and shops for people to spend their day.

Speaking of attractions, there are two confirmed for the land so far. Avatar: Flight of Passage is the first. This flight simulator is expected to be a top tier attraction, hopefully getting the kind of attention that Expedition Everest and DINOSAUR get. The second will be a smaller attraction called Na’vi River Journey. The ride will take you down the river on a boat, displaying scenes throughout Pandora featuring audio-animatronics.

However, as cool as this land may sound for Avatar fans, this expansion still has its doubters. Many fear that Disney jumped on the Avatar bandwagon a few years too late by building it so far after the release of the original film. James Cameron has promised four sequels for the franchise, but filming hasn’t even begun for any of them. Filming and release dates have been pushed back twice already. When and if the films do get released, people are concerned that they may not do as well as the first.

So was it really that smart for Disney to partner with Avatar? It’s honestly too soon to tell. Hopefully this investment was good for both sides. For both Disney’s and Cameron’s sake, hopefully the upcoming films will get finished and they will do well at the box office. This was a neat idea by Disney to partner with such a unique IP. So, much like many other Disney ideas, let’s hope for nothing but success in Pandora – The World of Avatar.