Instead of re-creating scenes from the original 'Avatar' or populating the park with characters from the movie, Disney’s Pandora, which opened in 2017, expands on the universe. And it's kept the 'Avatar' fire burning.
One criticism I’ve seen levied against “Avatar” in the 13 years since its release is that James Cameron’s 2009 film is the cinematic equivalent of a theme park. I suspect this is meant derisively — an indication that “Avatar” prizes spectacle over insight, thrills over emotion.
Pandora is a marvelous cinematic world, a fairy-tale-inspired universe where plants glow, the ground comes alive with every Na’vi step and dragon-like creatures — their magnificent swirls brighter and bolder than a child’s kite — soar in the sky. It’s also a place that I learned I missed, not through constant rewatching of “Avatar,” but through, well, a theme park.
Even better, in my opinion, is the slower, tamer Na’vi River Journey. The short but languid boat attraction has guests drift calmly through a bioluminescent forest, culminating in a visit with the Shaman of Songs, a Na’vi woman who serenades riders as they pass by. Floating jellyfish creatures soar through the sky, wolf-like predators trot off in the distance and other four-legged creatures puff up their feathers as guests roll past.
Visiting this real-life Pandora also changed the way I see the film. The militaristic aspects of the plot, with human raiders bent on destruction of the moon in order to harvest its natural resources, have over time faded into the background when I view “Avatar.” I forgive too its occasionally questionable politics, as many rightly view Sully as the embodiment of the “white savior” narrative cliché.
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