Hollywood is packed full of movies that are stuck in perpetual development, but it’s a unique case when one of them is the sequel to the most lucrative movie of all time. Opening in 2009, Avatar broke just about every box office record there was. Thanks to the cutting-edge technology employed by writer/director James Cameron, the film was more than a movie—it was a cinematic experience. After grossing almost $3 billion at the worldwide box office, however, it seems crafting the perfect follow-up has become quite a daunting task for the auteur.
Cameron has spent every year since then teasing the arrival of not only Avatar 2, but three other sequels as well. For now, Avatar 2 is set to hit theaters sometime in 2018. Much of the delay seems to be part of Cameron’s continuing quest to up the visual and technical aspects of the movies, as well as explore the oceans of the film’s setting, Pandora. In the meantime, he and Disney have teamed up to bring fans an interactive version of the alien planet in Florida. Dubbed Pandora: The World of Avatar, the experience will actually be a series of lands and attractions within Disney World letting you interact with the flora and fauna of the extraterrestrial ecosystem.
Until the attractions open and the movies finally premiere, however, the people behind Avatar are keen to continue promotoing their property. Their latest venture involves an exhibition in Taiwan called Avatar: Discover Pandora, which will be up for three months in the Xinyi Theatre in Taipei. Thanks to /Film, we now have our first look at the display.
While lacking in rides (or any footage of the upcoming films), the exhibition will allow fans of the series to walk around and enjoy museum-like displays showcasing the various wildlife and habitats of Pandora. Notable inclusions are the Tree of Souls, a centerpiece of the first Avatar, and life-size statues of a number of creatures from the movie, such as Viperwolves and Direhorses. There’s also lots of information on hand to help flesh out the lore and history of Cameron’s creation.
All in all, the exhibition seems hardly worth the trip to Taipei if you’re not already nearby. Though there’s no date on when the Disney attractions will open, the extended development period should help to ensure that they are more interactive and exciting. Still, it’s fun to see aspects of the first Avatar movie come to life. Hopefully, this is just a taste of what’s in store for us as the world of Avatar continues to expand, both on the big screen and in real life.
Source: /Film
- Avatar 2 Release Date: 2022-12-16
