It’s a landscape that's out of this world, Walt Disney Imagineers say.

"They're walking into a world where Pandora is starting to take over,” described Matt Beiler, of how guests to Pandora will first arrive in the new themed realm at Disney World's Animal Kingdom.

After five years of design and construction, "Pandora — The World of Avatar," the park's biggest expansion, blends real with imaginary.

"There is this hyper-focus on realism, so it fits in with the rest of Animal Kingdom. That's what makes this place really come alive,” said Beiler, a show producer with Disney Imagineering.

Imagineers first sat down with a storied “blank piece of paper,” a design technique used by legendary Imagineer Marty Sklar, to begin planning the attraction.

At the forefront of the planning, they said three core values were established: a value of nature, a sense of adventure and having a call to action to help better the world we live in.

One of the main set pieces in the new area: plants — both real and imaginary.

"We have a number of Pandoran plant species in this land,” Beiler said, adding there are also subspecies of plants.


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The alien landscape from 4.4 light years away is meant to tower over and swallow up visitors.

Beiler described the floating mountains from the Avatar movie as “amazing” and “grandiose.”

The man-made landscapes, combined with fictitious species and real tropical plants combine with flowing water throughout the land, designed to place intrinsic value on nature.

Beiler said the goal is to leave visitors with the realization we live on one Earth, and there’s only one human race to care for. He hopes visitors will feel that personal “call to action,” where they learn something about the environment or other cultures.

“You're going to take those messages home and change the world you go home to," Beiler said.

If you listen, there's no background music in Pandora. Rather, you hear the animals you can't see. Hidden speakers broadcast different sounds depending on where you’re at inside Pandora.

Yet, there is music in the air that visitors will make themselves. Avatar film producer Jon Landau showed me how hidden instruments make sound. Only observant visitors will discover them — if they look carefully.

One other thing missing in Pandora: the appearance of buildings.

With the exception of some rusty relics from a generation ago, there are not a lot of structures inside Pandora. Ride entrances are hidden behind landscaping. A fast-casual diner appears to be a former aircraft hangar. Restrooms have a façade of abandoned buildings. And the retail shop looks like a bunker, now with a thatch roof.

"They are overgrown,” Beiler said of the structures. “Some of them have gone into disrepair.

"It's a fun time for us,” he said.

Pandora opens to the public at Animal Kingdom on Saturday, May 27.

360-degree view of Pandora media day

Click on the link below to explore more of Pandora using our 360-degree camera. Follow Scott Fais and photojournalist Tony Rojek as they made their way through “The World of Avatar.” Use your mouse to scroll through the landscapes, watch extended interviews, see new culinary delights at the Satu’li Canteen and learn about new merchandise at Windtraders.

To watch the video in 360 degrees:

  • On an iPhone in Safari: Click on this link to launch the Facebook app.
  • On an Android device, or on an iPhone in other mobile browsers: Click on the words "Pandora media day 360 N13" on the YouTube video below, and launch the YouTube app.
  • On your desktop computer: You should be able to see the 360-degree video below. Or head to the video on Facebook here.