By Ken Storey
The plot has thickened in the latest theme park rumors in town. Last week a number of sites seemed to simultaneously release 'leaked' documents retaining to the new 'Avatarland' coming to Animal Kingdom. The land was formerly in a state of supposed limbo due to an IGN story in early September on a delay in the movies themselves. Local theme park expert and blogger Kevin Yee took this news and issued a warning call on the entire project, with the logic that the new rumored Cars Land east was headed to Hollywood Studios instead. That rumor is that the popular just opened Cars themed area at Disney's California Adventure will be copy and pasted into Hollywood Studios here in Orlando, possibly closing the Lights, Camera, Action Stunt Show and the tram tour.
With IGN announcing the movie delays many seemed to throw in the flag and push Avatar back into the last of the decade, long from now, some even seemed to all but call the project dead all the while lamenting that the franchise never should've been in a Disney park at all.
All of this was the last real news on the Avatar land until last week. In the meantime though the rumor mill has been in overdrive with the rumors coming out of the Universal camp that now seem to be getting some outside confirmation, like that 'major announcement' planned for this Thursday. Then suddenly with no warning these leaked pictures, three of them, are posted a number of theme park rumor blogs seemingly simultaneously and even on local television news.
Here are those plans...
The three photos seemed to show a Soarin' style simulator ride along with a calm boat ride. This would confirm earlier rumors of these two ride systems as being a part of the new land. On Friday's Screamscape report, arguably one of the leading theme park rumor sources, Lance Hart did a simple report on what the new leaked documents looked to be. Then this morning after the weekend of the leaked document story growing to new heights he releases even more documents stating that the release of the documents on other sites have cause him to decide to show his hand as well.
He posts documents showing at least three floored building that contains both a boat ride and a large E-ticket thrill ride. Hart then links this new simulator to one that he recalled from last years IAAPA, the leading amusement park convention (which by the way is coming to Orlando again this year in just a few weeks, it will of course be in-depth covered here on TheDailyCity). The simulator that he places his bets is a small company, Simtek, with a new product that could change the theme park industry with a simple Soarin' style simulator. Now though the industry changing product seems to be hidden on a back page of the company's website. Hart then ends his post with questioning if a exclusive use deal could have been made between Disney and the small company with the industry changing product.
It looks like this is just the beginning of the Avatar saga as this new land is still years away no matter who you talk to. What do you think? Will Avatar get built? Will it be the Harry Potter killer that some are calling it? Are these actual leaked documents from the project?
