Disney announces new nighttime shows, Pandora opening

"Our level of respect for tradition and legacy is very high," said Bob Chapek, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The comment resonated with the diehard enthusiasts to whom he was speaking at Destination D: Amazing Adventures, the D23 Disney fan club event held in November at Florida's Walt Disney World. They wouldn't want the Imagineers to tinker too much with beloved classic attractions such as the Jungle River Cruise or the Haunted Mansion.

At the same time, D23 fans appreciated Chapek's follow-up comment: "Yet, we know our guests come back because they want something new." The large audience gathered in the convention center at Disney's Contemporary Resort responded with glee as the parks chairman ran down some of the exciting developments coming to Disneyland and Disney World, including a new land based on the film, Avatar, a repurposed ride themed to Marvel's hit movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the hotly anticipated Star Wars lands.

The first of a series of sequels to the box office champ, Avatar, isn't expected to be released until 2018, but guests at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be able to visit Pandora – The World of Avatar when it opens May 27. Chapek promised that it would be the most immersive land that The Mouse has ever built. Given the stunning commitment to story and level of detail at Disney California Adventure's Cars Land, that's quite a promise.

Traveling across the bridge from Discovery Island to Pandora, guests will be transported to the otherworldly planet and encounter the physics-defying sight of its massive floating mountains. The land will feature two signature attractions. Using simulator technology, riders will climb aboard the back of a winged mountain banshee and navigate above a Pandoran jungle in Avatar Flight of Passage. Unlike the tame Soarin', Chapek said that the new attraction would amp up the thrills.

Previously, Disney had downplayed its second Pandora attraction, Na’vi River Journey. The family-friendly boat ride will take passengers into one of the planet's bioluminescent rainforests. But Chapek raised expectations at the D23 event by declaring it would be fantastic. "The only thing that's comparable is the Pirates [of the Caribbean] attraction in Shanghai Disneyland," he said, and rightly called that ride "the new high-water mark for us." Video footage of the animatronic Na’vi shaman who will greet guests in the ride was jaw-dropping.

Rounding out the land will be places to purchase food, beverages, and trinkets. Adorned with Pandoran art and other cultural artifacts, Satu’li Canteen will serve as the primary restaurant. Drinks will be available at Pongu Pongu, a kiosk located in a courtyard. And shoppers seeking Na’vi-approved toys and other items will find them at Windtraders.

Along with the addition of Pandora, Disney World has extended the operating hours of its Animal Kingdom park. Previously open only during the day, last year it began offering nighttime safaris, whimsical vignettes projected onto its iconic Tree of Life, and other after-dark experiences. On February 17, the park will debut Rivers of Light, a nighttime show.

Presented in a new amphitheater, the presentation will include fountains, a vast array of programmable lights, live performers, and water screens that will depict real-life animal clips. The 15-minute performance will feature "Lotus flowers" and other floats that will be individually choreographed to move through the water in sync with one another and with the original music soundtrack. Rivers of Light was originally scheduled to open last year, but was delayed.

The Magic Kingdom will also be getting a new nighttime show, Happily Ever After. It will incorporate digitally mapped scenes featuring characters from films such as Aladdin, Moana, and Zootopia projected onto Cinderella Castle. The kiss goodnight extravaganza will also blend fireworks and an original score. Happily Ever After kicks off May 12.

By and large, D23 fans aren't thrilled that Disney California Adventure is repurposing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! (It's one tradition with which the company decided to tamper – although Chapek did reassure the crowd that the original Tower of Terror at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida would remain intact). But they listened politely as the parks chairman explained that the iconic ride, which will reopen in summer 2017, would feature the same butterflies-in-your-stomach drops infused with a new storyline.

In the queue, guests will see exhibits of items gathered throughout the universe by the Collector. They will also learn that the nefarious character has captured the Guardians, and that Rocket Raccoon has freed himself. The unlikely ringtail hero recruits visitors to help him rescue his pals. Instead of the retro macabre tone of The Twilight Zone, the re-themed ride will adopt the more irreverent disposition of the Marvel movies and comic books.

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently announced that the two Star Wars lands currently under construction at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland would open some time in 2019. One of the E-Ticket rides will invite newbie pilots into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon to fly a mission. A second attraction will drop guests into a skirmish between the Resistance and the First Order. In other Star Wars news, Chapek said that the existing Star Tours rides in California and Florida would include scenes from Episode VIII of the landmark series, which is set for release in December 2017.

All of Disney's American theme parks have either recently expanded or have expansion projects underway with the exception of Epcot. Chapek said that the world's fair-like park, which has had an edutainment focus, would get some love and undergo a major transformation. "It will be more 'Disney,' " he noted, and added that it would be "even more for the entire family while staying true to our original mission." The recent Frozen Ever After reinterpretation of the Norway pavilion's Maelstrom boat ride, which incorporates characters from the top grossing animated film, likely gives a sense of where the park would be heading.