I’ll be writing more about Pandora - The World of Avatar next week, and the overall experience there, but with the new land at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom opening today, I wanted to focus on the main attraction, Flight of Passage. Because wow, this is some ride.
As a bit of a theme park junkie, it’s rare I can walk off a ride and instantly say, “That’s now one my all-time favorites.” In fact, the last time I think that happened was when I first rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter seven years ago. But I feel secure saying that about Flight of Passage. It’s a new gold standard.
What really stands out about this though is that unlike the Potter franchise, which I’m a huge fan of, I’m pretty indifferent to Avatar. I thought the movie was fine when it came out, but that was it. It was beautiful to look at, but the story never engaged me and I never felt the urge to revisit it. And yet this ride is completely astounding and entrancing and I’m sure will be equally stunning for someone who’s never seen the film vs. someone who outright loved it - or, if you're like me, saw it but didn't love it.
I’d heard others use the shorthand of describing it as being reminiscent to the Disney ride Soarin’ and I get why you would bring Soarin’ up to help explain what happens – both rides involve a giant movie screen that simulates flying high above the ground. On top of that, I’ve written before about how we’re hitting a saturation point with new theme park rides that are variations on “looking at movie screens.” But Flight of Passage made me see what can be done in this realm in a whole new light. Because while Soarin’ is a very cool experience, Flight of Passage is a remarkable one.
Here, each guest sits forward on a bike-like contraption with the screen very much enveloping your eye line (you could “break” the experience if you choose to look to your sides, but you won’t want to). The storyline is that you are sending your consciousness into an Avatar that is already riding one of the banshees of Pandora, allowing you to experience your own flight over the land. And it’s incredibly effective in this regard. It’s amazing how Flight of Passage manages to essentially feel like a VR experience minus the VR headgear (it is in 3D, so you do wear glasses). The effects used deftly enhance the experience and actually outdo what it’s like to be inside a great VR, because the addition of wind, water -- for when you soar past waterfalls or the sea -- and scents all amps up what you are seeing.
On top of that, the mechanical “Banshee” you are on moves around as you ride it and even pulsates in a manner evoking the creature breathing below you. This is all on top of the gorgeous visuals you’re looking at, as top notch effects (it’s Disney Imagineering teamed with James Cameron, so that’s to be expected) vividly depict a ton of different areas of Pandora, from cliffsides, to caves, to canyons and trees.
You actually see much more of the world than in the first Avatar film, no doubt giving you a bit of a preview of environments that will be part of the sequels. You swoop down among a herd of running creatures and it’s like you are right there with them. You pause inside a cave and take in the bioluminescent beauty. It’s all so transporting. When you hurl straight downward at a couple of points, it really feels like you are doing so -- don't be shy about screaming out in joy and/or fear --- and at one point, as the banshee spins around, it genuinely feels like you are going to turn upside down.
My personal favorite part of the experience– one I involuntarily cheered out loud at – finds you flying out over the ocean and swooping right inside a massive wave as it curls around you. It’s an incredible, gasp-worthy moment among several throughout the ride.
I went on Flight of Passage six times during the preview day I attended. Why? Because of the amazing emotions it evoked, in a manner I don’t think any theme park attraction has quite done before. I’ve been on rides that have made me laugh, scream and feel a huge sense of fun, yes, but there were multiple times during this ride when I found myself experiencing a massive sense of awe, grandeur and feeling part of something much bigger than myself in the way you do when visiting a particularly stunning real life location – that’s how powerful the “You are there” feeling is. My wife told me it brought forth some of the same emotions she felt when skydiving (something I can’t speak to myself, since I was too chicken to join her on that experience!).
Ultimately, a ride based on Avatar touched me and brought forth an emotional response in a way the movie itself didn’t do. It made me want to be a part of this world for the first time. And again, this is a theme park ride we’re talking about! Honestly, if you were ever to want to argue that a theme park ride can be viewed as a work of art, Flight of Passage would be a strong argument in your defense.
Now I’m just bummed I live on the wrong side of the country to go on it again anytime soon.
Pandora - The World of Avatar is now open at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at http://ift.tt/LQFqjj.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire