"And, uh, fly"
Celebrating seven years of creative ingenuity and storytelling at Pandora - The World of Avatar
Before we dive in, might I recommend some ambiance music to really set the mood? This album contains the musical scores from Pandora, and this video will make you feel like you’re gazing up at the floating cliffs with an icy Night Blossom in hand.
Over the last 26 years, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has earned the honor of being one heckuva special theme park. From the stunning visuals down to the smallest details chiseled into the trails and pathways, it’s a feast for the senses. But no matter the draw, the creative design and immersive, thematic storytelling can all be traced back to one mind: legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde.
After kicking off his career at Walt Disney Imagineering in 1980, Joe worked on a spattering of projects that spanned from modeling work for Epcot’s Norway and Mexico pavilions to designing the Caption EO 3-D film attraction starring Michael Jackson to spearheading the creation of the Adventurer’s Club, a 1930s-themed bar and lounge in the now-defunct Pleasure Island entertainment district at the Walt Disney World Resort.
However, that all changed one day in 1989 when he walked into a Disney boardroom alongside a live 400-pound Bengal tiger to make his final pitch for the idea of Animal Kingdom - originally called “Wild Animal Kingdom” - to the late then-president Frank Wells and Disney CEO and chairman Michael Eisner. According to Imagineering legend Marty Sklar, that day “made all the difference in the world” and catapulted Joe into the role as the “father of Animal Kingdom.”
If we fast forward almost two decades later, we can find Joe leading the development of a new section of Animal Kingdom that’s been carved out for Pandora, the lush, colorful world at the center of James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar.
The initial public response to the announcement of the new land in 2011 was one of curiosity and a bit of apprehension. What does a sci-fi film containing themes of war and destruction have to do with this theme park, and is the Avatar universe even popular enough to be the focus of an entire land?
Anticipating those concerns, Imagineers set Pandora a full generation after the conflicts depicted in the film and if you ask Joe, he’d explain to you that the land’s mission is greater than simply alluding to any specific film. In fact, it’s arguably more tailored to the thematic elements and storytelling of Animal Kingdom than to those found in Avatar. “The planet of Pandora is real. You’re on it. James Cameron made some movies [about it].”
During the initial planning phases of Pandora, Imagineers and Cameron’s producing partner, Jon Landau, made it clear that the land itself would serve as an attraction.1 “No where else is there a theme park where you go outside and you have a canopy that is part of the storytelling that grounds you in the world.” To achieve this effect, Imagineers layered traditional engineering frameworks with the ethos of the film, but also drew upon artistic influences that preceded the story of Avatar by hundreds of years.
Days before Pandora officially opened to guests, Joe explained to a group of journalists touring the land that the research required for the development of the park isn’t necessarily focused on solely what’s present in the real world but rather the great works of art that have already done so much of the creative heavy lifting.2 “That’s how it works. This is art,” he explained. Sanding beneath the majestic, floating mountains of Pandora might evoke a feeling that one has seen this landscape before. Maybe not at a theme park but perhaps while gazing up at the decorated ceilings of the Sistine Chapel or observing the theatrical sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini that look as though they’re constantly in motion.
According to Joe, the combination of innovative engineering and deliberate artistic design place this land in “a class of its own,” and even a short time spent in Pandora will allow guests to feel as though they’ve stepped into a realm that was previously only reserved for one’s imagination or pixels on a screen.3
Whether you’re gazing up at the carvings found on the Tree of Life while walking the Discovery Island Trails or observing the juxtaposition of new-and-old materials used along a bridge in Pandora, Joe’s thumbprint is the details.
“In theater, there are principles, principles of design, and one of those principles is if something is on stage, it is on stage for a reason.” Joe’s design philosophy suggests that “there is no such thing as an accident” as every physical element found within an Imagineered space cannot exist without narrative cause. Additionally, “there is no such thing as a coincidence because that misleads you in terms of the story.” Rather than distract or riddle observers with superfluous information, the sole purpose of the detail is to serve the overall narrative.
A spectacular example of this approach can be found in pockets of forest where guests can spot machinery from a by-gone era, including a Scorpion Gunship.4 Covered in a blanket of moss and mushrooms, these former weapons of destruction signify that the conflict and violence portrayed in the film are now but a memory.
Born just ten years following the end of World War II, Joe can recall the deteriorating naval guns that were mounted on the Makiki beaches of his childhood. They were plugged, so it was clear that they were no longer weapons. Instead, they served as playscapes and climbing structures for curious children - and, let’s be real, likely some adults - who would’ve otherwise only observed the machinery in books or a newspaper. Joe and and his Imagineering team wanted the Valley of Mo’ara to evoke a similar feeling; war comes and goes but nature always returns.
Similarly, guests can observe an Amplified Mobility Platform (or “AMP”) walking suit just outside of PongoPongo, a quick-service kiosk that serves cold and refreshing Night Blossoms and Mo’ara Margaritas. The towering structure originally arrived shiny and squeaky-clean for its installation, but Imagineers knew that the image of a well-maintained piece of war machinery would only suggest the potential for more war. It wasn’t thematically consistent with the narrative. So, they made adjustments to its appearance to signify that like the naval guns found on Hawaii’s shores, it was a somber, defunct relic of the past that gradually became an element of its environment.
For Joe, the most important variable of the Imagineering equation is this: refine the work down to its themes. Like a high school literature course delving into The Odyssey or Moby Dick, one has to withdraw the themes from the subject matter to get the gist of what the author - or in this case, the Imagineer - is trying to convey. “The subject,” Joe says, “will distract. The themes will not.”
While Joe is hesitant to consider the land to be educational in a traditional sense, the themes of Pandora are clear: environmentalism, ecology, and conservation. Paired with a setting that activates the senses and encourages curiosity, the themes provide guests an opportunity to relate their findings and experiences in Pandora to those from their day-to-day lives. Imagineers consider this to be a form of psychological play which can ultimately facilitate growth and discovery. So like a Na’vi guiding us down rocky shorelines and through bioluminescent forests on Flight of Passage, we, too, can “uh, fly” - in more ways than one.
If this post is any indication, I absolutely adore Pandora, along with Animal Kingdom as a whole. The other Disney parks are unique and loads of fun in their own ways, but none can hold a torch to the environmental design and storytelling of this 500-acre park. Thanks to Joe (and the show that introduced him to me back in 2005), I find immense value intellectualizing the different elements of theme park design. Not only is it fascinating to peel back each layer of the figurative onion of Imagineering, but it adds creative context to what’s happening both in front of you and within you. That’s magic, noted.
See ya real soon,
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“Discover the secrets of Pandora—The World of Avatar!” Youtube, uploaded by Disney Parks, 29 May 2020.
Martens, Todd. “Meet Disney’s Philosopher King: The Brain behind ‘avatar’s’ Pandora and Marvel’s ‘Guardians’ Ride.” Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2021.
“Joe Rohde discusses Animal Kingdom's 20th Anniversary & Pandora - The World of Avatar.” YouTube, uploaded by Inside the Magic, 24 April 2018.