WDW Daily News

Nestled under a thatched roof and covered in Na’vi totems, Windtraders is the place for a truly out-of-this-world shopping experience. The one-of-a-kind retail location is located in Pandora – The World of Avatar, a new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here, shopping becomes an experience, one that’s every bit as special and unique as the Windtraders merchandise available.

The story of Pandora is one of a planet recovering from the destructive forces of the Resources Development Administration (RDA), a mining company that sowed the conflict in James Cameron’s AVATAR film. That recovery is evident in Windtraders, where an abandoned structure has been largely overtaken by sprawling roots from some of Pandora’s exotic plants. Many of these imposing root structures also happen to showcase Pandora merchandise, creating a truly nature-inspired experience.

The connection to the land is evident with a variety of items celebrating all things that make the bioluminescent world of Pandora special and celebrate the indigenous Na’vi. Look for animal plush, apparel that glows, or drums and other handheld toys that light up when shaken, tapped or activated. Guests can even bring home their own collectible glowing vein pod or helicoradian plant.

A very special feature of Windtraders is the Banshee Rookery. As the name implies, it’s home to some of the winged creatures made famous in Cameron’s epic film. The rookery sits beneath a brightly colored hand-painted map depicting banshees soaring over Pandora.  The rookery is also where guests can select their own banshees to care for. The experience begins with a naturalist who helps each guest find the banshee that’s just right for them. Guests are then asked to take the Banshee Pledge, which teaches the importance of the banshee as a symbol of their commitment to the environment.

Continuing their immersion into Na’vi culture, guests can purchase items that let them take on characteristics of Pandora’s blue indigenous inhabitants; Na’vi ears, tails, hooded jackets and cultural items are among the many accessories available.

Guests can also design personalized necklaces reminiscent of Na’vi culture using beads and feathers at the store’s Bead Bar. Here again, those natural root structures creep through the building, offering a dramatic display for various jewels, stones and more.

Those wanting to speak like a Na’vi will find language translators available. These pocket-sized devices use a series of cards to translate common English words into their Na’vi counterparts. Each translator kit comes with 15 cards, and more are available for purchase. With more than 90 cards available, guests will be speaking Na’vi in no time.

Guests will truly feel one with Pandora through the many captivating merchandise offerings. In fact, guests can even become avatars themselves through the ACE Avatar Maker. This immersive experience lets guests take home replica avatar figures of themselves. ACE refers to Alpha Centauri Expeditions, the tourism company working with the Na’vi to present Pandora as a new destination for ecotourism and scientific research.

In this experience, the natural feel of Windtraders gives way as guests step into a futuristic transformation booth.  Using a digital process, a custom action figure is created that features a facial likeness of the guest. The 10-inch figures are also revealed in a fun, only-on-Pandora way. Male, female and child avatars are available, as are accessory kits for customizing the figures.

A stop inside Windtraders is the perfect way for guests to feel connected to Pandora and take some of the other-worldly land home with them.

In grand preview dedication ceremonies for media today, Disney’s Animal Kingdom unveiled a world out of this world — of massive mountains floating in the sky, rainforests pulsing light and breathtaking flights for explorers soaring above an alien moon on the backs of great winged banshees.

When it opens to the public on May 27, Pandora – The World of Avatar will transform, transfix and transport Walt Disney World Resort guests to an all-new Disney land beyond belief – 4.4 light years away from Earth.

Set with artifacts found throughout the Pandoran landscape, the dedication stage was a tapestry of sights and sounds. Drummers pounded out traditional rhythms, colorfully dressed performers led a procession full of pageantry and artful banners fluttered in the morning sky.

Inspired by the blockbuster motion picture AVATAR from filmmaker James Cameron, the new 12-acre land immerses guests in the lush world of Pandora in a time frame a generation after the human-Na’vi conflict in the Oscar-winning film.

In a collaboration of two master storytellers, Disney joined with Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment in a multi-year project to bring to life the mythical world of Pandora.

“Working with Jim and his team was a dream come true for us, as we pushed the limits of creativity and innovation to bring the digital world of Pandora to the real world of Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” said Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Now anyone who has ever dreamed of visiting this extraordinary world can explore the astonishing landscape and ecosystem, soar on the back of a banshee and actually become part of the AVATAR adventure.”

The breathtaking, otherworldly beauty of Pandora that amazes by day will glow at night when bioluminescent flora and special nighttime programming add to the fascination guests will feel.

Na’vi, the indigenous blue people in the film, call Pandora home. Cave paintings give hints of the Na’vi culture, and totems they weaved point guests down pathways threading through the overgrown rainforest, punctuated by bizarre sounds of animals not of this world and alien plants that glow with light. Disney Imagineers created a soundscape meant to evoke an alien jungle.

Some of the most creative sculptors in the world were recruited to help shape the new land, with the overriding message of connecting everything to the value of nature — and the transformative power of adventure and conservation.

“I never thought I’d see the day when the Pandora I imagined could be made physically real,” said Cameron. “Working with Disney to bring this world to life has been an amazing experience, and the result is something I think everyone will love for generations to come. It really feels like you’re stepping into a dream.”

While inspired by Cameron’s film, Pandora – The World of Avatar was not envisioned as an extension of the film.

“It’s not the movie AVATAR that we are portraying,” said Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “It is the planet Pandora where you can come, you can visit, and have your own unique adventure. Rather than reliving the adventures of characters from the film, you’re going to come to the planet where those things happened — and have your own set of adventures you can own.”

And what an eye-filling, sky-filling planet it is.

Crossing an entry bridge, rusted-over across the years, guests follow a winding forest pathway to where the surreal landscape first comes into view. The exotic Valley of Mo’ara spreads before them.

Other-worldly sights, sounds and scenes abound. Adventurers roam verdant pathways underneath floating mountains laced with waterfalls dropping to quiet ponds. They venture deep inside a bioluminescent rainforest amid the sounds of Pandoran creatures roaming the underbrush.

Two extraordinary attractions anchor the new land:

• Avatar Flight of Passage sends explorers swooping and soaring on a simulated flight above the awe-inspiring world of Pandora on the back of awinged banshee. Floating mountains, rushing waterfalls, vast seas and dense jungle pass under-wing. This multi-sensory, wind-in-your-face experience is unlike anything Disney has created before. “You are grounded on a winged predator and flying through these amazing environments with special effects to add to the thrill,” Rohde says.
• Aboard the eight-person reed boats of Na’vi River Journey, families follow a sacred river deep into the bioluminescent rainforest under a canopy of exotic glowing plants, passing rock formations and Pandoran creatures on the move. This mystical journey culminates in an encounter with the Na’vi Shaman of Songs, who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music.

After roaming a landscape pulsing with entertainment happening throughout the day and night, adventurers can recharge at Satu’li Canteen, the fast-casual restaurant for Pandora housed in an old Quonset hut. Windtraders stocks Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits and more. Pongu Pongu, with a design as eclectic as its expat owner, is a specialty-beverage kiosk that serves up cooling refreshments and a treat called Lumpia (loom-pee-ah), a pineapple-cream cheese spring roll.

Pandora – The World of Avatar expands the day-into-nighttime adventures at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, including new after-dark experiences such as the majestic Rivers of Light show, sunset safaris, live-entertainment street parties and vivid, animated imagery bathing the Tree of Life, centerpiece of the adventure park.

Satu’li Canteen at Disney’s Pandora: The World of Avatar is a quick-service restaurant, but don’t expect typical theme park fast food here.

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You’ve probably heard about the banshees, bioluminescence and beauty of Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, but did you know our Wilderness Explorer troop leaders have traveled there, too? Guests can earn two new Pandora-themed Wilderness Explorers badges when they learn more about the flora and fauna in the Valley of Mo’ara and compare observations of the natural world of Pandora to nature on Earth.

Wilderness Explorers is a self-guided experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with 30 missions, ranging from animal observations to learning nature skills. Explorers earn sticker badges to place inside the program’s handbook.

With each badge, guests learn more about the different animals found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and even ones found in their own backyard. The two new badges encourage participants to explore the wonders of nature – on Pandora and on Earth. When earning the new Botany badge, explorers learn about amazing plant adaptations using the example of Pandora’s Flaska reclinata, a plant that responds to touch. To earn the Ecology badge, explorers learn about relationships between organisms on Earth and on Pandora.

If guests are already a Wilderness Explorer, they can add the new Pandora-themed badges to their handbook or request a new handbook. They can pick up handbooks at various Troop Leader locations around the park, and badges can be earned daily from 10 a.m. until dusk, or 45 minutes prior to sunset when Gorilla Falls and Maharajah Jungle Trek close.

Our Wilderness Explorers troop leaders are eager to share their scientific observations with Guests and show them how they can take what you learned in Pandora back home to help celebrate the magic of nature on Earth.

Excitement over the debut of Pandora — The World of Avatar means that Guests will be arriving early each morning when the new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park opens on May 27, 2017.

Guests can make a stop at fast-casual Satu’li Canteen, where a diverse menu will offer plenty of choices. On the savory side, there’s a hearty Vegetable Goat Cheese Frittata with Wood-Fired, Herb-Crusted Beef and Chimichurri; as well as Pork Shoulder Potato Hash with Chorizo Sausage and Natural Jus, or a Steamed Pod (bao bun) with Scrambled Egg, Bacon, Spinach and Pickled Vegetables.

If you prefer a sweet beginning to the day, try the Tropical Pandora Forest Fruits with Yogurt Muesli and Vanilla Maple Syrup; Steel-Cut Oats with Whiskey Raisins, Marcona Almonds, Goji Berry, or Cinnamon Swirl French Toast with Blueberry Cheesecake Dollop and Passion Fruit Anglaise.

For ages 9 and younger, there’s three tasty meals: Cinnamon Swirl French Toast with Blueberry Cheesecake Dollop and Passion Fruit Anglaise; a Scrambled Egg Steamed Pod (bao bun), and cereal and milk.