Attraction Profile
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Wonderment in Na’vi River Journey
Visitors will discover a river journey unlike any other, with a very special surprise at the end. Aboard the reed boats of the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey, adventurers float through an alien world beyond their imagination. As guests approach the iconic floating mountains and waterfalls of Pandora, a towering totem beckons. Paying homage to the mystical Shaman of Songs, the massive totem was delicately woven by the Na’vi, the indigenous people of Pandora, and celebrates the shaman’s deep connection to the life force of Pandora. The totem also invites guests to venture further into grottos that lead to the mystical river – and an eventual encounter with the shaman. “It’s a completely immersive experience unlike any
ride of its type in the world,” confides Joe Cashman, show production designer of the Na’vi River Journey. “We were expected to make it photo-real. It’s a combination of every kind of theatrical element such as back projection, animatronics, and UV light, all used to create an illusion of reality.” At the water’s edge, guests board those eight- passenger reed boats. Barely have the boats cut the first ripples of water when a Na’vi warrior appears. With a nod, he grants passage to the human voyagers, and soon an amazing scene unfolds. A bioluminescent rainforest surrounds guests. By day or night, boats pass through this darkened world, pushing deep into a
jungle alive with exotic glowing plants and traversed by Pandoran creatures. Keen observers will notice that the animals and Na’vi are moving in the same direction as they make their way to see the shaman. Music is heard, which means the shaman is not far off. The 4.5 minute journey over a 486 foot (148 m)
waterway builds to an encounter with the remarkable Shaman of Songs. Like most Na’vi, she is nearly ten feet (3 m) tall. Music is central in Na’vi culture. Guests observe the shaman in the midst of a musical ceremony, playing an instrument and singing. Through her music, the shaman sends positive energy into the rainforest, telling of the sacred bond with nature that Na’vi and humans share. Disney technology put fluid energy into every
movement and gesture, Rohde said. “The shaman is even more extraordinary than we expected. Her facial expressions, little movements in the cheek, tiny movements in the eyelid – each one of these carries an emotion she’s capable of conveying.” It is part of Disney’s attention to detail that makes
Pandora a world of adventure, he added. “There is a real edge to our Pandora, “just like the rest of Animal Kingdom. When guests get here and really look around, they will see there’s this edge, this little adventurous edge on the land. Na’vi River Journey helps complement that edge.”
JULY 2017
31
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