Na'vi River Journey

Na'vi River Journey
Na'vi River Journey
	Audio-animatronic of the Shaman of Songs, seen at the end of the attraction experience
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Area	Pandora – The World of Avatar
Coordinates	28°21′19″N 81°35′29″W / 28.3553624°N 81.5915239°W
Status	Operating
Soft opening date	May 26, 2017
Opening date	May 27, 2017
General statistics
Type	Boat ride
Manufacturer	Sansei Technologies
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering; Lightstorm Entertainment
Capacity	1,200 riders per hour
Duration	5:48
Audio-animatronics	Yes
Music	James Horner; Simon Franglen
	Lightning Lane available
	Must transfer from wheelchair

Na'vi River Journey is a dark ride attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom's Pandora – The World of Avatar. The ride takes guests through the Kasvapan River of Pandora from the 2009 film Avatar, showcasing native animals and bioluminescent flora, with inclusion of complex Audio-Animatronics.^[4]

The Na'vi Shaman audio-animatronic seen towards the end of the ride is the most advanced figure ever designed by Walt Disney Imagineering.^[5]

Summary

Queue

The exterior queue winds through the exotic landscape of Pandora before leading into a covered queue which looks to have been constructed by the Na’vi and is filled with totems, signs describing the animals guests will encounter during the boat ride, and some woven artistic pieces.^[6]^[7]

Ride

Boarding a hand-woven reed boat provided by Alpha Centauri Expeditions, guests journey down the Kaspavan River into the colorful bioluminiscent rainforest. After a Na'vi scout greets guests on the shore, the boat passes by viperwolves, hexapedes, woodsprites, panopyra, and fan lizards. After passing under leaves that creatures above are hopping between, the boats come across a Na'vi tribe and their direhorses walking to a ceremonial site. Passing by a waterfall, guests see the Shaman of Songs leading the Na'vi into a musical celebration of their bond with Eywa. After this encounter, the boats enter a cave with various offerings and return to the loading docks.^[8]

Soundtrack

During the ride, the Shaman of Songs sings lyrics written in the Na'vi language created by Dr. Paul Frommer for the 2009 film. Dr. Frommer posted the lyrics on his blog in 2017.^[9]

On January 4, 2019, the soundtrack for Na'vi River Journey was released by Walt Disney Records along with the other music featured in Pandora – The World of Avatar. Written by Simon Franglen and the late James Horner, the release credits Sandra Benton as the vocals for the Shaman of Songs and the Slovak National Symphony in Bratislava as the recording orchestra for the music.^[10]

References

^ "Pandora – The World of Avatar to Open May 27, Star Wars Lands Coming in 2019 - The Walt Disney Company". The Walt Disney Company. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
^ Smith, Thomas (February 7, 2017). "Just Announced: Pandora – The World of Avatar Will Open May 27 at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
^ Wolf, Colin. "Disney's Pandora: The World of Avatar is now in soft-opening mode". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
^ Martens, Todd (August 14, 2015). "Here's what Disney World's 'Avatar' land will be like". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
^ Martens, Todd (May 2, 2017). "A visit to Disney's Pandora — what we learned". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
^ S, Savannah; ers (September 1, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know About Na'vi River Journey". TouringPlans.com Blog. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^ "Guide to Na'vi River Journey at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Mouse Hacking. February 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^ "Na'vi River Journey Overview". www.wdwmagic.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^ "Way Tiretuä—The Shaman's Song | Na'viteri.org". naviteri.org. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
^ Pandora: The World of Avatar by James Horner & Simon Franglen, January 4, 2019, retrieved January 20, 2019

External links

Official website

[1] "Pandora – The World of Avatar to Open May 27, Star Wars Lands Coming in 2019 - The Walt Disney Company". The Walt Disney Company. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.

[2] Smith, Thomas (February 7, 2017). "Just Announced: Pandora – The World of Avatar Will Open May 27 at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

[3] Wolf, Colin. "Disney's Pandora: The World of Avatar is now in soft-opening mode". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.

[4] Martens, Todd (August 14, 2015). "Here's what Disney World's 'Avatar' land will be like". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 15, 2015.

[5] Martens, Todd (May 2, 2017). "A visit to Disney's Pandora — what we learned". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2017.

[6] S, Savannah; ers (September 1, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know About Na'vi River Journey". TouringPlans.com Blog. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

[7] "Guide to Na'vi River Journey at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Mouse Hacking. February 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

[8] "Na'vi River Journey Overview". www.wdwmagic.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

[9] "Way Tiretuä—The Shaman's Song | Na'viteri.org". naviteri.org. Retrieved August 8, 2017.

[10] Pandora: The World of Avatar by James Horner & Simon Franglen, January 4, 2019, retrieved January 20, 2019

[3]

v t e Avatar
Films	Avatar (2009) accolades box office records The Way of Water (2022) accolades Fire and Ash (2025) Avatar 4 (2029)
Characters	Jake Sully Miles Quaritch Neytiri
Concepts	Fictional universe unobtainium Naʼvi language grammar Themes
Soundtracks	Avatar "I See You" The Way of Water "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)"
Video games	The Game (2009) Frontiers of Pandora (2023)
Other media	The Art of Avatar Lego Avatar Toruk – The First Flight Pandora – The World of Avatar Avatar Flight of Passage Na'vi River Journey
Related	"Dances with Smurfs" This Ain't Avatar Aliens vs. Avatars Arctesthes avatar Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom
Category