Anyone who has been to Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, knows how magical it is. Stepping into the world of James Cameron’s Avatar is truly awe-inspiring, and with more movies potentially on the way, it was unsurprising when Disney announced that it was adding a second Avatar-themed section to one of its parks, this time Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, CA.
Now, however, a new report claims that this may not be happening anymore and that it might get taken over by another Disney franchise, Zootopia.
This week, the Wrap has an extensive report about how, even though James Cameron’s third Avatar movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, grossed almost $1.5 billion, it may not have been enough to justify two more sequels with the same process or its previously announced theme park expansion.
Clearly, this is a large, complex issue. One that Cameron himself has addressed in recent interviews. The Avatar movies are expensive and, if they don’t live up to the franchise’s almost impossible expectations, they don’t make as much financial sense. So while the next two movies are still a bit more up in the air, we’re going to focus more on the theme park question because that has more clues.
Case in point, the area where the Avatar land was expected to arrive at California Adventure meant a current Monsters Inc. ride would have to go away. Disney originally announced the ride would be closing in early 2026, but recently, that was delayed until 2027. Why would the ride be scheduled to stay open longer? Most likely because construction on the new area has also been delayed, and there might be a good reason why.
“Disney doesn’t do anything without a reason,” former Imagineer Jim Shull told the Wrap. “The reality is that Avatar 3 did okay, but as a cultural force, it’s exhausted. Nobody is demanding to see more. They like what they have, and if they really like it, they can go to Florida and see it. California does not have a lot of land. If Avatar had been a huge success and people were demanding 4 and 5 and beyond, that would change the equation. But there’s not a lot of demand.”
Instead, speculation is that the space will become a second Zootopia-themed area, especially since Zootopia 2 massively overperformed, becoming the studio’s highest-grossing film of the year. (It beat Avatar: Fire and Ash by almost $400 million worldwide.)
Shanghai Disneyland has a Zootopia area and ride that, apparently, fans love. So, in another clue, the Wrap cites a source claiming that since that highly rated Zootopia ride uses a similar ride system to another popular ride, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, it would be much easier to maintain than a new Avatar boat ride, which would require its own water treatment facility. Plus, you know, Zootopia just has a bit more juice right now.
“Zootopia 2 exceeded expectations in terms of money and laid the groundwork for more Zootopia,” Shull added. “If I were [Disney CEO] Josh D’Amaro, in the seat, looking at the stock, I know that I could go to the board and say, ‘I’ve changed my mind for the stronger property,’ and there would be no pushback.”
io9 reached out to a representative for the Disneyland Resort and will update this piece if or when we hear back.
Head over to the Wrap to read more about the potential future, or lack thereof, of Avatar. And, below, tell us if you’d prefer to see a second Avatar land at the Disneyland Resort or a second Zootopia land.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
