Disney has revealed new Avatar ride concept art for the planned attraction at Disney California Adventure. The artwork offers another look at the boat ride planned for the project, which remains in development at Disneyland Resort.
The timing is notable because Disney has now placed the Avatar project behind several other major developments. The Avengers Campus expansion comes first, followed by the new Coco attraction at Disney California Adventure. Disney then plans to reimagine Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park. The Avatar destination comes after those projects, likely years before opening.
New Avatar Ride Concept Art Shows a Boat Attraction
The new Avatar ride concept art comes from Dylan Cole, who shared the images on Instagram. Cole is an Academy Award-nominated co-production designer on the Avatar films and oversees design for Pandora across the franchise, including its environments, creatures, characters and cultures.
Cole has been involved with Avatar since the original 2009 film, when he served as concept art director. He later became a co-production designer on the sequels, including Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash. His work has included developing the visual design of Pandora and its environments.
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The concept art shows guests traveling through Pandora in a large boat. The scene includes biolumiscent water, vegetation, rock, andfauna.
The attraction appears to use an outdoor environment, unlike Na’vi River Journey in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests would travel through a series of Pandoran settings rather than simply watching a stationary scene.
Disney also displayed a model of the planned attraction at the 2026 D23 event. The model included the proposed boat vehicle.
Avatar Project Remains Planned for Hollywood Backlot
Disney plans to build the Avatar destination in the Hollywood Backlot area of Disney California Adventure.
The company announced the project at D23 in 2024. Disney said the new destination would draw inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and future Avatar films.
A screenshot from Avatar: The Way of Water – YouTube, Avatar
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The project also requires changes to the existing Hollywood Backlot area. Disney previously said Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! would eventually close to make room for the new development. That closure has not happened. The attraction is now expected to remain open into 2027, giving Disney additional time before it needs to clear the site for the proposed Avatar project.
Disney Has Other Projects Ahead of Avatar
The biggest factor affecting the timing of the Disneyland Avatar ride is the number of major projects now ahead of it.
Disney’s Avengers Campus expansion has the clearest near-term schedule. The company plans to open Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab in 2028. Construction is already underway.
Concept Art for the upcoming Avengers Infinity Defense at Disney California Adventure – Disney Parks Blog
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The Coco attraction is also under development at Disney California Adventure. Construction has begun in the area around Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier. Disney has not announced an opening date for the attraction.
Disney has also moved a major reimagining of Tomorrowland ahead of Avatar. The company has announced plans for new attractions, changes to the area’s layout and additional open space, but it has not announced when the work will finish.
Disneyland Resort President Jill Estorino has described the current sequence as Avengers Campus, Coco, Tomorrowland and then Avatar.
That sequence makes the timing of the Avatar project significant. Disney would first need to complete or substantially advance several other major developments before returning its attention to Hollywood Backlot, pushing Avatar’s opening years back.
Why an Avatar Ride Opening Before 2030 Looks Unlikely
With that many projects, Avatar fans likely will not the new ride this decade.
The attraction has not entered construction, and Disney has not announced when construction will begin. Meanwhile, Avengers Campus has a 2028 opening target, Coco remains under development, and Tomorrowland has moved ahead of Avatar without a published completion date.
Concept art for upcoming Coco attraction – Disney Parks Blog
A large theme park attraction also requires more than construction alone. Disney must finalize designs, prepare the site, complete construction and test the attraction before opening it to guests.
That leaves limited time for Avatar to move from its current development stage to an operating attraction before 2030.
The New Artwork Does Not Mean Construction Is Imminent
The release of additional concept art does not indicate that construction is about to begin.
Disney and its Imagineers routinely show concept art and models for projects during development. Those materials can illustrate a project’s intended design without establishing a construction schedule.
In this case, the new artwork provides more information about the proposed boat ride. The D23 model also shows that Disney continues to develop the attraction at a detailed level. Neither establishes when work will begin at Hollywood Backlot.
For now, the Avatar project remains a future Disney California Adventure development. Disney has shown what the attraction could look like, but the company has not said when guests will be able to ride it.
The most reasonable expectation is that Avatar remains a longer-term Disneyland Resort project. Unless Disney changes the order of its current plans, the attraction appears unlikely to open before 2030.
Are you excited for the Pandora ride and land? Or are you glad some of the other attractions are higher on the priority list? Sound off and let us know your thoughts.
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