When the Avatar theme park at Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens next month, you can expect rides across Pandora, floating mountains, and plenty of face painting for the kids.
And you can expect animatronics so lifelike that it’ll probably scare the daylights of you.
Need an example? How about this robot on the Na’vi River Journey ride.
That actually looks pretty damn real, huh?
As Inside the Magic writes:
…It is mesmerizing as your brain tries to discern whether this is the bit of robotic genius that you know it is or if this is actually fantasy come to life with actual DNA.
In the previous portions of the ride, you are anxious to move forward. You know there is more to see, and you can hardly wait to take it in. This mood shifts when you reach the Shaman. Suddenly, you don’t want to go any further. You want to linger. You wish the boat could be anchored so that you could sit in the presence of this amazing creature right in front of you.
This is the magic of the Na’vi River Journey—a journey of spectacular beauty and pure serenity.
Just for fun, compare that to this 2000 version of Disney’s Hall of Presidents. It’s basically not even the same thing, huh?
H/T Mashable