Kaltxì! That means “Hello!” in Na’vi, the language of the people of the same name in James Cameron’s film, Avatar! I am a massive fan of said movie, and am very proud to share a special experience with you. You see, I belong to the official fan group, called AvatarMeet! Earlier this month, November, 2017, a number of us gathered in Florida and went to Pandora – The World of Avatar at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
The day we first went, it was foggy in the morning. We got to the park, and met with our guide, Diego Parras, the Communications Manager at Walt Disney Imagineering. Imagineering is a job that is very specific to Disney properties. It involves creating entire new worlds to explore through architecture, engineering, landscaping, and other forms of creativity. From the front area of the park, called the Oasis, we saw the gigantic floating mountains of Pandora through the dense fog.
One heads into Pandora via a bridge from the central area of the Animal Kingdom, which is called Discovery Island. It is at this point that you leave Earth, and travel to the moon of Pandora orbiting gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri system.
In the film, Col. Miles Quaritch reminds you, “You’re not in Kansas anymore. You’re on Pandora!” This is immediately apparent as you see a ginormous plant that resembles a massive pod that glows from within. It is called a baja tickler by humans, although the Na’vi name is txumtsä’wll, which means “poison-squirting plant”. It squirts moisture and glows when people interact with it.
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| Pool at Bottom of Waterfall Falling off of Hallelujah Mountains |
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Then, as if in the film itself, the fog lifted, and we saw the floating Hallelujah Mountains of the Valley of Mo’ara, the area of Pandora which you visit in this park. The science behind the floating mountains says that they formed when Pandora was in the molten state, with geological deposits rich in the magnetically repulsive mineral Unobtainium repelling themselves from the ground and dragging the rest of the mountains with them. These mountains are absolutely awe-inspiring, and are covered with plants and waterfalls.
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| Dr. Paul Frommer Gives a Na’vi Lesson Over Brunch |
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| Copy of Activist Survival Guide Signed by Diego Parras |
We rode the Flight of Passage ride with Diego and Dr. Paul Frommer, our good friend who invented the Na’vi language. More on that later. We then went to Satu’li Canteen, where we were treated to a Na’vi lesson over an alien inspired brunch. I also got Diego to sign my copy of the Activist Survival Guide, an in-universe guide to Pandora that was created and sold when the movie initially came out. Diego said that, more than any engineering manual, this book was his and the other Imagineeers’ guide in creating Pandora.
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| Dessert at Satu’li Canteen |
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| Na’vi Cookware at Satu’li Canteen |
At another point, I had lunch at Satu’li Canteen. The idea is that it provides alien-inspired foods that humans can eat. They make these delicious bowls of food combining salad, meat protein, and sauce. Everything, including the meat at this location is organically grown. There are a number of vegetarian options. You can actually see them cooking the meat in the location. There is also an exhibition of Na’vi cookware in the canteen.
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| Front of Windtraders |
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| Banshee Rookery in Windtraders |
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| Guest Being Matched to Avatar in Windtraders |
We also went to the gift shop, Windtraders, where they have a number of really awesome products. The highlight is a banshee rookery where you can select a banshee, or ikran, as the Na’vi call them—or it just might select you! These ikrans are robotic, and come with sound effects, and can be mounted to your shoulder or to a perch that you may purchase. I have named mine Tìronsrel, which means Imagination in Na’vi. I have also purchased an avatar, which I have named Äleksänter te Freyzer Txawnälìt’itan, or Älek, for short. My personal mythology says that it has been turned into Na’vi by passing through the Eye of Eywa, much as Jake Sully did in the film. They actually scan your face and let you choose a number of the characteristics of your avatar, including stripe pattern, age, gender, hairstyle, eye color, and other facets. It takes at least half an hour to render your face into the Na’vi form. A note about Na’vi naming: The first name is the given name. The “te” comes from the word “ta”, which means “from”. The second name is the family name. The third name means “son or daughter of…” Males have their father’s name mentioned in the third name, while females have their mother’s name. I would imagine that intersex children may choose or have both. Dr. Frommer is very friendly to LGBTQ causes.
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| Alcoholic Drink from Pongu Pongu |
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| Old AMP Suit at Pongu Pongu |
There is also a refreshment stand called Pongu Pongu, which sells exotic alien-inspired drinks! My favorite is the Night Blossom. A number of my friends and I also posed in front of Pongu Pongu, where they have an old AMP suit, or military exoskeleton, from the time when humans and Na’vi were enemies on Pandora. Pongu Pongu is also decorated with other old artifacts from the former military times on Pandora such as dog tags and various drinking vessels.
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| Photograph of Na’vi and Human Expats Opening Valley of Mo’ara |
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Please note that the Valley of Mo’ara and Pandora as you see it at Disney World take place several generations after the events of the films, when humans and Na’vi are at peace. A number of the plants are artificial alien plants, but the Imagineeers also took advantage of the rich abundance of Central Florida and the plethora of plants that grow there. One of the big draws of the film Avatar is the feeling of serenity you have after seeing it. This feeling of serenity exists in the theme park, as well.
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| Boarding Boats for Na’vi River Journey |
One of the theme park rides is the Na’vi River Journey, in which you journey along a bioluminescent river as it glows in the dark, and creatures move around you. The amazing thing is that, although some of the creatures and all the plants are three-dimensional, most of the creatures and the Na’vi are actually on screens embedded in the foliage. At the end, the Na’vi tribes also gather around you, and you are greeted by the Shaman of Songs, easily the most advanced robotic ever built by man, who looks like she is actually real. Following the greeting from the Shaman, you see a number of totemic artifacts left by the Na’vi.
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| Totem in Valley of Mo’ara |
Throughout the ride, you will hear the Shaman Song, at first sung by faceless Na’vi, and later sung by the Shaman herself. Here it is below, first in Na’vi, and then in English.
The Shaman Song
Na’vi
Ma Na’rìng alor, mì Na’rìng lu tsngawpay.
Atokirina’
Awnga leym, lereym san…
Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa.
’Awstengyawnem, Ma Sa’nok aNawm
Atokirina’
Awnga leym, lereym san…
Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa.
Tìnewfa leNa’vi, Na’rìng tìng lawr
Atokirina’
Awnga leym, lereym san…
Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa, Ma Eywa.
English
Oh beautiful Forest, there are tears in the Forest
Woodsprites
We call out, calling out…
Oh Eywa, oh Eywa, oh Eywa.
Connected as one,
oh Great Mother
Woodsprites
We call out, calling out…
Oh Eywa, oh Eywa, oh Eywa.
By the People’s will,
The Forest is singing
Woodsprites
We call out, calling out…
Oh Eywa, oh Eywa, oh Eywa.
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| Swotu Wayä Na’vi Drum Ceremony |
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Another highlight is the Swotu Wayä Na’vi Drum Ceremony, where human drummers who have assimilated to Na’vi culture sing, dance, and play drums, inviting you to join them and the clans on this magical world. The lyrics of their songs are as follows, first in Na’vi, and then in English.
Song 1: Spaw Eywati (Believe Eywa)
Na’vi
Spaw! Rol! Rey!
Swotu!
Eywa ngahu!
Rol! Srew! Spaw!
Wou!
O-ey-o!
English
Believe! Sing! Live!
Sacred Place!
Eywa be with you!
Sing! Dance! Believe!
It’s awesome!
Oay-oh!
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| Swotu Wayä Na’vi Drum Ceremony at Night |
Song 2: Leym Ayolo’ru (Call the clans)
Na’vi
Leym san ma Tipani! Za’u! Za’u!
Leym san ma Kekunan! Za’u! Za’u!
Leym san ma Tawkami! Za’u! Za’u!
Leym san ma Anurai! Za’u! Za’u!
Leym san ma Omatikaya! Za’u! Za’u!
English
Calling the Tipani: Join us! Join us!
Calling the Kekunan: Join us! Join us!
Calling the Tawkami: Join us! Join us!
Calling the Anurai: Join us! Join us!
Calling the Omaticaya: Join us! Join us!
Song 3: Slu Na’viyä Hapxì (Become one of the people)
Na’vi
Eywa! Lawnol! Kato! Toruk Makto! Omatikaya!
Ma Sa’nok aNawm! Tìnew leNa’vi!
English
Eywa! Great joy! Rhythm! Toruk rider! Omaticaya!
Oh Great Mother! The People’s will!
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| Linda Taking Part in Swotu Wayä Na’vi Drum Ceremony |
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During this last song, the drummers invite a member of the audience to come up and join the clans. I was absolutely thrilled to see my friend Linda, who is quite possibly the most loving person I’ve ever met, join in and drum in this celebration of life.
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| Totemic Figures on Line Queing Area for Flight of Passage |
The single greatest attraction on Pandora is Flight of Passage, a ride in which you actually get to fly with the Na’vi through the rich landscape of Pandora. The ride actually starts with the beginning of the line, at which there are totemic figures made out of sticks and reeds by the Na’vi.
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| Image of Toruk and Toruk Makto with Human Handprint Superimposed on Na’vi Handprint Painted in Cave at Flight of Passage |
After that, you enter a cave system containing a number of cave paintings left by the Na’vi. One noteworthy illustration depicts a triumphant Ikran rising above a blue avatar handprint superimposed on a red human handprint. Could this be a representation of Jake Sully, the Toruk Makto from the original film? In another part of the cave, the Toruk with its rider, the Toruk Makto, soars above all next to a human handprint superimposed on a Na’vi handprint. This is a very clear reference to Jake Sully.
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| Lab at Flight of Passage |
Further on, you come across a human lab with a number of experiments going on, and a number of materials paying reference to parts of the film and the ride introduction sequences. There is also an actual avatar floating in its tank in suspended animation. The quality of Disney workmanship is absolutely superb. Most of the time, Disney rides and attractions are above and beyond any other entertainment experience. In this case, Pandora at the Animal Kingdom is above and beyond anything else that Disney has ever done. You eventually go through and are matched to an avatar, as well as being decontaminated of parasites, educated about conservation, and about various aspects of Na’vi culture there are, in fact, three different levels of the ride, each with different intro sequences. You are then mounted on a link chair, and transported onto the back of a banshee. The sights, sounds, feelings, smells, and everything else will convince you that you’re really there. You even feel the creature breathing beneath you, smell the plants of the forest, and get sprayed by the water beneath you. The ride also adds new elements to the Avatar mythology, with new plants and wildlife making appearances for the first time.
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| Alec Frazier with His Avatar |
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The first time I rode Flight of Passage, I was between Diego Parras, the head of communications for Disney Imagineering, and Dr. Paul Frommer, inventor of the Na’vi language. A number of times during my first couple times on the ride, I broke into tears with how wonderful the experience was for me. At other times I was hooting and hollering in the exhilaration. I told Diego after we got off the ride that, according to my five senses, I was actually party to riding on a banshee. It is by far the best ride I’ve ever been on. Diego told me, “Here at Disney, we do not build roller coasters or Ferris wheels. Instead, we strive to build emotional connections.” It clearly worked. At the exit of the ride are the handprints of Avatar producer and director James Cameron, Avatar producer Jon Landau, and the chief Imagineer on the project, Joe Rohde. For those who are interested in the lines said by your guide during the ride, I include them below, first in Na’vi, and then in English.
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| Close-Up of Pond in Front of Outdoor Queuing Area of Flight of Passage |
Na’vi
Alaksi srak? Nong oet!
Fìfya’o!
Nìler.
Nari si.
Tam. Var kiva.
Tsun tivam.
May’ fikem sivi.
Eywa ftxoley.
Alaksi lu nga. Tsun fikem sivi.
Siva ko!
Soleia!
Makto ko.
May’ fikem sivi.
Eywa’eveng. Oey kelku.
Nìn tsat, sätaron.
’Ä’ … Ke li!
Oel ngati kameie.
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| Vista in Outdoor Queuing Area of Flight of Passage |
English
Ready? Follow me!
This way!
[Fly] steadily!
Careful.
Okay. Keep going.
Not bad.
Try this.
Eywa has chosen.
You’re ready. You can do this.
Rise to the challenge!
You rose to the challenge!
Let’s ride.
Try this!
Pandora. My home.
Look, a hunt.
Whoops … not yet!
I See you. (singular)
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| Sagittaria in Valley of Mo’ara |
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There are a few living creatures depicted in the Valley of Mo’ara as well. One is the Sagittaria, a squirting aquatic creature that resembles a cross between a mollusk and a crustacean.
At night, everything lights up, including these creatures, resembling the bioluminescence of the plants and animals in the film. Some of the plants that light up only light up on the tips of their blooms, whereas other plants light up in total.
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| Bioluminescent Plants on Pandora |
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| More Bioluminescent Plants on Pandora |
Pandora is absolutely amazing, and I am so glad that I have got to share just a small portion of my wonderful visit with you. As they say on Pandora, “Oel ayngati kameie,” or “I see you.”
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| Äleksänter te Freyzer Txawnälìt’itan Astride Tìronsrel |
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