Pandora: Crews put finishing touches on Animal Kingdom's 'Avatar'-themed land

BAY LAKE, Fla. — Crews will spend Thursday putting the finishing touches on Pandora, an "Avatar"-themed land will open Saturday at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Matt Beiler, a producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, said that although the film is science fiction, he and his colleagues designed the land with a focus on realism.

"When I go to Africa, this is a real place in Africa," he said. "The same thing happens here when guests come here to Pandora. They are going to a real valley."

The resort's newest attraction brings the film to life with scenery inspired by the movie, including majestic waterfalls, boat rides down the fictional Na’vi River and a bioluminescent rainforest, which illuminates at night.

"From the moment you walk in, it's astonishing," visitor Christian Rivera said.

Read: Pandora primer: recap of 'Avatar'

Park visitors will be made to feel as if they're walking among floating mountains and soaring on the back of a flying "banshee."

Park visitors will also be able to beat on drums at Pandora, and Satu’li Canteen serves a movie-inspired menu.

"Walt said, 'It's kind of fun to do the impossible,'" Beiler said. "And that is what every imagineer has at their core: They embrace the challenge."

Cox Media Group