Avatar Land's Budget News, Cars Land Clones Coming

This has been a very exciting week for the Walt Disney World Resort, as a total of three new attractions/areas have officially opened to the public (the New Fantasyland, Test Track - Presented by Chevrolet, and The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow). That said, it is now time to look toward the future of the resort. Two of the projects that have either been confirmed or are rumored to be coming to the Walt Disney World Resort were recently discussed in a brief interview with Tom Staggs (Chairman of the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts) made by an Orlando Sentinel's writer, which includes some very interesting information.

First of all, Tom Staggs confirms in the interview that Avatar Land's budget has not been cut (despite what many rumors were saying), and that the original budget has still remained the same:
_________________________________________________________________________

"We've gotten more excited about Avatar as we've gone through development. Because we are finding that really playing around with this notion of allowing guests to visit Pandora can be very magical," Staggs said during a brief interview after a grand opening event for "New Fantasyland," which will remain under construction until 2014. "We're not in construction yet. We're still in development. And we're still honing exactly what we're going to do. But it's going to be big."

When Disney first announced the project in September 2011, company officials signaled they would spend between $400 million and $500 million. Asked if Disney still intends to invest the same amount in Avatar Land, Staggs responded, "Yes."

_________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a very good news, if true.

Now let's talk about a project that is rumored to be coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios in the near future: Cars Land. That very successful themed area just recently opened at Disney California Adventure, and rumor has it that a copy will soon be built here in Central Florida, which will replace two unpopular attractions: "Lights, Motors.... Actions - Extreme Stunt Show" and the infamous "Studio Backlot Tour." Regarding that land, take a look at Tom Staggs' comment in the interview:
_________________________________________________________________________

Cars Land, a 12-acre area based on the 2006 Pixar film, has driven big gains in attendance and guest-spending across Disneyland Resort since opening in June. Staggs suggested Disney is likely to copy the concept in some of its other parks.

"Cars Land is a pretty darn good blueprint," Staggs said when asked if Disney is likely to build exact clones of the California version. "We'll always tinker…But at the same time there's not a lot wrong with Cars Land."

_________________________________________________________________________

That alone should confirm that Cars Land is indeed coming to Florida. It will certainly be announced during next year's D23 Expo, which will take place in Anaheim, California during the month of August.

One more thing. Tom Staggs also confirmed that more Star Wars experiences will be coming to the parks:

_________________________________________________________________________

The executive also confirmed that Disney will expand the presence of Star Wars in its theme parks now that it owns Lucasfilm. Disney, which previously licensed Star Wars rights, currently only uses it for a single ride and small surrounding area in theme parks in Orlando, Anaheim, Tokyo and Paris.

"You'll see more Star Wars in the parks," Staggs said, though he did not elaborate.

_________________________________________________________________________

So, as you can see, it looks like the future of the Resort is slowly starting to shape up nicely. One thing is sure, though: it will be a long journey...

CLICK HERE to read the entire article on the Orlando Sentinel's official website.