Hang onto your web, Spider-Man. Move over, Rocket Raccoon. Walk the plank, Captain Jack Sparrow. Make room for my Na’vi action figure from Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Who hasn’t had the desire to be transformed into their own personal action figure? Well, now you can take the plunge at Windtraders gift shop at Disney’s new addition to the Animal Kingdom. Tucked away at the back of Pandora – The World of Avatar you will find many must have souvenirs marking your experience in Pandora but one of the most popular items and attractions inside the shop is the ACE Avatar Maker.
“It is extremely popular,” says Denise Shick, Senior Franchise Strategy Manager, Merchandise Division for Walt Disney World. Guests can now see what they actually look like as a human Na’vi hybrid.
Whether strolling in from the front of the store or as you exit the Flight of Passage attraction, the back-to-back kiosks near the center of the gift shop are getting a lot of attention. Perhaps you are just observing what goes on or are thoroughly interested in making the transformation yourself, plan on investing time and money in the experience. For me, it was a one-part intrigue, one-part participatory journalism, and one-part you-only-live-once-go-for-it.
I had heard about the experience and did my research prior to visiting Windtraders. If you don’t like being the center of attention you may want to rethink your plans. You really are center-stage while seated in the kiosk and an Alpha Centauri Expedition Scan Technician explains to you what exactly is going to take place. From scanning your facial features into the Hybrid Digitizing System to the big reveal about 45 minutes later, expect a crowd to surround you to get a glimpse at the action.
“It is a very simple process,” Shick explains. You step up to the podium, a cast member will assist you and if there is no wait you are seated in the kiosk. “We photograph your facial features from your front and from your sides,” Shick details and “from there you then pick your eye color, your hair style and then also your patterning,” the Na’vi stripes you would like on your action figure.
Located in the middle of all the gift shop action, you may have to strain your ears to hear what the cast member is saying. They are well versed in the process and stick to the ACE experience script but they can personally turn up their volume just a bit. Perhaps as crowds settle down the acoustics of the experience should improve somewhat.
Once you commit, you commit with your thumb print marking the spot. Sitting in your seat, feet firmly planted, the cast member will follow the storyline explaining that you are volunteering your DNA to help them refine the Avatar. As they scan your facial features, the cast member will talk with a team of technicians somewhere on Pandora monitoring the scanning process.
As facial scans are being transmitted you will be asked to customize your Avatar’s body size. There are specific male sizes replicating ten-foot-tall Avatars and seven-foot-tall female body types. You are then asked to specify the eye color, hair style and striping pattern for your figure. You can select hazel, green, blue, brown or the unique yellow eyes for your action figure. There are three hair styles to choose from including a Mohawk, dreadlocks or the Elvis look.
You can manipulate your choices on a hand-held touch screen to see what your Na’vi figure would look like with the eyes, hair and striping preferences. Once you are satisfied with your options, you will commit to the selections with your thumb print and your information is transmitted to the production area where in approximately 30 – 45 minutes your Avatar will be ready for its debut. You are handed a keepsake ACE identification card which is used later to retriever your figure.
From the reality side of the process Shick states that all of the selections are sent back to a 3D printer where “we are then able to make your personal Avatar.”
Shick notes the technology that allows guests to create their special keepsake of Pandora is new for Disney parks. “We have not done this before and what we love about it is that as technology evolves it has given us the opportunity to be able to develop a really great item that the guests can literally wait for or come back to in as short of a time as 30 minutes.”
Reservations are on a first-come-first-serve basis. “We do recommend that you reserve a space in advance if you can or otherwise we do have walk-up times,” Shick advises. She adds that “there are only so many specific times during the day. At that point we try to fit in as many as we can.”
If you get to Windtraders early in the day, you should have no problem getting a reservation. You will likely have to wait as long as 45 minutes to pick up your Avatar depending on demand. You can always make your figure early in the day, explore the rest of Pandora or the Animal Kingdom and pick up your likeness before heading to your next adventure.
I suspect given the attention by guests in the gift shop, Imagineers may contemplate the installation of additional Avatar figure makers. Given the number of people flocking to Pandora and stepping off the rides and into the shop, two kiosks are not going to meet the demand.
In the end, the big reveal is well worth the wait. Upon returning and checking in again at the ACE podium you are escorted over to the Avatar reveal machine. A scan of your hand results in your nicely boxed Na’vi figure appearing in the window before the door pops open and your collectible is ready to take home. Right behind you is a display where you can purchase if you like accessories for your newly created friend.
It is the perfect ending capping an exciting experience at Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.