<P> Disney began development on Pandora--The World of Avatar in 2011, jointly with Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, with the intention of transforming Animal Kingdom into a full - day operation, complete with added attraction capacity and nighttime experiences . Construction on the area began on January 10, 2014, and the land opened to the public on May 27, 2017 . </P> <P> In early 2011, James Cameron was approached by Disney executives Bob Iger and Tom Staggs, CEO and then - COO respectively, regarding the possibility of Avatar - themed attractions at Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products properties . Originally, discussions were held about creating an Avatar - themed attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, perhaps at the park's then - functioning Studio Backlot Tour . Staggs suggested incorporating the film into a newly designed "land" at Disney's Animal Kingdom to improve the park's attraction roster . Cameron was initially surprised at Disney's approach in scope, commenting that "Disney's vision when they came to me was to create a land . I thought we were going to be talking about creating an attraction ." </P> <P> On September 17, 2011, Disney entered into an exclusive, long - term licensing agreement with Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment for the worldwide theme park rights to Avatar; Disney agreed to pay Cameron and Fox a licensing fee and a percentage of merchandise sales . The deal was officially announced to the public on September 20, 2011 . The highlight of the announcement was that Disney's Animal Kingdom would receive a new themed area entirely devoted to Avatar . While no specifics were announced, the new area was described as being several acres in size and costing an estimated $400 million to build, a scale similar to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure in California . The area was later estimated to cost approximately $500 million . Disney showcased a first look presentation of the land at the 2013 Japan D23 Expo . </P> <P> Construction began in January 2014, with an initially planned opening date in 2016 . The deal could see Avatar attractions added to other Disney theme parks in the future--Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are also in consideration--however, there are no immediate plans to do so . The opening date was later revised to summer 2017 . In February 2017, the official opening day was confirmed to be May 27, 2017 . The land received a dedication ceremony on May 24, 2017 with Iger, Cameron, Jon Landau, Fox chairman Stacey Snider, and cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver, attending the dedication . </P>

How did disney get the rights to avatar