Disney built Pandora – The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom primarily to compete with the massive success of Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter. By the early 2010s, Disney needed a "mega-expansion" that offered deep immersion and cutting-edge technology to drive multi-day attendance. The choice of James Cameron’s Avatar was strategic; the film’s message of environmentalism and the sacred connection between living things aligned perfectly with the core themes of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Additionally, Disney wanted a land that could "glow" at night using bioluminescence, extending the park's operating hours into the evening, which had historically been a challenge for Animal Kingdom. In 2026, Pandora remains a cornerstone of the park, proving that even a non-Disney intellectual property could be integrated seamlessly into the "magic" through world-class engineering and storytelling. The land serves as a visual anchor that draws millions of visitors who might otherwise have spent their time at rival parks.