News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

SSG

Well-Known Member
From Slashfilm

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Millennium Falcon Ride Details Revealed on Target-Exclusive ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Blu-Ray
Posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 by Hoai-Tran Bui

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One of the most highly anticipated attractions at the soon-to-be-opened Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney theme parks is the Millennium Falcon ride, which takes fans on a interactive motion-simulator attraction of the most iconic Star Wars starship. And while we’ve seen a few pieces of concept art from the still-untitled ride, we have just received a slew of new details about the Millennium Falcon ride from — where else — the Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray.

A bonus feature on the Target-exclusive Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray release (via Laughing Place) offers a special 13-minute bonus feature titled “The Millennium Falcon: From Page to Park,” which unveils new details about the ride set to be opened at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge next year. The ride, which is currently being tweaked by Disney, will consist of seven pods carrying six seats each and allow riders to interact with the environment around them.
The executive creative director of the Millennium Falcon Attraction, Asa Kalama, elaborates on what else the ride will offer on the Blu-ray:

“You’re truly in control of the fastest and most iconic ship in the entire galaxy. And Hondo, he’s gone ahead and added a couple extra seats so he can get as many of those flight crews through as possible. There are 200 some odd buttons, knobs and switches on the inside of the cockpit and they all do stuff. If you’re the gunners in the center there and you don’t fire back on those TIE Fighters fast enough they’re going to riddle the hull with laser bolts, the engineers in back, it’s really up to them to keep the whole Falcon in working order so they’re back there furiously working away at their various systems.”​
The ride will allow you to turn 360 degrees, with every detail around you rendered immaculately, Kalama added.
The ride sends you on a quest for Hondo Ohnaka, the Weequay pirate from Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels (who deserves some more attention from fans and Lucasfilm), Disney Imagineering executive Scott Trowbridge reveals. True to the space pirate’s nature, your mission is to bring back a bunch of loot.

“If you bring back all the loot and there’s not a scratch on the ship and Hondo is really happy when you bring it back, you might find yourself with some extra Galactic Credits in your account, but do a poor job, you lose the cargo, you smash up the ship, you might come back owing more money than you started with, the bossman might not be too happy and when you roll across to the local cantina the bartender might lean over and say ‘hey, word on the street is your name’s been put on the list of a local bounty hunter, I’d watch out if I were you’ so how well you do on this mission really does have an impact on your overall, land-wide story.”​
In addition, you can explore the main chess room of the Falcon, which we saw a glimpse of in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and be “really be immersed in that environment, you can actually push buttons and just kind of soak it all in,” says VP and Executive Creative Director at Lucasfilm Story Group Doug Chiang in the bonus feature.

The Target exclusive Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray release can be ordered here.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in summer 2019 at Disneyland and fall 2019 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
We don't have to wish for an inferior WDI project. Right across the esplanade they handed us tripe like M:BO and Pixar Pier.

I can almost guarantee you one thing...this was a decision largely born out of 2 things.
1) Disney finally getting their hands on SW IP and deciding to go bat-$hit crazy with it
2) Iger's knee-jerk reaction to Potterland.

Disney could likely have licensed a new SW attraction at ANY POINT since opening Star Tours. But they didn't.
To many people, lands/environments are just as, if not more, important than ride experiences. SW:GE will deliver on that in ways putting a star wars ride in an existing tomorrowland wont. And I'm thirsty for a passionate land project in the wake of DCA.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
But Disneyland has had Star Wars for decades. Its like being upset if Tolkein Theme Park added a land devoted to The Father Christmas Letters in a new part of the park rather than adding it where the Father Christmas shop was earlier.
It's all about the balance; SWGE is a huge, HUGE glop of aquired IP being shoehorned (creatively shoehorned, I must admit) into a nearly-entirely Disney-created-IP park that previously had incorporated a *dash* of Lucasfilm in a way that didn't seem disruptive. But you get 1,000 bonus points for bringing up the Father Christmas Letters! :)
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
“If you bring back all the loot and there’s not a scratch on the ship and Hondo is really happy when you bring it back, you might find yourself with some extra Galactic Credits in your account, but do a poor job, you lose the cargo, you smash up the ship, you might come back owing more money than you started with, the bossman might not be too happy and when you roll across to the local cantina the bartender might lean over and say ‘hey, word on the street is your name’s been put on the list of a local bounty hunter, I’d watch out if I were you’ so how well you do on this mission really does have an impact on your overall, land-wide story.”

This sounds equally hilarious and also confusing. I expect this to be handled very loosely.
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
To many people, lands/environments are just as, if not more, important than ride experiences. SW:GE will deliver on that in ways putting a star wars ride in an existing tomorrowland wont. And I'm thirsty for a passionate land project in the wake of DCA.
Hey, I get all that. But when people say stuff like, "this is giving audiences what they want", I just don't see it. I'm sure people have wanted more Star Wars in the parks for a long time, but Disney did nothing. And I'm also sure people would have loved a new attraction regardless of its placement. All I'm saying is that the company is only acting on it now, for the previous reasons I stated, as well as other more "fiscally-minded" ones.

Also: I too am ready for some brand new WDI achievements not tied to the names Pixar or Superheroes...but I am NOT ready for the impact of that on the rest of the parks. And I think when I really boil down all my emotions and thoughts about SWL, that's what is most impactful.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
“If you bring back all the loot and there’s not a scratch on the ship and Hondo is really happy when you bring it back, you might find yourself with some extra Galactic Credits in your account, but do a poor job, you lose the cargo, you smash up the ship, you might come back owing more money than you started with, the bossman might not be too happy and when you roll across to the local cantina the bartender might lean over and say ‘hey, word on the street is your name’s been put on the list of a local bounty hunter, I’d watch out if I were you’ so how well you do on this mission really does have an impact on your overall, land-wide story.”

This sounds equally hilarious and also confusing. I expect this to be handled very loosely.
And I'm sure each and every guest in SWGE will experience this wonderful scenario....oh...wait...did I get a whiff of UPCHARGE? :D
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
Hey, I get all that. But when people say stuff like, "this is giving audiences what they want", I just don't see it. I'm sure people have wanted more Star Wars in the parks for a long time, but Disney did nothing. And I'm also sure people would have loved a new attraction regardless of its placement. All I'm saying is that the company is only acting on it now, for the previous reasons I stated, as well as other more "fiscally-minded" ones.
We will see if/when the crowds descend on Disneyland and star wars land in a dramatic way, that this project is capturing and delivering on something from the collective imagination. This is what disneyland has always been about. Curating themes, aesthetics, experiences, and stories, fiction, nonfiction and literary, and presenting them as experiences that themselves are powerful but collectively are even stronger. If people show up for star wars land, regardless of the IP/non-ip balance in the park, it will be hard to argue that it is something people didn't/don't want.

And that isn't just because it is on the surface star wars. The IP draws people, sure. But underneath that, there are storytelling techniques/theme park design principles that can either be respected or abandoned, or built upon. M:BO and PP were abandonments of theme park design techniques that can create success with or without IP. I don't expect the same for this project, just because it is star wars.
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
We will see if/when the crowds descend on Disneyland and star wars land in a dramatic way, that this project is capturing and delivering on something from the collective imagination. This is what disneyland has always been about. Curating themes, aesthetics, experiences, and stories, fiction, nonfiction and literary, and presenting them as experiences that themselves are powerful but collectively are even stronger. If people show up for star wars land, regardless of the IP/non-ip balance in the park, it will be hard to argue that it is something people didn't/don't want.

And that isn't just because it is on the surface star wars. The IP draws people, sure. But underneath that, there are storytelling techniques/theme park design principles that can either be respected or abandoned, or built upon. M:BO and PP were abandonments of theme park design techniques that can create success with or without IP. I don't expect the same for this project, just because it is star wars.
Crowds will descend. Dark days of attendance are approaching. Mark it.

I largely agree with you and honestly this is what WDI should have been doing regularly (not on this grand a scale of course). They need a "win" after their recent blunders, there's no doubt about that.
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
Crowds will descend. Dark days of attendance are approaching. Mark it.

I largely agree with you and honestly this is what WDI should have been doing regularly (not on this grand a scale of course). They need a "win" after their recent blunders, there's no doubt about that.
The profits from SW:GE will help pay for Journey into Imagination to come to Tomorrowland or DCA ;) Always fun to get in debates around here. Watch the Youtube video I linked on the last page if you get a chance!
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
The profits from SW:GE will help pay for Journey into Imagination to come to Tomorrowland or DCA ;) Always fun to get in debates around here. Watch the Youtube video I linked on the last page if you get a chance!
Don't tease me with Figment coming to CA!!!! It's getting too expensive to keep flying to Florida!
:)

I'll watch later. Though I actually had a conversation with Joe Rohde about IP earlier this year and his comments did make me see that they're not all bad...it just boils down to execution.
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
Don't tease me with Figment coming to CA!!!! It's getting too expensive to keep flying to Florida!
:)

I'll watch later. Though I actually had a conversation with Joe Rohde about IP earlier this year and his comments did make me see that they're not all bad...it just boils down to execution.
Yea. I feel like publicly he downplays how disruptive they are. Saying things like ultimately everything is IP. If it is based on local folklore, mythology, themes, fairy tales, rarely are you creating something out of thin air. I say he is downplaying the IP thing because we see him really excel without relying on it (DAK). But Scott's comments in this video are really what surprised me and gave me some reassurance. I always knew that this team was obsessed with making star wars land as incredible as possible and have met some of the team, but to hear him acknowledge that Disneyland belongs to the public and that TWDC are merely the stewards of the place was powerful and flew in the face of this fan community's greatest fears.
 

bshah365

Well-Known Member
New information the article offers
1. Seats can rotate 360 degrees.
2. 200+ buttons. Every single one having a function.
3. Gunners are located in the center.
4. Engineers will be located in the back.
5. Explore the main chess room (in the queue I'm guessing?). Looking at the photos of the benches and seats, I cant help but wonder how people will hold their place in line or even form a queue... maybe its like Mickey's house where you would wait in an extended queue, board the falcon and explore the rooms on your own, then join the rest of the queue towards the end? The article states that guests will be able to push many buttons and soak it all up.. interesting..
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
(This is relevant because of the crowd modifications ahead of sw:ge) Just stumbled upon a video of Gilroy Gardens. Ultimately, this is the epitome of the type of "charm" people are afraid disneyland is losing right now as they engineer it for crowds. A victim of its own success. Fantasyland ought to be more like Gilroy Gardens (and the esplanade, please). But the only way to do that now would be through multileveling; rides are getting bigger, show buildings are getting bigger. Instead of divvying up the land as either environment/onstage and show building, they need to spend double the money to bury the ride buildings like Pirates, so that whenever they have the chance to, new square footage can be BOTH show building and onstage.

DLP's tom sawyer island equivalent is the swiss family robinson treehouse/pirate caves in adventureland. The main difference is that those caves/treehouses process thousands of people an hour, because there are small access points all over Adventureland. While TSI is a nice escape for those disneyland guests who use it, it does take a large footprint, and eventually Disney may have to consider awaking the Lafitte Caverns/catacombs project that Eddie Sotto proposed in the 90s to get more people onto the island and out of the rest of the park. Perhaps the path over by hungry bear can be the tunnel location, and another by big thunder where the mine train from natures wonderland tunnel sits unused since New Orleans Square is too crowded.
 
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SSG

Well-Known Member
New information the article offers
1. Seats can rotate 360 degrees.
2. 200+ buttons. Every single one having a function.
3. Gunners are located in the center.
4. Engineers will be located in the back.
5. Explore the main chess room (in the queue I'm guessing?). Looking at the photos of the benches and seats, I cant help but wonder how people will hold their place in line or even form a queue... maybe its like Mickey's house where you would wait in an extended queue, board the falcon and explore the rooms on your own, then join the rest of the queue towards the end? The article states that guests will be able to push many buttons and soak it all up.. interesting..

Don't forget "seven pods carrying six seats each"

That's [checks calculator] 42 people. And there are four bays. That's [checks calculator] 168 people per ride. This doesn't sound like brilliant capacity.
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
(This is relevant because of the crowd modifications ahead of sw:ge) Just stumbled upon a video of Gilroy Gardens. Ultimately, this is the epitome of the type of "charm" people are afraid disneyland is losing right now as they engineer it for crowds. A victim of its own success. Fantasyland ought to be more like Gilroy Gardens (and the esplanade, please). But the only way to do that now would be through multileveling; rides are getting bigger, show buildings are getting bigger. Instead of divvying up the land as either environment/onstage and show building, they need to spend double the money to bury the ride buildings like Pirates, so that whenever they have the chance to, new square footage can be BOTH show building and onstage.
Disney is already notoriously bad at budgeting, so giving them even MORE money seems like a bad idea...:)
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
New information the article offers
1. Seats can rotate 360 degrees.
2. 200+ buttons. Every single one having a function.
3. Gunners are located in the center.
4. Engineers will be located in the back.
5. Explore the main chess room (in the queue I'm guessing?). Looking at the photos of the benches and seats, I cant help but wonder how people will hold their place in line or even form a queue... maybe its like Mickey's house where you would wait in an extended queue, board the falcon and explore the rooms on your own, then join the rest of the queue towards the end? The article states that guests will be able to push many buttons and soak it all up.. interesting..

This is awesome. Word on the street is this was star tours on steroids. Why, exactly? Better graphics? Gamification? The ride system on star tours looked to be more dynamic and thus thrilling. But this is good news. 360 degrees, where, I wonder? are we talking about heartline rolls as we face forward? Up and down and thus backwards? Unless the screen we see is locked to our vehicle, moving with us, I imagine some of the motion has to be limited, and the heartline roll is allowable because it wouldn't take riders away from facing forward. (I would use x y and z to describe the direction of rotations but that would be meaningless without a drawing of the ride vehicle)
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
Don't forget "seven pods carrying six seats each"

That's [checks calculator] 42 people. And there are four bays. That's [checks calculator] 168 people per ride. This doesn't sound like brilliant capacity.
168 per 5 minutes. 168x20=3360. This has to be way off because that capacity would be incredible. If it takes 7 minutes to load/unload/cycle then we're looking at 168x8.5 or 1428 pph.
 

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
Don't forget "seven pods carrying six seats each"

That's [checks calculator] 42 people. And there are four bays. That's [checks calculator] 168 people per ride. This doesn't sound like brilliant capacity.
I've been thinking that the two attractions will probably adopt a fastpass type ticket system. Otherwise the standby wait times are going to be...out of this world!...

OK...I'll show myself out.
 

nevol

Well-Known Member
Disney is already notoriously bad at budgeting, so giving them even MORE money seems like a bad idea...:)
The alternative is Disney has to buy land nearby, remove attractions every time they add one, or just remove all of the trees so that the park/environment experience is the worst in the world while the ride lineup is the best. I'm really impressed so far with what Disneyland has been able to cram into its footprint and how that actually makes the park better. Look alternatively at Shanghai DL and you see areas the size of pandora wasted on bodies of water and gardens that nobody uses, without any interesting sightlines/glimpsing, seemingly unusable now (I'm looking at you, everything between Gardens and Pirates).
 

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