Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[eddie104]

There is a reason so many of these threads devolve into a small crowd incessantly repeating the same complaints, and telling each other that they’re all correct and anyone who doesn’t agree with their view is either stupid, not a real fan, or both. Everyone else gives up.

Don’t get me wrong I want this land to improve just like everybody else. Chapek who supposedly cut all the entertainment and streetmosphere should definitely feel the wrath of the fans. However it can be a little discouraging for those who haven’t visited the land to read these posts.

 

[ParkPeeker]

Don’t get me wrong I want this land to improve just like everybody else. Chapek who supposedly cut all the entertainment and streetsmosphere should definitely feel the wrath of the fans. However it can be a little discouraging for those who haven’t visited the land to read these posts.

It's better in person, so if you already like it, you'll like it even more in real life.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Don’t get me wrong I want this land to improve just like everybody else. Chapek who supposedly cut all the entertainment and streetsmosphere should definitely feel the wrath of the fans. However it can be a little discouraging for those who haven’t visited the land to read these posts.

This entire website is a giant spoiler.

Especially this thread.

There were barley any details left unknown by opening day.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Regarding music..I would be fine if there was music playing from some of the shops or the open windows of the buildings above...something to add to "lived in" feeling they are going for. Street musicians is ideal but a few spots with ambient music would be a huge plus. The whole land doesn't need to be scored. Oh...and drioids and aliens would help a ton too.

There is actually music coming from a few windows and there’s a radio near the landspeeders that’s playing some tunes. So yeah, it’s not as dead as some would have you believe.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

There is actually music coming from a few windows and there’s a radio near the landspeeders that’s playing some tunes. So yeah, it’s not as dead as some would have you believe.

Must admit that I was there twice and didn't notice that (I loved the land regardless). Might it really be as simple as them turning up the volume and having more streetmosphere??

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Don’t get me wrong I want this land to improve just like everybody else. Chapek who supposedly cut all the entertainment and streetsmosphere should definitely feel the wrath of the fans. However it can be a little discouraging for those who haven’t visited the land to read these posts.

Honestly, before I visited DL SWGE myself I avoided ALL threads on these boards that touched the topic. I preferred being surprised and making up my own mind about it without the damper that I KNEW some would inevitably put on it no matter what... over and over and over...

But if you like the pics you see, you'll love the land! I LOVED it -- even though I thought of a few things they could do (VERY EASILY BTW) to make it even better. Nothing louder in this world than someone complaining anonymously on the internet!!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Maybe they can get a few CM to hold a few instruments and pretend they're in an orchestra playing something, which happens to be Star Wars music.

There, an in-world reason for there to be music.

 

[mikejs78]

Agreed, but I can only judge what they actually built, not our collective vision of what it "could be". Their stated goal was to create an immersive, alive experience and in my opinion they failed on that goal. I've yet to hear anybody make a passionate case that they achieved that goal.

Like everyone else, I hope they realize the poor creative choices they made and then take action to eventually achieve that goal.

I've also not heard anybody make a cohesive argument why the Potterlands are LESS immersive for having music. All I hear is SWGE having music would make them less immersive. That is a disconnect for me..

Well, I guess this thread hasn't been tiresome enough because there has been a shocking amount of consistency in "what people want from this land"

A Star Wars land in a Disney theme park should have:
- A fun, whimsical, and entertaining celebration of ALL things Star Wars
- The "alive" atmosphere that we were promised - countless smugglers, aliens, moving droids, bounty hunters, Jedi, stormtroopers, etc. inhabiting Batuu
- Being able to interact with all of your favorite Star Wars characters (C3P0, R2D2, Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett, Kylo, Luke/Han/Leia/Rey/Poe, etc.)-
- Cleverly used iconic Star Wars music to trigger our emotional connections to the brand and stories
- Jedis using their powers, things affected by the Force, light saber fights in the streets
- Actual ways for guests to interact like Jedi Academy
- The Mos Eisley Cantina from ANH with an alien band playing
- Open facades for retail and dining so the activity "spills" into the open space vs. everything being concealed in closed, windowless, nameless beige buildings.

Pretty sure that is what the majority of average Star Wars and Disney fans would truly want (and expect) when they hear Disney is spending hundreds of million dollars on a Star Wars land (at least that is the general consensus of all the boards I've been on and people I've spoken to over the past few years).

The fact that we got none of those, literally none of those is beyond mind boggling. They gave us a place nobody has ever heard of and left it deserted and depressing with an awesome Falcon in the middle of it.

One could make a very accurate argument that we are all whining too much and endlessly repeating the same criticisms (although I find people's new insights interesting every day), but not sure how someone's take away from all of these threads is "no pleasing some fans" and "don't know what people truly want from this land".

This is exactly the star wars land I would *not* want to go to. I want an immersive experience, to feel part of the universe. That can't happen with the things you mentioned. Yes, to me there is room for improvement, mainly in regards to your second and last points, which I wholeheartedly agree with you on. The others would remove the immersion and make it a worse land, IMO.

 

[TrojanUSC]

There is actually music coming from a few windows and there’s a radio near the landspeeders that’s playing some tunes. So yeah, it’s not as dead as some would have you believe.

Lol the sound effects is not BGM.

 

[Sped2424]

Same here. Especially now that's Carrie Fisher's gone, her theme always breaks me.

They played Leia's theme during the preshow for the star wars fireworks at DHS. And walking down the spine of DHS at night headed to sit in front of the Chinese theater and hearing it made me seriously think wow when batuu opens up if they can capture a fraction of this feeling im gonna lose it in there lol

 

[erasure fan1]

Gorgeous to look at!

I can hear the Star Wars theme in my head!

Good thing, because that's the only place you'll hear it.

However it can be a little discouraging for those who haven’t visited the land to read these posts.

While I like to be as spoiler free as possible, I am glad I know what I know about the land. In this case I think it will help me enjoy the land more when I go. I know the things that are missing/lacking so I wont be wondering where are the droids, why is there no music, blue milks not that great, no OT focus... If I know it's not there, I wont be upset that it's not.

 

[Mickeyboof]

They played Leia's theme during the preshow for the star wars fireworks at DHS. And walking down the spine of DHS at night headed to sit in front of the Chinese theater and hearing it made me seriously think wow when batuu opens up if they can capture a fraction of this feeling im gonna lose it in there lol

I hope you feel that way when you go!

If youve gone, I hope you felt that way

 

[IMDREW]

I remember seeing an interview with John Williams and seeing some SW:GE concept art in the back. It was art of one of the bridges with Kylo fighting someone on it at night. And another one of him lifting up a stormtrooper against a wall.

Just imagine shows like that happening all around you. Would be so amazing!

But seeing the latest aerials, it doesn’t look like the bridges have access points or doors to get on them for such shows.

I can’t find the screenshot I took, but when I do I’ll post it here.

 

[sedati]

Can confirm at HS the waterfall is in the RofR Que and it is currently fully operational

Since you were looking in that direction, did you notice any sightline issues on that end of the park?

 

[Rich Brownn]

Been many times and I don't find it "real" at all - just a beige, bland, silent, boring movie set with the Falcon in the middle. Since their (noble?) attempt at making an "immersive", living place has failed miserably, let's put our energy into making it an actually fun theme park land like Universal did with Harry Potter.

And if someone can do some research for me and see if they can find mass complaints from the opening of either Harry Potter land that the soaring John William music being played took them "out of the realism" of being in Hogwarts or Diagon Alley or it lessened the experience in any way. I certainly have never felt that and not once have heard someone make the comment.

Hogsmeade and Diagon are infinitely more "real' and "immersive" than this deserted, silent SWGE so this argument about the music is just odd to me.

Potter areas also have shows, interactive wand experiences, animation in shop windows, witches and wizard roaming the streets all of which helps more than the music. (There's also a lot of ambient sounds too - typewriter from the Daily Prophet, broadcasts from the Wireless Radio Network). Plus most of the music people associate with Star Wars tends to be a bit more bombastic than Potter (Jedi march, Darth vader's Theme, etc) which makes it a bit more difficult to fade into the background.

 

[TP2000]

I was just at GE in HS yesterday it is gorgeous, but it is void of personality.

Yup, that's the general consensus for the Disneyland version too, from those of us who have been.

It just seems like there is no pleasing some fans. I like the ideas being given out but I don’t know what people truly want from this land.

That's a very valid question!

What I wanted from this land is all the things that Disney themselves said publicly for the last four years it was going to have, releasing artwork and details at major fan conventions and on national network TV specials several years ago. I don't think that's too much to ask after Disney themselves spent years telling us it would all happen.

Things like;

-Roaming Droids. I didn't see a single droid zipping around. One robot guy in Ronto's Roasters was turning the bbq spit, and that was so notable because it was one of the only moving props in the entire land. They were even testing these at Disneyland's Tomorrowland several years ago, so we know it was supposed to be a thing.

-Roaming Alien Creatures. Except for the Hondo animatronic in the Falcon queue and Dok Andar (sp?) animatronic behind a fence in a gift shop, I only saw other humans in this land. Chewbacca had the night off when I was there, he was nowhere to be seen. For being on the edge of a distant galaxy, Batuu had nothing but Earthlings who all spoke perfect English with a California accent.

-Bounty Hunters and Interactive Characters. In 2017 at D23 Expo Imagineer Scott Trowbridge said if we didn't earn enough "Galactic Credits" piloting the Falcon a scary bounter hunter would be after us. The Bounty Hunter is the lizard looking guy in the yellow armor. He got cut, never mind the Jawa and small furry alcoholic next to him, much less proprietess Oga herself who is nowhere to be found.

I should also note that I took my iPhoneX with me into the land fully charged, running both the Disneyland App and Play Disney Parks App. I rode the Millennium Falcon three times that evening with varying degrees of success, and not a single CM said a word to me about it. The land had light crowds and there were tons of bored CM's just talking to themselves about scheduling, Katie's party, etc. but not a single CM said anything to me about my Falcon performance or anything Star Wars Land related. And I'm a nice guy who smiles!

-Music, Bands, Musicians, Entertainment, Stunt Shows. None of that exists in the land, except for some tinkling music in the entry tunnels. I listen to KUSC Classical radio constantly, and the Star Wars music is some of modern classical's finest achievements. But apparently it all got cut when Mr. Chapek cut the stunt shows that were obviously planned for the land's massive balconies and upper levels that now sit abandoned.



-Never Mind All The Other Stuff Mr. Chapek Cut. Stuff like the supper club restaurant with live entertainment and swanky alien food. Plus the rumored stuff like drone spaceships hovering overhead that insiders have said were being worked on at one time, before Mr. Chapek's sharp pencil found them hiding in a corner cubicle. But a lot of the official artwork Disney themselves released publicly had these concepts as part of the sales pitch to us customers. They all went missing in the last few years, after Mr. Chapek got settled in to his new job. Why?

Again, this was all stuff released publicly through official Disney channels and talked up widely by senior Disney executives from Burbank and Glendale at public events. Talk about a bait and switch! What happened to all this stuff? So to answer your valid question, that's "what I truly wanted from this land". I can't be the only one, can I?

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Yup, that's the general consensus for the Disneyland version too, from those of us who have been.



That's a very valid question!

What I wanted from this land is all the things that Disney themselves said publicly for the last four years it was going to have, releasing artwork and details at major fan conventions and on national network TV specials several years ago. I don't think that's too much to ask after Disney themselves spent years telling us it would all happen.

Things like;

-Roaming Droids. I didn't see a single droid zipping around. One robot guy in Ronto's Roasters was turning the bbq spit, and that was so notable because it was one of the only moving props in the entire land. They were even testing these at Disneyland's Tomorrowland several years ago, so we know it was supposed to be a thing.

-Roaming Alien Creatures. Except for the Hondo animatronic in the Falcon queue and Dok Andar animatronic behind a fence in a gift shop, I only saw other humans in this land. Chewbacca had the night off when I was there, he was nowhere to be seen. For being on the edge of a distant galaxy, Batuu had nothing but Earthlings.

-Bounty Hunters and Interactive Characters. In 2017 at D23 Expo Imagineer Scott Trowbridge said if we didn't earn enough "Galactic Credits" piloting the Falcon a scary bounter hunter would be after us. The Bounty Hunter is the lizard looking guy in the yellow armor. He got cut, never mind the Jawa and small furry alcoholic next to him, much less proprietess Oga herself who is nowhere to be found.

-Music, Bands, Musicians, Entertainment, Stunt Shows. None of that exists in the land, except for some tinkling music in the entry tunnels. I listen to KUSC Classical radio constantly, and the Star Wars music is some of modern classical's finest achievements. But apparently it all got cut when Mr. Chapek cut the stunt shows that were obviously planned for the massive balconies and upper levels that now sit abandoned in the land.



-Never Mind All The Stuff Mr. Chapek Cut. Stuff like the supper club restaurant with live entertainment and swanky alien food. Plus the rumored stuff like drone spaceships hovering overhead that insiders have said were being worked on at one time, before Mr. Chapek's sharp pencil found them hiding in a corner cubicle. But a lot of the official artwork Disney themselves released publicly had these concepts as part of the sales pitch to us customers. They all went missing in the last few years, after Mr. Chapek got settled in to his new job. Why?

Again, this was all stuff released publicly through official Disney channels and talked up widely by senior Disney executives from Burbank and Glendale. Talk about a bait and switch! What happened to all this stuff??? So to answer your valid question, that's "what I truly wanted from this land". I can't be the only one.

Well said!

 

[tallica]

Since you were looking in that direction, did you notice any sightline issues on that end of the park?

No I did notice any, but I was not actively looking for any either.

 

[Mickeyboof]

-Music, Bands, Musicians, Entertainment, Stunt Shows. None of that exists in the land, except for some tinkling music in the entry tunnels. I listen to KUSC Classical radio constantly, and the Star Wars music is some of modern classical's finest achievements. But apparently it all got cut when Mr. Chapek cut the stunt shows that were obviously planned for the massive balconies and upper levels that now sit abandoned in the land.

Yes yes yes! To this whole thing. Yes.

Did you happen to see the stunt show, that apparently has only been witnessed once during a media event??

It was presented for the vloggers and media. Another chance for them to sell us something they have no intention of actually presenting.

 

[bclane]

Yup, that's the general consensus for the Disneyland version too, from those of us who have been.



That's a very valid question!

What I wanted from this land is all the things that Disney themselves said publicly for the last four years it was going to have, releasing artwork and details at major fan conventions and on national network TV specials several years ago. I don't think that's too much to ask after Disney themselves spent years telling us it would all happen.

Things like;

-Roaming Droids. I didn't see a single droid zipping around. One robot guy in Ronto's Roasters was turning the bbq spit, and that was so notable because it was one of the only moving props in the entire land. They were even testing these at Disneyland's Tomorrowland several years ago, so we know it was supposed to be a thing.

-Roaming Alien Creatures. Except for the Hondo animatronic in the Falcon queue and Dok Andar (sp?) animatronic behind a fence in a gift shop, I only saw other humans in this land. Chewbacca had the night off when I was there, he was nowhere to be seen. For being on the edge of a distant galaxy, Batuu had nothing but Earthlings.

-Bounty Hunters and Interactive Characters. In 2017 at D23 Expo Imagineer Scott Trowbridge said if we didn't earn enough "Galactic Credits" piloting the Falcon a scary bounter hunter would be after us. The Bounty Hunter is the lizard looking guy in the yellow armor. He got cut, never mind the Jawa and small furry alcoholic next to him, much less proprietess Oga herself who is nowhere to be found.

I should also note that I took my iPhoneX with me into the land fully charged, running both the Disneyland App and Play Disney Park App. I rode the Millennium Falcon three times that evening with varying degrees of success, and not a single CM said a word to me about it. The land had light crowds and there were tons of bored CM's just talking to themselves about scheduling, Katie's party, etc. but not a single CM said anything to me about my Falcon performance or anything Star Wars Land related.

-Music, Bands, Musicians, Entertainment, Stunt Shows. None of that exists in the land, except for some tinkling music in the entry tunnels. I listen to KUSC Classical radio constantly, and the Star Wars music is some of modern classical's finest achievements. But apparently it all got cut when Mr. Chapek cut the stunt shows that were obviously planned for the massive balconies and upper levels that now sit abandoned in the land.



-Never Mind All The Other Stuff Mr. Chapek Cut. Stuff like the supper club restaurant with live entertainment and swanky alien food. Plus the rumored stuff like drone spaceships hovering overhead that insiders have said were being worked on at one time, before Mr. Chapek's sharp pencil found them hiding in a corner cubicle. But a lot of the official artwork Disney themselves released publicly had these concepts as part of the sales pitch to us customers. They all went missing in the last few years, after Mr. Chapek got settled in to his new job. Why?

Again, this was all stuff released publicly through official Disney channels and talked up widely by senior Disney executives from Burbank and Glendale at public events. Talk about a bait and switch! What happened to all this stuff? So to answer your valid question, that's "what I truly wanted from this land". I can't be the only one, can I?

Yeah it's hard to argue with that. It is extremely disappointing that all that stuff you mentioned (that was actually advertised and not just rumored) has either been cut or put on the back burner (lets hope for the latter). But I'm still very excited about what was built. The pics and videos look amazing and give me the feels and I can't wait to go in a couple weeks. I do have hope that they will add more as time goes by. I plan to have John Williams blasting in my headphones as I walk around the land which I'm sure will help.