Hey there! I've been off of this site for a while, though seeing "The Force Awakens" last night has made me curious as to what you all think about the implications that the film will have on the design of the new park land.
PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE SEVERAL MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD.
This is why I didn't post this in the normal Star Wars discussion. I'll use spoiler tags, but I'm sure people down the thread might forget to use them.
Here are some of my thoughts on attractions, dining, shopping, and placemaking in the new land:
ATTRACTIONS:
- As for the shows and atmosphere, the Adventureland test makes me super-excited to see what sorts of cool characters we'll see in the new land. And judging by the really interesting practical aliens in this film, we've got a lot of choices.
DINING:
- This is definitely the one I'm most excited about, and sorta the reason I made this thread. Aside from blue milk, a rations tin filled with what look like cookies of various shapes, and the prequels with the infamous pear -cutting scene, there isn't a lot of food in the old saga. (Apparently, there's some iconic food in the Rebels series that resemble real exotic foods, so this is cool, if you're interested: http://www.starwars.com/news/10-great-food-scenes-in-star-wars-rebels-and-star-wars-the-clone-wars)
SHOPPING:
- Bartering has always played a huge role in Star Wars. While it'd probably be against better judgment to have ACTUAL bartering in a theme park, it's interesting to think how they might portray this in the parks. Might we have Jawas (the glow-eyed traders in the 4th episode), Watto-types (As in the prequels) ,
acting as cashiers, or pushing their wares? There isn't anything much that the characters technically *buy* in the films, as you can buy Quiddich team paraphernalia, school supplies, jokes, and candy in the Wizarding World, which might bring the notch of immersiveness down, but something tells me Jedi robes will be quite a popular buy.
PLACEMAKING:
- As of now, combining the art that we know of and details from the new film, it's likely that the planet will be a Brazilian Rainforest/Everglades styled planet. Aside from being easy to do in a Floridian/Californian environment, they also seem quite central to the Star Wars mythos.
Anywho, that's my two cents! I'm super-curious to see what they're gonna do in the parks, and I hope you all have some more ideas/things I missed!
PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE SEVERAL MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD.
This is why I didn't post this in the normal Star Wars discussion. I'll use spoiler tags, but I'm sure people down the thread might forget to use them.
Here are some of my thoughts on attractions, dining, shopping, and placemaking in the new land:
ATTRACTIONS:
- I'm still sort of at a loss for what the main E-Ticket's going to be, but two sequences that come to mind from the film are Finn and Poe escaping from the clutches of the First Order in the beginning of the film and the classic Death Star/Starkiller-style battle at the end. I'm assuming a more thrill-oriented roller coaster style ride here, but I can't quite put my finger on what the vehicles might be - X-Wings seem too large, clunky, and low-capacity.
- The Millennium Falcon Ride... aside from the Harry Potter-esque rumors we're getting which seem pretty exciting, there's also lots of questions raised by the new film... like are we flying with Han (and possibly the old gang) or Rey (and the new)...? Or will the story somehow make us the third pilot of the ship?
- The Millennium Falcon Ride... aside from the Harry Potter-esque rumors we're getting which seem pretty exciting, there's also lots of questions raised by the new film... like are we flying with Han (and possibly the old gang) or Rey (and the new)...? Or will the story somehow make us the third pilot of the ship?
DINING:
- This is definitely the one I'm most excited about, and sorta the reason I made this thread. Aside from blue milk, a rations tin filled with what look like cookies of various shapes, and the prequels with the infamous pear -cutting scene, there isn't a lot of food in the old saga. (Apparently, there's some iconic food in the Rebels series that resemble real exotic foods, so this is cool, if you're interested: http://www.starwars.com/news/10-great-food-scenes-in-star-wars-rebels-and-star-wars-the-clone-wars)
There is plenty of food in this new film. Rey's journey begins with the initial problem of trying to survive off of "portions" that include glass shard-esque green substance, which seems to act like freeze-dried vegetable, and a greenish-blue powder that expands when cooked into a sort of quick bread or macaroon. There's also a lot of eating at Maz's, in particular a delicious looking half apple(?) with swirled green something on the top of it, which she holds just in view of camera for nearly a whole scene. I'm sure there's other food I missed, but just like that, food becomes central to storytelling, kinda like Be Our Guest's "Grey Stuff". I'd hope to try all these things in the new land, but I'd think it a shame if they couldn't do the expanding bread trick live and table-side.
- This also brings into question the Cantina. Will we get the original Mos Eisley Cantia, Jabba's Palace, one of the nightclub-style cantinas from the prequels (doubtful), or Maz's? I tend to think that the Maz bar is perfect as a low-risk version of the other cantinas: It's less sexy, less scary, and filled with mainly good beings. It features the trappings of all the other cantinas but is also it's own thing. Perhaps, like in other recent restaurants, we will see a Maz-inspired room as the main dining room, then offshoots themed to a more desert-style bar, and then another with a more streamlined night-club feel. Or perhaps they'll be three different restaurants.
- I also forecast all of these locations to contribute their "Cantina Songs" for a live entertainment group as we have seen in each of the films.
- This also brings into question the Cantina. Will we get the original Mos Eisley Cantia, Jabba's Palace, one of the nightclub-style cantinas from the prequels (doubtful), or Maz's? I tend to think that the Maz bar is perfect as a low-risk version of the other cantinas: It's less sexy, less scary, and filled with mainly good beings. It features the trappings of all the other cantinas but is also it's own thing. Perhaps, like in other recent restaurants, we will see a Maz-inspired room as the main dining room, then offshoots themed to a more desert-style bar, and then another with a more streamlined night-club feel. Or perhaps they'll be three different restaurants.
- I also forecast all of these locations to contribute their "Cantina Songs" for a live entertainment group as we have seen in each of the films.
SHOPPING:
- Bartering has always played a huge role in Star Wars. While it'd probably be against better judgment to have ACTUAL bartering in a theme park, it's interesting to think how they might portray this in the parks. Might we have Jawas (the glow-eyed traders in the 4th episode), Watto-types (As in the prequels) ,
or the creature that trades with Rey
PLACEMAKING:
- As of now, combining the art that we know of and details from the new film, it's likely that the planet will be a Brazilian Rainforest/Everglades styled planet. Aside from being easy to do in a Floridian/Californian environment, they also seem quite central to the Star Wars mythos.
Planets with these features include Naboo (Home of Padmé), Yavin 4 (Episode Four's finale scene), Takodana (Maz's planet), and D'Qar (Where Leia's base camp is set). It also evokes Luke's mysterious planet, seen at the end of the film. It makes sense that these planets would be featured, considering that all of them showcase scenes that are joyful, and we all enjoy foliage in our themed lands. There's the question, though, if there will be hints of the iconic desert planets that dot the Star Wars universe, and finding a way to combine the lushness of the forest worlds and the deserts could be difficult.
Anywho, that's my two cents! I'm super-curious to see what they're gonna do in the parks, and I hope you all have some more ideas/things I missed!
