D23 Star Wars Info - A Galaxy of Stories: Photos, Video, Deep Thoughts

TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge has a nice ring to it I think. The tourists will just call it "Star Wars" and the AP's will call it "Galaxy's Edge", but it works either way.

@SMLR you deserve a steak dinner for that find! Thank you!
 
J

JD2000

Well-Known Member
D

Deleted member 107043

JD2000 said:
I'd expected it to be mediocre, but that is just awful! At least put STAR WARS at the end. For instance, PLACE: A STAR WARS LAND.
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I agree. Why not just name the land after the planet or the village we're supposed to be in? There must be some reason, like a forthcoming movie tie-in or something.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

I'm getting caught up on all the SW Land reports (the news media is going nuts over the model), including the photos, videos, and articles from across the spectrum, and I'm curious about the scale of some the buildings and rockwork in the model. As Disneyland buildings go the SW Land structures look massive. Are they being built at full scale? What about the towering rock formations - anyone know how tall the tallest one will be? Some of them look to be at least 10-12 stories.

I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this project and the work that is coming out of WDI. If you'd asked me 10 years if I thought they were capable of this I would have said no.

Now Disney...

ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney-576x327.jpg
 
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RMichael21

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
I'm getting caught up on all the SW Land reports (the news media is going nuts over the model), including the photos, videos, and articles from across the spectrum, and I'm curious about the scale of some the buildings and rockwork in the model. As Disneyland buildings go the SW Land structures look massive. Are they being built at full scale? What about the towering rock formations - anyone know how tall the tallest one will be? Some of them look to be at least 10-12 stories.

I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this project and the work that is coming out of WDI. If you'd asked me 10 years if I thought they were capable of this I would have said no.

Now Disney...

ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney-576x327.jpg
Click to expand...
From what I read in the DHS thread, the tallest mountain top (the one towering over the Falcon) will be around the same height as the Matterhorn. Don't remember who said it or its validity, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
I'm getting caught up on all the SW Land reports (the news media is going nuts over the model), including the photos, videos, and articles from across the spectrum, and I'm curious about the scale of some the buildings and rockwork in the model. As Disneyland buildings go the SW Land structures look massive. Are they being built at full scale? What about the towering rock formations - anyone know how tall the tallest one will be? Some of them look to be at least 10-12 stories.
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From looking at the model today, the back mountains seem to be Matterhorn sized, a bit taller than Cars Land mountains. The buildings and village structures also look big, on a scale larger than New Orleans Square, and much bigger than Frontierland or Adventureland buildings. It's big.
 
nevol

nevol

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Well, gang, I did it. I just got back from D23 Expo. I went this afternoon, strolled up and bought a day ticket and walked right in. Lines and crowds everywhere inside. And the usual collection of very, um, unique interpretations of Disney characters wandering around, plus a lot of very passionate fans.

I went right over to the WDI Pavilion thing and found a line that wasn't that bad, only 20 minutes, and 5 minutes into the wait a "Parade" came by. The Parade consisted of some very, very enthusiastic Disney employees in D23 t-shirts carrying balloons; they looked like very happy cubicle dwellers, the "Fun Girls from Payroll" and that sort of crowd. They were cute because they were so obviously thrilled to be out of the cubicle and at D23 marching around. Then came a gaggle of beloved Disney characters, then some semi-professional dancers, plus Mickey Mouse and the Disneyland Band. A marching band inside a convention center is louder than you'd think. Then came the "Grand Marshalls"; Mark Hamill in one of those cool old electric cars that Walt used to drive around Disneyland in. Then came the other grand marshall, Stan Lee who had propped his feet up on the seatback of his old-timey electric car while a Main Street CM chaufferred him. Hysterical. Then some more balloons and waving, and then rope girls and it was over. Random, but fun.

And with that I was whisked in with another big group of people into the WDI Pavilion. Everyone runs over to "the model". It's bigger and bolder and more detailed in person than it looks in photos or video. There's a pack of people three deep up against the model, so I take a step back and notice a raised viewing platform at the back of the room. I go up there and have the thing to myself and was just taking it all in. A nice young, bearded Imagineer in a WDI shirt and nametag steps up and says "Pretty neat, huh?" and I agree. We get to chatting, he points out some cool features I hadn't noticed, and tells me what to look for in the model when I get up closer (there are indeed multiple waterfalls on the southwest side of the land, and the Fantasmic! boat storage is represented in this model with a broader berm than the DHS version will have).

I ask him what he does at WDI and he says "Oh, this and that on a few things that haven't been announced yet, but I'm also the show producer for this pavilion this year". Ha! Not quite as funny as '09 when a nice lady Imagineer I later learned was Kathy Mangum walked me all around the Cars Land model, but pretty darn funny. I told him he does great work and I look forward to the real thing in '19, and he says "I'll see you there sir, and race you to the Millennium Falcon!". Nice young guy. So obviously proud of his work and his company, which is great in a young person.

A few minutes later I had worked my way up through the crowd to the model and was shuffling along as perky young Imagineers on microphones pointed stuff out to the crowd. This thing is incredible! Worth the price of admission alone just to see it and inspect it. What you don't quite get in photos and video is how deep and developed and vast the "town" portion of the land is on the right side of the model. It's like New Orleans Square times ten. They have the space and square footage to offer all sorts of retail/dining/entertainment offerings here it appears. Then the two big E Tickets in hulking buildings camo'd by all that incredible rockwork and cliffs. Just super, super impressive to see in person.

I've been to Tokyo DisneySea multiple times and am headed back to Japan soon, but if this land ends up like the model Disneyland just out-did Tokyo DisneySea. Which I never would have thought possible, but it just might happen with this Star Wars thing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent strolling the show floor, passing up on the long queues to get into the Archives exhibit, the Disney Dream Store, and Mickey's of Glendale store. I did walk right into an interesting Imagineering panel on landscape architecture in the parks, with some really neat photos and info from WDI landscape architects. Very interesting! Then I left. I really just wanted to see "the model", which everyone was calling it as they milled around the convention center. The odd parade and the landscape architecture panel was icing on the cake.

A very succesful D23 Expo already, and we haven't even had the "Big Announcements!" coming on Saturday afternoon at the Parks Presentation.
Click to expand...
I might go on sunday, just to see the model, whereas before I would have only gone to see the parks and resorts keynote. I'm so genuinely impressed with this and glad that you are too. It isn't setting a new bar in theme park design, as that implies anybody will ever be able to follow this up. All the competitors are completely built out or are about to be with stuff like nintendo land. This will be the pinnacle of theme park design. And I'm so excited for it to bring massive profits to parks and a new audience with higher expectations. I think since star wars is their biggest/most iconic IP, rather than continuing to make IP lands that will never measure up with the likes of this, the pendulum ideally will swing back but the funding and craft will remain high, toward other experiences and attractions. I knew it would be impressive, but it really is so refreshing to see this level of craft.
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Well, gang, I did it. I just got back from D23 Expo. I went this afternoon, strolled up and bought a day ticket and walked right in. Lines and crowds everywhere inside. And the usual collection of very, um, unique interpretations of Disney characters wandering around, plus a lot of very passionate fans.

I went right over to the WDI Pavilion thing and found a line that wasn't that bad, only 20 minutes, and 5 minutes into the wait a "Parade" came by. The Parade consisted of some very, very enthusiastic Disney employees in D23 t-shirts carrying balloons; they looked like very happy cubicle dwellers, the "Fun Girls from Payroll" and that sort of crowd. They were cute because they were so obviously thrilled to be out of the cubicle and at D23 marching around. Then came a gaggle of beloved Disney characters, then some semi-professional dancers, plus Mickey Mouse and the Disneyland Band. A marching band inside a convention center is louder than you'd think. Then came the "Grand Marshalls"; Mark Hamill in one of those cool old electric cars that Walt used to drive around Disneyland in. Then came the other grand marshall, Stan Lee who had propped his feet up on the seatback of his old-timey electric car while a Main Street CM chaufferred him. Hysterical. Then some more balloons and waving, and then rope girls and it was over. Random, but fun.

And with that I was whisked in with another big group of people into the WDI Pavilion. Everyone runs over to "the model". It's bigger and bolder and more detailed in person than it looks in photos or video. There's a pack of people three deep up against the model, so I take a step back and notice a raised viewing platform at the back of the room. I go up there and have the thing to myself and was just taking it all in. A nice young, bearded Imagineer in a WDI shirt and nametag steps up and says "Pretty neat, huh?" and I agree. We get to chatting, he points out some cool features I hadn't noticed, and tells me what to look for in the model when I get up closer (there are indeed multiple waterfalls on the southwest side of the land, and the Fantasmic! boat storage is represented in this model with a broader berm than the DHS version will have).

I ask him what he does at WDI and he says "Oh, this and that on a few things that haven't been announced yet, but I'm also the show producer for this pavilion this year". Ha! Not quite as funny as '09 when a nice lady Imagineer I later learned was Kathy Mangum walked me all around the Cars Land model, but pretty darn funny. I told him he does great work and I look forward to the real thing in '19, and he says "I'll see you there sir, and race you to the Millennium Falcon!". Nice young guy. So obviously proud of his work and his company, which is great in a young person.

A few minutes later I had worked my way up through the crowd to the model and was shuffling along as perky young Imagineers on microphones pointed stuff out to the crowd. This thing is incredible! Worth the price of admission alone just to see it and inspect it. What you don't quite get in photos and video is how deep and developed and vast the "town" portion of the land is on the right side of the model. It's like New Orleans Square times ten. They have the space and square footage to offer all sorts of retail/dining/entertainment offerings here it appears. Then the two big E Tickets in hulking buildings camo'd by all that incredible rockwork and cliffs. Just super, super impressive to see in person.

I've been to Tokyo DisneySea multiple times and am headed back to Japan soon, but if this land ends up like the model Disneyland just out-did Tokyo DisneySea. Which I never would have thought possible, but it just might happen with this Star Wars thing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent strolling the show floor, passing up on the long queues to get into the Archives exhibit, the Disney Dream Store, and Mickey's of Glendale store. I did walk right into an interesting Imagineering panel on landscape architecture in the parks, with some really neat photos and info from WDI landscape architects. Very interesting! Then I left. I really just wanted to see "the model", which everyone was calling it as they milled around the convention center. The odd parade and the landscape architecture panel was icing on the cake.

A very succesful D23 Expo already, and we haven't even had the "Big Announcements!" coming on Saturday afternoon at the Parks Presentation.
Click to expand...
I'm looking forward to the Parks and Resorts the most. See you guys tomorrow.
 
nevol

nevol

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
I'm getting caught up on all the SW Land reports (the news media is going nuts over the model), including the photos, videos, and articles from across the spectrum, and I'm curious about the scale of some the buildings and rockwork in the model. As Disneyland buildings go the SW Land structures look massive. Are they being built at full scale? What about the towering rock formations - anyone know how tall the tallest one will be? Some of them look to be at least 10-12 stories.

I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this project and the work that is coming out of WDI. If you'd asked me 10 years if I thought they were capable of this I would have said no.

Now Disney...

ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney-576x327.jpg
Click to expand...
I heard 125 feet? like carsland.

I'm interested to see if any of those interesting balconies will be accessible to guests. the cool camera shots above the model prove how impressive this sprawling planet will be from above, and I'd LOVE to have that ability. Or, I guess I'll have to ride big thunder to be able to peak in from above.
 
britain

britain

Well-Known Member
For what it's worth, I did a little approximating. Take this little model man from the street in the foreground, and assume he's 6 feet. Shrink him down a bit to visually place him at the base of the mountain, behind the falcon, and then stack him up until you get to the top. I used 26 of him, which is 156 feet. The Matterhorn is 147 feet, so it's the right ball park. I could be way off, but that's my estimate...FOR RILEY!!!


upload_2017-7-15_0-2-27.png
 
D

Deleted member 107043

nevol said:
I'm interested to see if any of those interesting balconies will be accessible to guests.
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought about that. I assumed they were just for show, but they do appear to be full scale and therefore potentially accessibile to visitors. I hope so!
 
JoFu

JoFu

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
I hadn't thought about that. I assumed they were just for show, but they do appear to be full scale and therefore potentially accessibile to visitors. I hope so!
Click to expand...

In the video from March @nevol posted earlier they talk about the live actors being on the roofs, on ladders and all around you. I am so giddy dreaming of all the possibilities with the live interactive stuff and the detail/scale of the land...I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan, but this is incredible. If you haven't watched the video...check it out, it'll give you something to swoon over while you wait for the parks presentation tomorrow.

nevol said:
At that star wars convention in, say, March? Trowbridge and his team revealed more details than we have ever gotten anywhere else about the land.


At that star wars convention in, say, March? Trowbridge and his team revealed more details than we have ever gotten anywhere else about the land. Not going to rewatch it right now but the story is set in later episodes and the presence of older artifacts and designs is entirely justifiable through historicity. For example, when you go to Los Angeles in 2017, it still looks like Los Angeles from 1965 and LA from 1940 with art deco strip malls and suburban tract housing. It isn't like the built environment flips every year. People still drive old cars on the road etc. So this is set later, and since its kind of the "route 66" of the galaxy, it is a run-down planet full of bounty hunters and tons of artifacts from every episode of star wars. it is masterfully clever, if you ask me. This way they don't need to disappoint anybody by setting the experience in any one particular star wars episode. It is later/current episodes, but not lacking in the classic fighter planes and stuff life that that people are nostalgic for.

Check out the video before tomorrow. I'm eager to see how much of what was revealed here is presented as "new" and how much ACTUALLY new tidbits we get.
Click to expand...
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
I hadn't thought about that. I assumed they were just for show, but they do appear to be full scale and therefore potentially accessibile to visitors. I hope so!
Click to expand...

JoFu said:
In the video from March @nevol posted earlier they talk about the live actors being on the roofs, on ladders and all around you. I am so giddy dreaming of all the possibilities with the live interactive stuff and the detail/scale of the land...I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan, but this is incredible. If you haven't watched the video...check it out, it'll give you something to swoon over while you wait for the parks presentation tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it only makes sense for CMs in character (or droids) to be up there so people can see and that they don't get crushed. Sort of like the Muppets' Great Moments in History.
 
NobodyElse

NobodyElse

Well-Known Member
I meant to post this when it originally popped up on my phone, but here it is (From Disney's own local ABC7):

http://abc7.com/entertainment/large-scale-star-wars-themed-land-model-revealed-in-anaheim/2214472/

"The unveiling took place during a special reception at the expo in Anaheim. The model shows two attractions that will be the main parts of the 14-acre areas, which is the largest single-themed land expansion for both parks.

Both attractions require an e-ticket. The first will give visitors the chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission. The other ride will put people in the middle of a fight between the First Order and the Resistance."

:)
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
For Mark Hammill fans, I just saw this video of the weird little parade that happened to pass by me today.

Balloons! Beloved Characters! Semi-Professional Dancers! The Fun Girls from Payroll! A Marching Band! More Balloons! Also Mark Hammill and Stan Lee, which I barely remember because I was geeking out on them using Walt's old electric touring cars he used to drive around Disneyland in!

 
nevol

nevol

Well-Known Member
nevol said:
At that star wars convention in, say, March? Trowbridge and his team revealed more details than we have ever gotten anywhere else about the land.


At that star wars convention in, say, March? Trowbridge and his team revealed more details than we have ever gotten anywhere else about the land. Not going to rewatch it right now but the story is set in later episodes and the presence of older artifacts and designs is entirely justifiable through historicity. For example, when you go to Los Angeles in 2017, it still looks like Los Angeles from 1965 and LA from 1940 with art deco strip malls and suburban tract housing. It isn't like the built environment flips every year. People still drive old cars on the road etc. So this is set later, and since its kind of the "route 66" of the galaxy, it is a run-down planet full of bounty hunters and tons of artifacts from every episode of star wars. it is masterfully clever, if you ask me. This way they don't need to disappoint anybody by setting the experience in any one particular star wars episode. It is later/current episodes, but not lacking in the classic fighter planes and stuff life that that people are nostalgic for.

Check out the video before tomorrow. I'm eager to see how much of what was revealed here is presented as "new" and how much ACTUALLY new tidbits we get.
Click to expand...


It's SO good. Happened to have the preview video cut out though at 5:18 ish so here is where they cut to before they continue the discussion:
 

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