- In the Parks
- No
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/10/15/does-disneyland-have-too-much-star-wars/
By ROBERT NILES | Southern California News Group Columnist
PUBLISHED: October 15, 2019 at 8:10 am | UPDATED: October 15, 2019 at 8:14 am
Can a theme park have too much of a good thing?
I vote that the answer is ‘yes,’ specifically when it comes to Star Wars at Disneyland.
Star Wars remains one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world, tucked in between the Harry Potter Wizarding World and the industry-leading Marvel franchise, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Star Wars films have earned more than $4 billion, not to mention all the money that Disney also makes from Star Wars toys, collectibles and books. The company is promoting new Star Wars TV series to sell its upcoming Disney+ video streaming service, too. So it’s a no-brainer for Disney to lean hard on Star Wars in its theme parks.
But does Disneyland really need to devote more than one and half of its nine themed lands to Star Wars? Do fans really want five — soon to be six – Star Wars-themed attractions across two lands in one park?
In addition to the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is the largest land in the park, Disneyland currently offers four Star Wars-themed attractions across the park in Tomorrowland: Star Tours — The Adventures Continue, the Star Wars: Path of the Jedi movie, Star Wars Launch Bay and Hyperspace Mountain. Tomorrowland’s Galactic Grill restaurant also maintains a Star Wars theme, too.
One of the leading fan complaints about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is that it does not feature enough characters and content from the first six Star Wars films. That creates an opportunity for Disney to maintain another Star Wars-themed attraction elsewhere in the resort to address that demand.
Star Tours — The Adventures Continue could play that role, but Disneyland unfortunately continues to run that simulator ride with its fixed combination of scenes from episodes seven and eight of the Star Wars series, plus a promo for Galaxy’s Edge at the end. That tease thrilled fans when it debuted nearly two years ago, but now I would much rather see Disneyland return Star Tours to its random selection of settings and characters from the original and prequel trilogies.
Hyperspace Mountain, Path of the Jedi and Star Wars Launch Bay came to the park as part of its Season of the Force promotion in late 2015. Disney has swapped back its regular Space Mountain format with Hyperspace Mountain a couple of times since, but the Star Wars overlay again has preempted the annual Ghost Galaxy version during Disneyland’s Halloween Time.
In any form, the indoor roller coaster fills it queue, but the Star Wars Launch Bay exhibit and Path of the Jedi movie limp along as mostly empty attractions in a park that simply cannot afford to waste any space with its annual attendance approaching 20 million visitors.
It’s time to move on, Disneyland. When Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens to complete Galaxy’s Edge in January, do an Order 66 on the Tomorrowland lineup. Return Star Tours to its 2011 format, then close the rest of Tomorrowland’s Star Wars attractions. It’s time for them to make way for new attractions — with different themes.
By ROBERT NILES | Southern California News Group Columnist
PUBLISHED: October 15, 2019 at 8:10 am | UPDATED: October 15, 2019 at 8:14 am
Can a theme park have too much of a good thing?
I vote that the answer is ‘yes,’ specifically when it comes to Star Wars at Disneyland.
Star Wars remains one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world, tucked in between the Harry Potter Wizarding World and the industry-leading Marvel franchise, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Star Wars films have earned more than $4 billion, not to mention all the money that Disney also makes from Star Wars toys, collectibles and books. The company is promoting new Star Wars TV series to sell its upcoming Disney+ video streaming service, too. So it’s a no-brainer for Disney to lean hard on Star Wars in its theme parks.
But does Disneyland really need to devote more than one and half of its nine themed lands to Star Wars? Do fans really want five — soon to be six – Star Wars-themed attractions across two lands in one park?
In addition to the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is the largest land in the park, Disneyland currently offers four Star Wars-themed attractions across the park in Tomorrowland: Star Tours — The Adventures Continue, the Star Wars: Path of the Jedi movie, Star Wars Launch Bay and Hyperspace Mountain. Tomorrowland’s Galactic Grill restaurant also maintains a Star Wars theme, too.
One of the leading fan complaints about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is that it does not feature enough characters and content from the first six Star Wars films. That creates an opportunity for Disney to maintain another Star Wars-themed attraction elsewhere in the resort to address that demand.
Star Tours — The Adventures Continue could play that role, but Disneyland unfortunately continues to run that simulator ride with its fixed combination of scenes from episodes seven and eight of the Star Wars series, plus a promo for Galaxy’s Edge at the end. That tease thrilled fans when it debuted nearly two years ago, but now I would much rather see Disneyland return Star Tours to its random selection of settings and characters from the original and prequel trilogies.
Hyperspace Mountain, Path of the Jedi and Star Wars Launch Bay came to the park as part of its Season of the Force promotion in late 2015. Disney has swapped back its regular Space Mountain format with Hyperspace Mountain a couple of times since, but the Star Wars overlay again has preempted the annual Ghost Galaxy version during Disneyland’s Halloween Time.
In any form, the indoor roller coaster fills it queue, but the Star Wars Launch Bay exhibit and Path of the Jedi movie limp along as mostly empty attractions in a park that simply cannot afford to waste any space with its annual attendance approaching 20 million visitors.
It’s time to move on, Disneyland. When Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens to complete Galaxy’s Edge in January, do an Order 66 on the Tomorrowland lineup. Return Star Tours to its 2011 format, then close the rest of Tomorrowland’s Star Wars attractions. It’s time for them to make way for new attractions — with different themes.