Galaxy's Edge - Orlando

[Texas84]

The best answer for me was 'Nice' but 'Disney destroyed Star Wars' is accurate.

 

[FettFan]

I have a feeling that by the year 2025 (if man is still alive), the sequel era Galaxy's Edge is going to be overhauled into the Original Trilogy era in order to lure in more guests.

Smuggler's Run will still exist, only instead of being hosted by the alien Hodor whatsisname, they're going to strip him down and convert him to an animatronic Lando Calrissian who will regale you with tales of his little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab. The storyline will be changed ever so slightly so that instead of the First Order, you're now smuggling against the Empire, and it will contain a Kessel Run segment.

The Millennium Falcon outside will have the square satellite dish replaced with the classic round one, Poe Dameron's X-Wing will be replaced by an original Red Squadron one.

And all of the Nike Swoosh Stormtroopers will be replaced by the originals.

And "rise of the resistance" would then be overhauled to cart guests through various planets and scenes from the original trilogy.

^ Add some PotC-Shanghai projection walls featuring snow and mountains with a few Rebel snowspeeders flying around and boom, it's Hoth.

 

[HongKongFu]

Mickyboof, I read your #21.

And now I understand what you're saying about details vs broadstroking. Yes, based off of depth/layers, things to unpack and discover Potter World offers so much more.

 

[graphite1326]

OK so we get to walk thru some incredible architecture and detail. All to go on two rides. This seems to be the trend lately. It's really incredible to look at but so is everywhere else in WDW. Pandora is neat to look at the first two times then it's to the rides and leave.

 

[Zé_Carioca]

Doc Ondor is full of details. The rest of the land? Not so much.

I honestly suggest you look again and look for the details. Go to the toydarian store and look at the toys used for decoration, not the ones for sale but the ones in the ceiling, including a tiny millennium falcon. The ship display right next to the store has a ship with an ode to LMA.

Look at the ships docked on top of docking bay 7, the numbers are the years of the original trilogy release.

There are details, it just takes multiple visits to notice them.

 

[Mickeyboof]

I honestly suggest you look again and look for the details. Go to the toydarian store and look at the toys used for decoration, not the ones for sale but the ones in the ceiling, including a tiny millennium falcon. The ship display right next to the store has a ship with an ode to LMA.

Look at the ships docked on top of docking bay 7, the numbers are the years of the original trilogy release.

There are details, it just takes multiple visits to notice them.

Oh, no I got those.

Even the detail like the middle container is being lowered, and when you enter docking bay 7 is then hanging down into the building like it was in motion the whole time.

I saw the little toy shops hanging. Cool. But it’s a one time thing to see.

And really, the best they could do are shipping crates with familiar years on them?

I’ve been to the land at Disneyland for opening on two separate days. Then again at WDW and visited on four separate occasions. I can honestly say I really don’t need to go back to the land for a long time. Nothing is drawing me back.

Curiosity is the BEST magnet. But GE is devoid of curiosity. There is nothing more to see or unpack.

Let’s compare it to some of the moments at Wizarding World !

Interactive Speaking Goblin, dishes washing themselves in a fully active window display down an alley barley anyone travels down behind Hog’s Head, animatronic owls hooting/moving wings/moving heads, phone booth outside of King’s Cross which only speaks when dialing the correct number, magic wands that physically alter/change/affect the land in a tangible way, howler coming to life in Hogsmeade, five-to-six stage shows, the hundreds of MOVING window displays, knockturn alley which is a marvelous detail as the street itself is full of kinetic spookiness and whimsical exploration. the list goes on and on.

Or, to keep it in Disney, take New Orleans Square!

Pirate bands appearing in the alley way to sing some tunes, multiple character interactions, voodoo spells being enchanted from a witch’s apartment, the Morse code tapping out, the apartment balcony scenes are fun to decide who lives their and what their profession might be, the hand painted wonderfully crafted store decor is just gorgeous enough to look at every time, a steamboat and pirate ship casually floating by as you soak up the jazz through to your bones.

But, okay yeah Star Wars has the eye creature (dianoga) appearing in the water fountain and plays the same music loop as the Cantina in the bathrooms.

Oh! I guess if you can’t get a Cantina Reservation, the bathrooms are full of wonderful details! Have a drink in there!

 

[Tom Morrow]

I agree that some life, entertainment, more ambient sound (NOT music), and visual kinetics are needed. But to act like the land flat out sucks because of a few flaws, or that Diagon Alley is SO much better when they both have roughly the same amount of experiences, sorry but you're just throwing a fanboy tantrum.

 

[danyoung56]

I have a feeling that by the year 2025 (if man is still alive)

Good Zagar & Evans reference (although the year was 2525).

 

[Incomudro]

Changes in elevation is a great point, but that isn’t a detail.

The slain heads sure.

But rockwork and the land’s paint schemes aren’t details.

There is a lack of detail because once you look over the land once, there aren’t anymore layers to unpack.

Details are individual items or events. They’re specific gestures, not broad strokes. Like the red button in the chess room, or the cone shaped flowers at Cars Land.

Most of what you listed aren’t details. They’re the big gestures. They’re the givens.

I did not walk around Galaxy’s Edge with a blindfold. Perhaps I was looking too hard though, because after one or two walkthroughs, you’ve seen it all. There are no minute details to unpack or explore. There’s only big gestures that look good for Instagram.

Now, details, that’s where Harry Potter comes in. The endless scenes and vignettes of each window, the forced perspective continuation of the streets of Diagon Alley, and the kinetic movement of owls and magic, of letters coming to life and brooms floating. Those are details.

Doc Ondor is full of details. The rest of the land? Not so much.

Huh???

 

[Hank Hill]

I only got about an hour and half at GE, but I was unimpressed. It was cool to look at when I came in, but I just didn't see a lot of things that made me want to explore more. It needs more entertainment and interactions, like the stormtroopers, to make it feel more alive. Little things off to the side to see and do. The CM's did an Okay job, but I just kept seeing them with stuff to buy, no just for fun things. I get that it is easier to have queue's and areas that are old post apocalyptic looking because it is hard to keep up with shinny looking things, but I wanted some things to be more futuristic (even though it was a long time ago) not some run down junker type planet, at least some areas should have had more "luxury" accommodations and things to look at. If anything, the consistency of the theme is unexciting. To make it feel like a full planet, have different areas with different looks and cultures. Honesty, call it whatever planet you want, but it is pretty much tatooine, and not the best parts of it, because it is a new planet we never saw in the movie so they can't put in more familiar things .

The ride was just meh. I always have loved Star Tours and don't understand the hate it gets, but this didn't even come close. Though sitting in the Falcon before the cockpit ride was really neat and I was surprised at the control for light speed, I was expecting to just pull the lever with no real feel to it, that was a nice touch. Even reading stuff about it, I am not sure I understand the RotR ride, but I hope that is better. The food options were ok, but nothing exciting. It just seemed like a lot of walking and not too much to see. It's weird because I am a Star Wars fan, but have never even seen a whole HP movie, and to me, the HP lands at UO are both so much better. But I will be back soon and hopefully get more time at GE and see if I think differently.