Lets Go Big With Star Wars

[tman2000]

Hi, let's brainstorm and discuss what park additions will now be possible with the Star Wars deal.

You might wonder why Disney hasn't expanded their Star Wars attractions more already? Well they have! Star Tours 2.0 and SW weekends are big deals. They really are. Disney clearly thinks SW is a big deal. But let's be honest, they aren't Harry Potter.

Okay, so why hasn't Disney gone bigger with Star Wars in the parks? It's sad to say but Star Wars isn't that big. My point is that even Elvis became uncool, and had to have a comeback. Star Wars will always be a classic, but it won't always be massively popular. It has been some time since the last movie was released, and people weren't so happy about it. Star Wars can draw kids for weekends, but not whole families for a summer trip.

But this deal changes everything. Now Disney can profit directly from SW and all it's merchandise. They can control the franchise and manage its popularity. They have synergistic resources (of course including the parks) to maximize the success of the franchise.

Now Disney can anticipate exactly what the future of the franchise will be, and indeed have a reason to invest all their resources in it. Trust me, it's a huge difference.

So they HAVE to expand their park Star Wars presence and the question is how.

I'd love to hear everyone's ideas, but first I'll offer three:

Small:
Lucasland - you know, Mos Eisley cantina, maybe another ride, better theming. In this case I'd hope they'd plan to go big and in fact add more than one ride.
Also - maybe they'll add a non Star Tours ride to Tomorrowland.

Medium- Rename Hollywood Studios to Lucasfilm Hollywood Studios. I'm serious! Keep the Tower of terror side, and the basic Hollywood theme, but massively expand the Lucasfilm presence. Basically: Star Wars LAND Indiana Jones LAND and even LucasArts land. Monkey Island death coaster? Anyone
Only disadvantage is the muppets and Pixar are big Dis franchises and deserve to be there so maybe just a solid BIG Star Wars land is what we need.

Big - Star Wars theme park
Yes I'm serious a 5th gate. Now. Wouldn't this kill Hollywood studios? I don't think so. In fact a Star Wars park would be big if they push new films and shows. I could imagine a ticket for Star Wars and then a ticket for 'everything else'. Park hopper would only be needed to hop between SW and the other 4. Now, would this mean no more monsters inc coaster? No more big expansions to Hollywood studios? Yeah, probably. But people would still go because they do generally like it.
What's important - a separate Star Wars park means avoiding that 'live movie set' theme of HS. I don't want to walk around the Star Wars movie set. Star Wars is no longer a movie phenomenon, it's an entertainment phenomenon. I want to walk around in the galaxy far far away.

So, preset your opinion on these options but most importantly give your ride and attraction ideas!

 

[afar28]

I dont like the retheming of Hollywood studios rename. Pixar place, ToT, RNRC, BatB, LM, Disney Jr, and many other things would have to be redone. A 5th gate would be cool, but I think a Star Wars land thats unique to Orlando would be great.

 

[wiigirl]

Go big or go home...

 

[tman2000]

Yeah, a SW land a la Harry Potter within Hollywood studios is the best bet. In terms of Lucas overall, and Indy the only thing I'd like is a clone of the temple ride in MK.

That said, with SO many locales in the SW universe, what would you do with a mini park?

I say use ep4 A New Hope. After all, the timeline in Star Wars lore is demarked as 'before battle of yavin' and after. Mos Eisley with cantina, pod racing, and the millennium falcon hangar. Yavin with Xwings and the Death Star for a major imperial vibe.

Now you have light vs dark. Each side would have 1 e ticket, a food place, and some show piece.

Yavin would feature a kuka arm Death Star trench run. The Death Star would feature a tie fighter roller coaster. The yavin ride is meant to replicate the famous scene, so kuka will allow for something more cinematic. The tie fighter is a bad guy, whom we want to lose, so its journey will be more perilous - ie a twisting thrills roller coaster where the tie is 'damaged' and tries to avoid crashing into towers. Or something. Point is: two thrilling but very different experiences.

You know the tie coaster could be a chase trough the asteroid field. Honestly following rocknroller coaster's example you could actually make this pretty cinematic.

The food would work thus: mos Eisley quick service cantina, yavin would have no food, the Death Star would have an imperial officers mess table dining. This restaurant would feature the awesome if not macabre view of Alderaan as it is blown up by the laser and the accompanying show would be viewable outside the restaurant. Think Mexico pavilion. The food would be delicacies inspired by Star Wars planets. So basically an excuse for chefs to create gourmet dishes that appear to actually be made of ingredients from other planets.

Yavin would feature a shop - rebel academy basically, with confiscated imperial goods as well. Tatooine 'main street' would have that sort or rogue/smuggler type goods.

This would make Hollywood a coaster park, and so make it more likely that there would be a Pixar coaster as well, since Hollywood would have to be one the Harry Potter killer. The phase two potter gimmick is just a way universal is trying to get folks to its less popular park. Disney doesn't need this. After making an actual Star Wars land there wouldn't be a need for more and more and Disney can expand Pixar etc at Hollywood since now Hollywood is the destination not SW itself per se.

Star tours would be integrated into the mos Eisley spaceport and represent all those other planets in the lore.

 

[techee]

This is what I think (and I'll be using bits and pieces of what was originally said plus what others have said): I think there should be an entire Lucasland themed area, but I would change the name to Lucas Studios or Lucas Plaza (more likely towards the latter). I also think that theming should be looked at for both movies that are represented. It can be cohesive in that way. Another thing that needs to be done is to add the Cantina, maybe add it to where the current restaurant is in that area. There can always be at least one more Star Wars ride in that area, but it might not be a big dark ride like people might envision it for a Star Wars mini land. It could be something like a flyer, something similar to Astro Orbiter in the Magic Kingdom. Also, there could always include one quick service place for food. Finally, for the Star Wars portion, there should be more characters from the movies to be in that area and make it into an environment from there that everyone can enjoy. Moving onto Indiana Jones, there's definitely things that has to be done. First and foremost, there should be a retheming for that area. It needs to look more like a temple/jungle and have it feel like adventure like the franchise frequently expresses. The show does need to be turned into a ride to bring interest to the franchise, like it has in other parks around the world, and make it original for Hollywood Studios. Also, to be included, there needs one shop and either a restaurant or a quick service meal center based on that franchise. If these changes are done, then it would definitely make this area would bring more interest to that part of the park.

 

[WED99]

A backlot tour expansion with some of the Lucasfilm departments would be great! ILM are magicians with a computer and Skywalker Sound could make a really cool indoor surround sound demonstration. Then it could end with Catastrophe Canyon!

 

[techee]

I don't think that should be the direction for a Backlot Exapansion, but upgrading sound and tech effects using those companies should be done as soon as possible.

 

[WED99]

I don't think that should be the direction for a Backlot Exapansion, but upgrading sound and tech effects using those companies should be done as soon as possible.

I think a lot of the Sound and Video in the parks was originally made by Lucasfilm. I'm not sure exactly but they are the ones who often work on the movies.