Rumor: Disney World Indiana Jones Show Closing To Make Room For Star Wars

[tikiman]

I agree wholeheartedly. Even when that site (Disney Dining) posts actual, you know, news, it's generally quite literally days after it gets posted here (or even at Touring Plans, the DIS, ITM, or Stitch Kingdom for that matter). It's obvious that their only sources are those they find on the internet. Not that there's anything wrong with that (as that's obviously where I get my info), but the huge lag in time between when news first hits credible sources on the 'net and when they finally report it makes it hard to take them seriously - as does their frequent mistakes in spelling and grammar. I give them points for trying, but can in no way give any credence to their posts.

So no one has any credible sources other than WDWMagic?

Steve and WDWMagic does a great job but I've seen some people that are getting good info before WDWMagic post it.....but anyone saying Car's Land is coming to WDW does not have a good source.

 

[George]

Ummmm..........at this juncture I'd like to ask a serious question. Can I get an ADR for the Cantina yet?

 

[doctornick]

So no one has any credible sources other than WDWMagic?

Steve and WDWMagic does a great job but I've seen some people that are getting good info before WDWMagic post it.....but anyone saying Car's Land is coming to WDW does not have a good source.

So, on the topic of credible sources.... if there truly is some budget approved and it is simply details of the project being worked out to be greenlit, does any insider have any ideas when we will hear about this mystery project at DHS? It is conceivable that it could be announced in the next month to take attention away from Uni? Or are these rumors just a smokescreen to get people to talk about DHS/Star Wars without there actually being any plans?

 

[TeriofTerror]

So no one has any credible sources other than WDWMagic?

Steve and WDWMagic does a great job but I've seen some people that are getting good info before WDWMagic post it.....but anyone saying Car's Land is coming to WDW does not have a good source.

Oh no, that's not what I meant at all, and if that's how it comes across, I apologize. I love following your site, Tikiman, as well as your Facebook page. And I mentioned some other sources I personally view as reliable. Disney Dining just doesn't happen to be one of them.
I do find the news - and many of the rumors - on this site to be credible. And when some things don't come to pass, I take that more of a sign of how TWDC likes to change its mind more than as a sign of faulty sources or shady reporting. I'm sure any of us can name a number of projects that were far along in development ("Noah's Ark" on Crescent Lake, additional countries slated for WS) or even those publicly announced (Hyperion Wharf) that never came to be. It's not the fault of those who pass along the information that Disney changes its plans. I think we all know that until something actually opens, things can change at any time. But speculation is fun, up-to-date information is useful, and there are a few posters on this site that I think are very good at providing both.

 

[tikiman]

So, on the topic of credible sources.... if there truly is some budget approved and it is simply details of the project being worked out to be greenlit, does any insider have any ideas when we will hear about this mystery project at DHS? It is conceivable that it could be announced in the next month to take attention away from Uni? Or are these rumors just a smokescreen to get people to talk about DHS/Star Wars without there actually being any plans?

I can’t speak to budgets, dates or announcements because the people who told me about this over a year ago are not involved in that part of it but they have had plans for quite a while. After they discovered that Car’s land was not a viable project they moved forward with Star Wars Land.

 

[Monorail_Orange]

For those who are saying to get rid of Echo Lake, bear in mind that when the BAH goes, the world's largest hidden "Van Gogh" Mickey is back in view. Echo Lake is his left ear. Sunset Blvd. cut off his right ear long ago, but no lake would mean its time to give up the hidden Mickey all together, unless they really insisted on taking a brilliant concept and destroying with poorly thought out ideas, and acting like it was never there...oh, wait...this is TDO.

 

[The Mom]

So no one has any credible sources other than WDWMagic?

Steve and WDWMagic does a great job but I've seen some people that are getting good info before WDWMagic post it.....but anyone saying Car's Land is coming to WDW does not have a good source.

I think he means that if something is posted by @wdwmagic HIMSELF it has been verified. And that info is posted on the main page. What is posted by individuals here in the forums should be taken with a grain of salt. Some posters have a reliable track record, others have been hit or miss. (even a stopped clock is right twice a day)

And even those with good insider knowledge are dependent upon that source being in the loop 100% of the time. Even the best laid plans are subject to change at the last minute, so what is 100% accurate today may be incorrect tomorrow.

I am not a fan of racing to be the first to break "news" even if it isn't 100% verified to be accurate. Sometimes it will be correct, sometimes it won't.

When talking about WDW, egos will be affected, and people may be disappointed/pleased if something posted proves to be inaccurate. In the real world, it can have more serious consequences.

 

[Disneyfamily4]

I can’t speak to budgets, dates or announcements because the people who told me about this over a year ago are not involved in that part of it but they have had plans for quite a while. After they discovered that Car’s land was not a viable project they moved forward with Star Wars Land.

So if they are considering Star Wars Land. Will it be a project after the completion of Avatar Land, or will they start work on it while they are working on Avatar Land?

 

[tikiman]

Oh no, that's not what I meant at all, and if that's how it comes across, I apologize. I love following your site, Tikiman, as well as your Facebook page. And I mentioned some other sources I personally view as reliable. Disney Dining just doesn't happen to be one of them.
I do find the news - and many of the rumors - on this site to be credible. And when some things don't come to pass, I take that more of a sign of how TWDC likes to change its mind more than as a sign of faulty sources or shady reporting. I'm sure any of us can name a number of projects that were far along in development ("Noah's Ark" on Crescent Lake, additional countries slated for WS) or even those publicly announced (Hyperion Wharf) that never came to be. It's not the fault of those who pass along the information that Disney changes its plans. I think we all know that until something actually opens, things can change at any time. But speculation is fun, up-to-date information is useful, and there are a few posters on this site that I think are very good at providing both.

It is hard to know what to believe Teri. Often only people who know me believe anything I report because they know over the years I will only post what I get from people who are involved in the projects. I do see the point in just reposting rumors from other sites unless you are clear that it is a rumor that came from an unknown source. I totally get where people are skeptical but there are some out there that have good sources (like WDWMagic). Even when you prove over and over to have good info people still wait for Disney to announce it to believe it. That is a good way to be sure but sometimes it is fun to hear what is going on behind the scenes early. Like you said, things often can change and when the plan does change people dismiss it as a false rumor. A good example of that is Disney’s 5th park. Yes I have proof that Night Kingdom existed and was very close to breaking ground but circumstances changed the plan even after they had a warehouse full of stuff for the park. Most people will just think it is a false rumor.
I still remember mentioning DVC coming to the Polynesian back in 2011 but most people dismissed the report until WDWMagic reported on the site balloons a year later and even more people did not believe it until Disney just recently announced it.
I think you said it right, It should be fun to see what is rumored out there but I find that some just want to try and discredit people for sharing info. Sure there are some other there that do not have good sources (bus driver or bellmen) but I see some people post on here about things that make me believe they do have good sources.
Thanks for visiting my site and my Facebook page. It’s been a tough year keeping up with all the changes going on.

 

[The Mom]

It is hard to know what to believe Teri. Often only people who know me believe anything I report because they know over the years I will only post what I get from people who are involved in the projects. I do see the point in just reposting rumors from other sites unless you are clear that it is a rumor that came from an unknown source. I totally get where people are skeptical but there are some out there that have good sources (like WDWMagic). Even when you prove over and over to have good info people still wait for Disney to announce it to believe it. That is a good way to be sure but sometimes it is fun to hear what is going on behind the scenes early. Like you said, things often can change and when the plan does change people dismiss it as a false rumor. A good example of that is Disney’s 5th park. Yes I have proof that Night Kingdom existed and was very close to breaking ground but circumstances changed the plan even after they had a warehouse full of stuff for the park. Most people will just think it is a false rumor.
I still remember mentioning DVC coming to the Polynesian back in 2011 but most people dismissed the report until WDWMagic reported on the site balloons a year later and even more people did not believe it until Disney just recently announced it.
I think you said it right, It should be fun to see what is rumored out there but I find that some just want to try and discredit people for sharing info. Sure there are some other there that do not have good sources (bus driver or bellmen) but I see some people post on here about things that make me believe they do have good sources.
Thanks for visiting my site and my Facebook page. It’s been a tough year keeping up with all the changes going on.

I think we're on the same page. And I can see that what's currently going on at your favorite resort must be very difficult for you .

 

[tikiman]

So if they are considering Star Wars Land. Will it be a project after the completion of Avatar Land, or will they start work on it while they are working on Avatar Land?

Good question. They are not very excited about working on Avatar and it is a project that is farther along than Star Wars Land but they have many of the details for Star Wars Land in place. Last year they already knew where things were going to go and what was going to close. That is about all I can say at this point without making it obvious who told me what. I think we will hear more soon enough from Disney on this.

 

[tikiman]

I think we're on the same page. And I can see that what's currently going on at your favorite resort must be very difficult for you .

I think it is exciting but it is an every day effort to keep in contact with all my sources, get photos and post information on what is going on at the Polynesian. I will be happy when it is done and I can spend less time updating my pages and answering emails. Some are frustrated in the changes and they feel they need to take it out on me or the staff at the resort so I am sure they will be happy when it is all done also. We still have over a year to go with changes.

 

[Hyperspace Hoopla]

We were in WDW about a month ago, and my wife thought she saw some construction going on behind the Phineas and Ferb M&G in DHS. Was she right, and if so, is it Star Wars related?

 

[doctornick]

I'm sure any of us can name a number of projects that were far along in development ("Noah's Ark" on Crescent Lake, additional countries slated for WS)

Huh. I remember hearing about Noah's Ark a while ago, but had completely forgotten about it. Does anyone know the details of what they might have been like? If it had a large animal imagery presence (which one might expect by the name), I wonder if elements are being used for Rivers of Light.

 

[TeriofTerror]

I still remember mentioning DVC coming to the Polynesian back in 2011 but most people dismissed the report until WDWMagic reported on the site balloons a year later and even more people did not believe it until Disney just recently announced it.

Steve, I have to tell you, it's about broken my heart the way I've seen some people attack you on your own Facebook page! It's as though they blame you for any decision Disney makes at the Polynesian. 'Cause, you know, you have so much control over what Disney does. That completely baffles me, as did the "DVC deniers", for lack of a better term. Even to a casual observer the pattern was pretty clear, and the Polynesian was a natural spot in the DVC order of progression, if you will.
(Note: I sometimes come across as sarcastic, but I'm being sincere here!)

 

[psherman42]

If you take a look at the bolded above that I stated before, my main point was that the area of the current lakefront by the restaurants could be used for such a transition, i.e. buildings, path changes, or otherwise that fit the theme to create a smooth change, rather than having to 'shield' the entire Star Wars land from the Echo Lake area. This is all speculation based on whether or not they care about theme separation like they do in MK and AK, though.

A spinner, a coaster, a full sized millennium falcon, a speederbike ride, All have pretty substantial height requirements and would likely be seen from the lake area. If they left the lake, walking around it you could look to one side and see Star Wars popping up everywhere (not to mention the noise it will probably bring) and look to the other side and see.... a dockside diner, a dinosaur, buildings from the 50's... IF they cared about that, they'd have to take up land for visual blockers or theming around the lake in what could be more area for the new Star Wars Land. My thought process was that it would be easier to do one transition by 50's Prime Time than to worry about all that mumbo jumbo around the lake. And they would gain the land in the process.

Recently, the additions have been all about place making. I'd have a hard time believing they wouldn't do they're best to make you feel like your really in the Star Wars universe, so I would assume they want to make this an isolated land without open edges to other area of the park. And if you ask me, Echo lake would be a pretty big 'open edge'. I'm not trying to take the lake from you! Or say that they should or will do this! I'm just saying that, to me, it makes sense this way.

Also, NO NOT SCI FI! (I mean I guess it sort of fits....)

I guess it's possible that it could be amazing if it was done really well and I think Disney is capable of it, I just have a really hard time picturing it right now. Especially what sort of view you'd get from Hollywood and Vine/Prime Time with Star Wars right there. And honestly if they're going to do Star Wars, I'd rather they expand towards IJ rather than SOA just because I love the Osborne Lights and would hate to see those go so anything that saves streets and adds Star Wars to Studios is fine with me.

I wish there was a way they could add Star Wars without disrupting the entire park. One of the greatest things about the Avatar construction is that it's all backstage so while you're at DAK you really have no idea that it's even going on. MK was a mess during the NFE expansion and I feel like what would be going on at Studios for Star Wars has the potential to be even worse, especially given how small the park already is. They really don't have that much backstage area to work with over there, especially with the road that loops around to the parking lot from the World Drive entrance. The green building directly behind IJ is the Cast Services building and I don't know how they could move that for construction.

However, if this actually is going to happen, no matter how long it's going to take, they absolutely need to expand parking at Studios. It's a disaster during peak season and it's quite unfair to make Cast have to park at Epcot/Blizzard Beach and take a bus over during Christmas, Star Wars Weekends, etc. because the Television lot that is typically cast parking becomes guest parking during peak times because the lot is so small. They do have a garage but it's definitely not big enough for all the Cast Members to park backstage.

 

[CinematicFusion]

If they do build Star Wars land...I'm sure they will at some point.
Going back to the original idea about a coaster ride that gives the rider a choice between the light side and the dark side should be explored.

Link to Star Wars Ride concept at JimHill media
No foolin'. Here's a story about that Star Wars-themed dual track coaster which Imagineers thought about building back in the 1980s
Original story was on April 1st, 2013 It was released on April fools day but is or was a real concept back in the early 80's. They just didn't know how to do it back then. They have the tech now to get it done.

Here is part of the article:
"
But as David Mumford revealed during a talk that he gave at the National Fantasy Fan Club's annual convention in July of 1988, what the Imagineers had originally hoped to do with this Star Wars-themed coaster was to significantly step up their game. Create an attraction that Guests would have to ride at least twice in order to experience all of its show elements.

Here (according to Mumford, anyway) was this proposed indoor attraction's key gimmick: After your coaster car left the load / unload area, it would proceed to the lift hill. And as your car proceeded up this lift hill, to the left & the right side of the coaster track, two holograms would suddenly appear. One would be of Yoda, who would appeal to you to follow the ways of the Force. While the other hologram would be ofEmperor Palpatine, Dark Lord of the Sith. Who'd then try to seduce everyone who was riding in this particular coaster car over to the Dark Side."

In my opinion, this Star Wars coaster ride has a more epic feel to it,it incorporates the myth of Star Wars. The speeder bike ride is nice but I don't think it's as compelling a story as a coaster ride that give the audience a choice between the light and dark side, goes through star wars scenes just like Seven Dwarfs mine train and then blasts you off into space to fight the empire or rebels. Imagine the dark ride components they can create now( as witnessed in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), Imagine the John williams soundtrack, the roar of the X-wing, the growl of the Tie fighter as you blast out into space on an epic dog fight between good and evil.
With today's tech...this ride can be done. It can be done on an Epic level. It would be the true E-Ticket everyone is looking for.

Again, the speeder bike ride is a cool idea...but I think the Imagineers need to go back to their original idea and come up with creative ways using todays tech to make it happen. It's just my opinion but if I was in charge, it is the idea I would push for.

 

[Disneyfamily4]

Too bad they cant scrap the Avatar Land project and just focus on Star Wars.

 

[lebeau]

If they do build Star Wars land...I'm sure they will at some point.
Going back to the original idea about a coaster ride that gives the rider a choice between the light side and the dark side should be explored.

Link to Star Wars Ride concept at JimHill media
No foolin'. Here's a story about that Star Wars-themed dual track coaster which Imagineers thought about building back in the 1980s
Original story was on April 1st, 2013 It was released on April fools day but is or was a real concept back in the early 80's. They just didn't know how to do it back then. They have the tech now to get it done.

Here is part of the article:
"
But as David Mumford revealed during a talk that he gave at the National Fantasy Fan Club's annual convention in July of 1988, what the Imagineers had originally hoped to do with this Star Wars-themed coaster was to significantly step up their game. Create an attraction that Guests would have to ride at least twice in order to experience all of its show elements.

Here (according to Mumford, anyway) was this proposed indoor attraction's key gimmick: After your coaster car left the load / unload area, it would proceed to the lift hill. And as your car proceeded up this lift hill, to the left & the right side of the coaster track, two holograms would suddenly appear. One would be of Yoda, who would appeal to you to follow the ways of the Force. While the other hologram would be ofEmperor Palpatine, Dark Lord of the Sith. Who'd then try to seduce everyone who was riding in this particular coaster car over to the Dark Side."

In my opinion, this Star Wars coaster ride has a more epic feel to it,it incorporates the myth of Star Wars. The speeder bike ride is nice but I don't think it's as compelling a story as a coaster ride that give the audience a choice between the light and dark side, goes through star wars scenes just like Seven Dwarfs mine train and then blasts you off into space to fight the empire or rebels. Imagine the dark ride components they can create now( as witnessed in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), Imagine the John williams soundtrack, the roar of the X-wing, the growl of the Tie fighter as you blast out into space on an epic dog fight between good and evil.
With today's tech...this ride can be done. It can be done on an Epic level. It would be the true E-Ticket everyone is looking for.

Again, the speeder bike ride is a cool idea...but I think the Imagineers need to go back to their original idea and come up with creative ways using todays tech to make it happen. It's just my opinion but if I was in charge, it is the idea I would push for.

Meh. If there's one thing Hollywood Studios doesn't need it's probably a second coaster.

 

[doctornick]

I wish there was a way they could add Star Wars without disrupting the entire park. One of the greatest things about the Avatar construction is that it's all backstage so while you're at DAK you really have no idea that it's even going on. MK was a mess during the NFE expansion and I feel like what would be going on at Studios for Star Wars has the potential to be even worse, especially given how small the park already is. They really don't have that much backstage area to work with over there, especially with the road that loops around to the parking lot from the World Drive entrance. The green building directly behind IJ is the Cast Services building and I don't know how they could move that for construction.

I agree with all of this, but I think it illustrates why they need to expand into backstage areas. The park is on such a small footprint and cramped that it needs to have more room for guest areas. Converting Baklot Tour to a walkable area would help a lot, but another good option is having a theoretically Star Wars Land expand beyond the current park boundaries.

Admittedly, the parking is another issue. If they use a new access lane to the parking from Victory Lane (instead of World Drive) as has been proposed, at least they can use the current land of the World Drive access lane (including the large area at the tollbooths) for development or for placement of backstage services.

As an aside, can we clarify exactly what the buildings are behind IJ and Backlot Express? On wikimapia they are marked at costuming and cast services, but I thought the parade storage was back there.