Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[doctornick]

PHOTOS - Annual Passholder previews begin for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios

PHOTOS - Annual Passholder previews begin for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney World's Star Wars land begins its first day of general public previews.

www.wdwmagic.com

Are there live shows going on during the preview? It seem like they did that for the opening at DL though I think it was the first official day of operation, not previews.

 

[wdwmagic]

Are there live shows going on during the preview? It seem like they did that for the opening at DL though I think it was the first official day of operation, not previews.

I don’t think so, at least not so far. Chewy, Kylo Ren, and Storm Troopers are around.

 

[peter11435]

I don’t think so, at least not so far. Chewy, Kylo Ren, and Storm Troopers are around.

And Rey

 

[mikejs78]

Honestly just reading people's normal reaction on Twitter this morning, it seems people really love this land. These are average people's reactions, not fan sites or media, or the types of people who hang around WDW forums...

Sample:

 

[RobWDW1971]

Are there live shows going on during the preview? It seem like they did that for the opening at DL though I think it was the first official day of operation, not previews.

They just did that for the press event before it opened to the public. Once it was open just the little "moment" when Kylo Ren appears

 

[rsm]

You act as if those things are active, living, exciting parts of the land. The Wampa is a head on the wall. R2D2 is for sale in the back of a merch store. The probe droid is blown to bits and hanging on a wall in a junkyard. The landspeeder looks abandoned behind a rusted fence, etc.

The Falcon, Chewie (when it's his shift), and the Dianoga are all active parts of the land. The rest are exactly why the land is so depressing - they are broken, dead (in many cases literally), static, relics.

I doubt if you went to Wizard of Oz Land at Disneyland and saw the Cowardly Lion's head mounted on a wall and the Tin Man lying rusted in a planter, you'd call that "fan service".

Two separate complaints - the land is dead and there is no OT presence. If you wanna argue it’s dead have at it - that wasn’t the complaint I was defending.

I agree it is dead. But there’s as much if not more OT presence of death than the new trilogy’s presence of death.

 

[RobWDW1971]

I agree it is dead. But there’s as much if not more OT presence of death than the new trilogy’s presence of death.

Fair enough! That sounds like a great new marketing tagline!

 

[dreamfinder912]

So for anyone who went to the preview....what are the odds of getting into Savi's if we didn't book for it during our preview? It's not a huge deal, I have a rezzie for September....but...a girl can hope. Also, are all 6 kyber colors available?? Dyou have to buy a holocron to be allowed to buy your kyber like in DL?

 

[rowrbazzle]

What made Avatar successful was the visuals, cinematography, and imagination used in creating Pandora...it was a sort of character all on it's own, and it's those visuals that people DO remember from the film.

Galaxy's Edge is a land we've never seen in a film...there's no emotional connection to it at all. There is a HUGE emotional connection to the Millennium Falcon, but it's fenced off, so we aren't even allowed to examine it closely aside from the ride. The pricing for Savi's and the Droid Depot are pretty prohibitive for people who aren't already Star Wars fans, and we're not even able to just go and see other people building them. We were promised an immersive land - yet we got a movie set. You simply can't call a land immersive if it doesn't feel like it's a living, breathing place.

Pandora film wise is so forgettable theres no attachment unlike star wars or cars that are both very strong memorable franchises with rich vibrant storys to tell. Nobody goes into pandora and saysays this isnt like the movie because nobody remembers it.

Do you think Pandora would have worked even if it hadn't been a movie? I think maybe it would. And I think the lack of connection makes sense for the big Star Wars fans. I wonder if it tracks with the casual fan. I'm interested in Star Wars, but could probably only identify a couple of locations from the movies (Ewok planet, ice planet). Disney could tell me this new land was from Episode 4 and I wouldn't know any different. I guess that's more of what I was wondering. Is there anything Disney could have done with the land from a visual standpoint to make it more appealing except for mimicking the original movies?

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Do you think Pandora would have worked even if it hadn't been a movie? I think maybe it would. And I think the lack of connection makes sense for the big Star Wars fans. I wonder if it tracks with the casual fan. I'm interested in Star Wars, but could probably only identify a couple of locations from the movies (Ewok planet, ice planet). Disney could tell me this new land was from Episode 4 and I wouldn't know any different. I guess that's more of what I was wondering. Is there anything Disney could have done with the land from a visual standpoint to make it more appealing except for mimicking the original movies?

I think Pandora would have worked...but it likely would have taken time for it to gain popularity instead of being mobbed from day one. As far as Galaxy's Edge goes, I don't think there's issues with the land visually, aside for maybe being somewhat light on vegetation in relation to what we're used to seeing from Disney. The land is beautifully designed, but it just feels like an empty movie set because so much of what was hyped by Iger was cut by Chapek.

 

[solidyne]

Thank you for the insights.
Many bits of information there that are often left out.

True. I had never heard about the wobbly walkway before.

 

[rowrbazzle]

I think Pandora would have worked...but it likely would have taken time for it to gain popularity instead of being mobbed from day one. As far as Galaxy's Edge goes, I don't think there's issues with the land visually, aside for maybe being somewhat light on vegetation in relation to what we're used to seeing from Disney. The land is beautifully designed, but it just feels like an empty movie set because so much of what was hyped by Iger was cut by Chapek.

Gotcha. I've been disappointed to hear about all the cuts too. It sounded really cool and got me excited about something I was only casually interested in before.

 

[solidyne]

After some posts, I'm wondering how much age plays a role in the impressions one gets. Under 30, love the land. Over 30, hate it. Am I off base? Legit question, as I have not yet been there.

I don't count @TROR , who seems like an old soul.

 

[TROR]

After some posts, I'm wondering how much age plays a role in the impressions one gets. Under 30, love the land. Over 30, hate it. Am I off base? Legit question, as I have not yet been there.

I don't count @TROR , who seems like an old soul.

I like Star Wars land, so I'd say you're right. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot wrong with the land, especially its placement in Disneyland and WDI's general approach, but in itself it can be a fun land if they just tweak it some. X-Wing coaster, Star Tours, not be so focused on "immersion," greenery, and the land will be fne.

 

[Darth Snips]

Do you think Pandora would have worked even if it hadn't been a movie? I think maybe it would. And I think the lack of connection makes sense for the big Star Wars fans. I wonder if it tracks with the casual fan. I'm interested in Star Wars, but could probably only identify a couple of locations from the movies (Ewok planet, ice planet). Disney could tell me this new land was from Episode 4 and I wouldn't know any different. I guess that's more of what I was wondering. Is there anything Disney could have done with the land from a visual standpoint to make it more appealing except for mimicking the original movies?

I think this is a great point.

And just to add on to it: I feel like the whole Batuu thing has a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kinda vibe. We as Disney parks fans regularly bemoan the constant onslaught of IP-based additions. We constantly cry out for more original attractions and lands. “If it’s good people will come” we say. “It doesn’t matter if it’s based on a movie we already know. We want original stories!”

Well, in this day and age, GE is probably the closest we’ll get to that. It’s obviously IP-based, but the Imagineers decided to write an all new story with all new characters instead of simply copying something from the films. Instead of Han Solo, we have Hondo Ohnaka. Instead of Wuher and Fingrin Dan, we have Oga and DJ Rex. Instead of Mos Eisley, Cloud City, or Coruscant, we have Black Spire Outpost.

And yet, the internet is filled with cries of “Who are these people? Where are the characters and places we know? How stupid do you have to be to set a Star Wars Land in an unfamiliar world?”

I don’t know; it just seems like you can’t win sometimes.

 

[solidyne]

I think this is a great point.

And just to add on to it: I feel like the whole Batuu thing has a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kinda vibe. We as Disney parks fans regularly bemoan the constant onslaught of IP-based additions. We constantly cry out for more original attractions and lands. “If it’s good people will come” we say. “It doesn’t matter if it’s based on a movie we already know. We want original stories!”

Well, in this day and age, GE is probably the closest we’ll get to that. It’s obviously IP-based, but the Imagineers decided to write an all new story with all new characters instead of simply copying something from the films. Instead of Han Solo, we have Hondo Ohnaka. Instead of Wuher and Fingrin Dan, we have Oga and DJ Rex. Instead of Mos Eisley, Cloud City, or Coruscant, we have Black Spire Outpost.

And yet, the internet is filled with cries of “Who are these people? Where are the characters and places we know? How stupid do you have to be to set a Star Wars Land in an unfamiliar world?”

I don’t know; it just seems like you can’t win sometimes.

Good point. A non-IP IP, if you will.

 

[IMDREW]

For anyone who went today; I heard it’s pretty busy? Long waits? I’m thinking about building a droid, does anyone know if the line for that gets long? Cause I’d rather do Smuggler’s Run than Droid Depot..

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

I think this is a great point.

And just to add on to it: I feel like the whole Batuu thing has a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kinda vibe. We as Disney parks fans regularly bemoan the constant onslaught of IP-based additions. We constantly cry out for more original attractions and lands. “If it’s good people will come” we say. “It doesn’t matter if it’s based on a movie we already know. We want original stories!”

Well, in this day and age, GE is probably the closest we’ll get to that. It’s obviously IP-based, but the Imagineers decided to write an all new story with all new characters instead of simply copying something from the films. Instead of Han Solo, we have Hondo Ohnaka. Instead of Wuher and Fingrin Dan, we have Oga and DJ Rex. Instead of Mos Eisley, Cloud City, or Coruscant, we have Black Spire Outpost.

And yet, the internet is filled with cries of “Who are these people? Where are the characters and places we know? How stupid do you have to be to set a Star Wars Land in an unfamiliar world?”

I don’t know; it just seems like you can’t win sometimes.

This this this this this this this this

 

[eddie104]

After some posts, I'm wondering how much age plays a role in the impressions one gets. Under 30, love the land. Over 30, hate it. Am I off base? Legit question, as I have not yet been there.

I don't count @TROR , who seems like an old soul.

It seems like a lot of the complaints are coming from posters over a certain age and so I guess it’s very much a generational thing.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Instead of Han Solo, we have Hondo Ohnaka. Instead of Wuher and Fingrin Dan, we have Oga and DJ Rex. Instead of Mos Eisley, Cloud City, or Coruscant, we have Black Spire Outpost.

Yup. Sounds like another great marketing message.