Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[EricsBiscuit]

The manchildren complaining that they are so bored unless they pilot and that kids shouldn’t be allowed.

Hondo doesn’t look right (isn’t he a cartoon character?).

Some schnitzel about a ramp?

The stupidity is strong with these ones.

My role on Space Mountain is to sit and scream.

On MMRR I’ll be expected to sit and keep my eyes open. I hope that’s enough interaction.

Agreed! One time we rode it, there were two little children (like 5 yrs old or less) and they crashed I to EVERYTHING. But you know what? I loved it! They loved it! Everybody had a great time. We were laughing so hard as the ship bounced around.

 

[Stripes]

Nah, right pilot.

You get to pull the lever for light speed

But the left pilot has the most control of the motion. Unless our experience was abnormal, the left-right movements are much stronger than up-down.

 

[Mike S]

But the left pilot has the most control of the motion. Unless our experience was abnormal, the left-right movements are much stronger than up-down.

Light, Speed.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Question about the TIE and Kylo show - was the ramp originally designed/intended to raise and lower? When he comes out it seems like there is a sound effect for a lowering ramp but it is already down.

At least someone gets to go up and down a ramp in the land

 

[Stripes]

At least someone gets to go up and down a ramp in the land

Your ramp is coming.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Your ramp is coming.

to quote Hawkeye in Endgame. "Don't. Don't give me hope."

 

[Tom Morrow]

I visited Batuu tonight for my first time. I strongly believe it is the most impressive theme park land ever built. The scope of the place is incredible and it's absolutely beautiful, especially at night. Despite this, I have a few nitpicks:

1. The whole place feels strangely lifeless. Somehow Pandora, an alien forest with NO visible creatures, feels more alive. Several things could improve this.
- First, kinetic visual movement is sorely needed.
- Second, audio and background noise. Though there are lots of little sound effects from all over the land, they are too infrequent. Most of the time I only heard the whir from all the fans placed around more than anything else. The lack of a constant background noise is odd and jarring. Note that I absolutely do NOT want Star Wars music blasted everywhere - that is one thing I dislike about Potter - everywhere you go the same familiar tracks from the movies' scores are blasting, reminding you that you're in a recreation of something from a movie. There should, however, be more ambient noise than there is. Ships flying overhead, and other little touches like that. They are there... but they don't seem to be enough.
- Third, there's a handful of characters that roam around, but there needs to be more.

2. Although I have no issues whatsoever with choosing to go with a new planet, and I am someone that enjoys the Disney Star Wars films... there really could be a few more familiar things. It feels like there's hardly even anything from even the Disney films.

3. Tonally, Smuggler's Run feels a little bit off from Disney's Star Wars films and is overly lighthearted, like they're not taking the source material seriously. Those queue announcements, for example, are downright cringey. Avatar: Flight of Passage has a much more ridiculous and silly premise to sell the guest, but it never once feels hokey, yet Smuggler's Run does.

But yeah, the place is beautiful, even with these issues I think it takes my new top spot for theme park lands. I think it's current issues will improve over time, especially with RotR opening.

 

[Stripes]

1. The whole place feels strangely lifeless. Somehow Pandora, an alien forest with NO visible creatures, feels more alive. Several things could improve this.
- First, kinetic visual movement is sorely needed.
- Second, audio and background noise. Though there are lots of little sound effects from all over the land, they are too infrequent. Most of the time I only heard the whir from all the fans placed around more than anything else. The lack of a constant background noise is odd and jarring. Note that I absolutely do NOT want Star Wars music blasted everywhere - that is one thing I dislike about Potter - everywhere you go the same familiar tracks from the movies' scores are blasting, reminding you that you're in a recreation of something from a movie. There should, however, be more ambient noise than there is. Ships flying overhead, and other little touches like that. They are there... but they don't seem to be enough.
- Third, there's a handful of characters that roam around, but there needs to be more.

Absolutely this. This is my biggest issue. The potential though is just stunning. As you walked around, I'm sure you saw all the performance stages. If they were being used, it would change the game completely. In addition, the deployment of drones overhead (as rumored to be in development according to @marni1971) and droids would give the land exactly what it needs. It's such an easy fix that would go extremely far.

3. Tonally, Smuggler's Run feels a little bit off from Disney's Star Wars films and is overly lighthearted, like they're not taking the source material seriously. Those queue announcements, for example, are downright cringey. Avatar: Flight of Passage has a much more ridiculous and silly premise to sell the guest, but it never once feels hokey, yet Smuggler's Run does.

I feel like I only heard one or two of those announcements in Anaheim. Or perhaps they were just so forgettable I didn't even notice. Tbh, I didn't really pay attention to what they were saying. I'd be happy if they just cut that out completely and increased the engine activity in he middle of the big room. That was pretty cool, IMO.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I feel like I only heard one or two of those announcements in Anaheim. Or perhaps they were just so forgettable I didn't even notice. Tbh, I didn't really pay attention to what they were saying. I'd be happy if they just cut that out completely and increased the engine activity in he middle of the big room. That was pretty cool, IMO.

Basically every few minutes you hear announcements over the PA. Some of them are cool "standard procedure" ones - those are fine. In the maintenance room you occasionally hear someone attempt to work on the engine who makes sarcastic quips. Others are between two "employees" of Hondo. One is being an annoying slacker and constantly pestering the other one, who in return ridicules him. These are there for exposition, but I found them to be cheesy and very tonally off for the land. They're like something out of the Star Wars kids shows (which yes I've heard are good but no I'm not going to watch).

The coolest parts of the queue are indeed the repair work on the engine in the maintenance bay, all the random mechanical noises throughout the room, and, outside, the Millennium Falcon attempting to start up every few minutes and failing.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I visited Batuu tonight for my first time. I strongly believe it is the most impressive theme park land ever built. The scope of the place is incredible and it's absolutely beautiful, especially at night. Despite this, I have a few nitpicks:

1. The whole place feels strangely lifeless. Somehow Pandora, an alien forest with NO visible creatures, feels more alive. Several things could improve this.
- First, kinetic visual movement is sorely needed.
- Second, audio and background noise. Though there are lots of little sound effects from all over the land, they are too infrequent. Most of the time I only heard the whir from all the fans placed around more than anything else. The lack of a constant background noise is odd and jarring. Note that I absolutely do NOT want Star Wars music blasted everywhere - that is one thing I dislike about Potter - everywhere you go the same familiar tracks from the movies' scores are blasting, reminding you that you're in a recreation of something from a movie. There should, however, be more ambient noise than there is. Ships flying overhead, and other little touches like that. They are there... but they don't seem to be enough.
- Third, there's a handful of characters that roam around, but there needs to be more.

2. Although I have no issues whatsoever with choosing to go with a new planet, and I am someone that enjoys the Disney Star Wars films... there really could be a few more familiar things. It feels like there's hardly even anything from even the Disney films.

3. Tonally, Smuggler's Run feels a little bit off from Disney's Star Wars films and is overly lighthearted, like they're not taking the source material seriously. Those queue announcements, for example, are downright cringey. Avatar: Flight of Passage has a much more ridiculous and silly premise to sell the guest, but it never once feels hokey, yet Smuggler's Run does.

But yeah, the place is beautiful, even with these issues I think it takes my new top spot for theme park lands. I think it's current issues will improve over time, especially with RotR opening.

I personally find Star Wars to be campy. But that’s just me. Think of just about every Han Solo line. Campy humor is widespread in the series’ dialogue and one of my favorite things in the series. It also occurs, if anything, more often in the Star Tours queue, preshow, and even the ride.

With that said, I might expect less joviality from a planet newly occupied by the First Order, but you do get some of that fear from the cast. At the end of the day, theme park lands need to be fun, and people out west complain that the slightly dark tone of the land is too dark for Disneyland.

I really wish they had just built the land in DHS. It doesn’t work in CA.

 

[mikejs78]

They're like something out of the Star Wars kids shows (which yes

Just a point of clarity - I wouldn't call Clone Wars and Rebels kids shows (Resistance is a bit more of a kids show). They have some very heavy material that I wouldn't consider for very young kids, although fine for slightly older kids. But they are very, very good. Just because it's animated, it doesn't mean it's mainly for kids.

 

[mikejs78]

I personally find Star Wars to be campy. But that’s just me. Think of just about every Han Solo line. Campy humor is widespread in the series’ dialogue and one of my favorite things in the series. It also occurs, if anything, more often in the Star Tours queue, preshow, and even the ride.

With that said, I might expect less joviality from a planet newly occupied by the First Order, but you do get some of that fear from the cast. At the end of the day, theme park lands need to be fun, and people out west complain that the slightly dark tone of the land is too dark for Disneyland.

I really wish they had just built the land in DHS. It doesn’t work in CA.

This. That was one of the big problems with the prequels, they took themselves too seriously. Both the OT and the ST have a lot more lightheartedness than the PT did.

Hondo is a character who first appeared both in the PT time in the Clone Wars show, which takes place between Episodes 2 and 3. In that show, he was a the leader of a gang of pirates who wielded a considerable amount of power. He was a pretty dark character. He then reappeared in Rebels, which takes place a few years before Episode 4. There, he's lost everything and gone a little bit loopy at the hands of the empire, and is now a simple smuggler trying to make a living. The way the character seems to be in MF:SR is in line with this character development from Rebels....

 

[smile]

I really wish they had just built the land in DHS. It doesn’t work in CA.

 

[mikejs78]

I really wish they had just built the land in DHS. It doesn’t work in CA.

It always struck me as odd that they were building it in DL. DCA would have even been a stretch, but that would have worked better than DL IMO. Seems like it would be very out of place there. Much more appropriate for DHS.

 

[Mike S]

I personally find Star Wars to be campy. But that’s just me. Think of just about every Han Solo line. Campy humor is widespread in the series’ dialogue and one of my favorite things in the series. It also occurs, if anything, more often in the Star Tours queue, preshow, and even the ride.

With that said, I might expect less joviality from a planet newly occupied by the First Order, but you do get some of that fear from the cast. At the end of the day, theme park lands need to be fun, and people out west complain that the slightly dark tone of the land is too dark for Disneyland.

I really wish they had just built the land in DHS. It doesn’t work in CA.

Or for California build it in DCA. Lord knows that park needs everything it can get to attract people away from Disneyland.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Or for California build it in DCA. Lord knows that park needs everything it can get to attract people away from Disneyland.

Yes. I personally would’ve built RSR as a Frontierland expansion but they didn’t ask me.

 

[starri42]

Wouldn't it be great if there was an abandoned Jedi temple somewhere in SWL where there was a hologram meet and greet with Luke and Yoda? The actual actors could be off-stage and interact with guests.

I hope Mark Hamill is busier than that.

I kid, I kid.

 

[Mike S]

Yes. I personally would’ve built RSR as a Frontierland expansion but they didn’t ask me.

 

[The_Jobu]

I hope Mark Hamill is busier than that.

I kid, I kid.

He's got a lot more free time lately thanks to Rian Johnson.

 

[Jones14]

I'd argue against this. The Pilot (especially left pilot) is the most desireable position, but I actually enjoyed being the engineer. Gunners and Engineers earn points while the Pilots are largely responsible for losing points.

Engineer’s a blast. I think I said this in another thread, but I found it to be the perfect balance between ride and game that the attraction is marketed as.