Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[MrPromey]

Some perspective here:

When we are talking about Star Wars costumes and fans, it isn't the same as someone in a robe and a scarf at Universal and it isn't the same as 99% of anything you'll see at a Mickey's Not So Scary party (which is a ticketed even where everyone knows or quickly learns that over 50% of the guests dress up, anyway)

We're not talking about some guy with a gut in a store-bought spiderman onesie wandering around, either.

These are Star Wars fan-made costumes:

So are these:

So are these:

These guys? All fans in self-made costumes:

These guys?:

Still fans.

Now these guys, they must work for Disney, right? I mean, look where they are! Tourists are recording them and taking pictures!:

and

Nope.

These are all 501st members in homemade costumes. Disney themselves, made arrangements to bring them in because A: their costumes are more accurate than the ones Disney themselves uses. B: they didn't have to pay them in actual money or take on employee liability by having them there for these things and C: they didn't have to adhere to the same policies that they do with costumed characters that appear in the parks in terms of safety and comfort.

I have been to a number of Mickey's not So Scary Halloween parties and although there is a common understanding that more than half the guests are in costume for this event when you show up, I have never seen anything that could even remotely resemble anything you see here.

Notice how almost every costume has a mask? Notice how when you get two or more of them together, they start to look like a "thing" rather than just a fan in a costume?

How does Disney allow Star Wars costumes and not end up with something like one of these pictures?

No Mask? No problem - go out there and look, plenty of fans have done make-up for Darth Vader without the helmet and of course, these folks:

(this one's from a fan tutorial on how to do the makeup)

Do they provide an online rule book? Do they make a policy about how people in costume can't stand close to each other? Do they say "you can wear a costume as long as it doesn't look too good or too risque"? How would they judge that evenly?

These aren't just a handful of randos - do a google image search for "Star Wars 501st". It's a worldwide club. This is what Disney is concerned with having to deal with and I can't blame them in the least. It's all a far cry from what Disney is showing as acceptable in their examples, too.

Think I'm exagerating? Check out their website: https://www.501st.com/

Or just jump straight to their member gallery: https://www.501st.com/members/members.php

You may be thinking these are all just photo ops and these people wouldn't want to walk around a park all day like this. You'd be wrong. They go to Star Wars Celebration each year and do it for hours and hours at a time inside, outside - doesn't matter.

Disney selling Jedi robes? Sure. Disney allowing people to wear their own costumes? Where do they draw the line and how do they enforce it uniformly when these kind of people show up?

Much easier to say costumes aren't allowed, don't you think?

But again, this brings up a point I made a while ago - they've utilized 501st for other stuff they've done in the parks - why not let some of them in to be managed and help spruce things up for a while? I mean, they typically pay them in admission tickets and for the ones that aren't local enough to drive over for a day, they normally put themselves up in hotels to attend. Sometimes Disney even ends up making money off them because they pay to stay in a Disney resort so they can work these things. I mean, really!

 

[LukeS7]

Some perspective here. When we are talking about Star Wars costumes and fans, it isn't the same as someone in a robe and a scarf at Universal and it isn't the same as 99% of anything you'll see at a Mickey's Not So Scary party (which is a ticketed even where everyone knows or quickly learns that over 50% of the guests dress up, anyway)

We're not talking about some guy with a gut in a store-bought spiderman onesie wandering around, either.

These are Star Wars fan-made costumes:

So are these:

So are these:

These guys? All fans in self-made costumes:

View attachment 414524

These guys?:

Still fans.

Now these guys, they must work for Disney, right? I mean, look where they are! Tourists are recording them and taking pictures!:

and

Nope. These are all 501st members in homemade costumes. Disney themselves, made arrangements to bring them in because A: their costumes are more accurate than the ones Disney themselves uses. B: they didn't have to pay them in actual money or take on employee liability by having them there for these things and C: they didn't have to adhere to the same policies that they do with costumed characters that appear in the parks in terms of safety and comfort.

I have been to a number of Mickey's not So Scary Halloween parties and aside from a common understanding that more than half the guests are in costume for this event when you show up, I have never seen anything that could even remotely resemble anything you see here.

Notice how almost every costume has a mask? Notice how when you get two or more of them together, they start to look like a "thing" rather than just a fan in a costume? How does Disney allow Star Wars costumes and not end up with something like one of these pictures?

No Mask? No problem - go out there and look, plenty of fans have done make-up for Darth Vader without the helmet andof course, these folks:

(this one's from a fan tutorial on how to do the makeup)

View attachment 414525

View attachment 414526

Do they provide an online rule book? Do they make a policy about how people in costume can't stand close to each other? Do they say "you can wear a costume as long as it doesn't look too good or too risque? How would they judge that evenly?

These aren't just a handful of randos - do a google image search for "Star Wars 501st". It's a worldwide club. This is what Disney is concerned with having to deal with and I can't blame them in the least. It's all a far cry from what Disney is showing as acceptable in their examples, too.

You may be thinking these are all just photo ops and these people wouldn't want to walk around a park all day like this. You'd be wrong. They go to Star Wars Celebration each year and do it for hours and hours at a time inside, outside, doesn't matter.

Disney selling Jedi robes? Sure. Disney allowing people to wear their own costumes? Where do they draw the line and how do they enforce it uniformly when these kind of people show up?

Much easier to say costumes aren't allowed, don't you think?

But again, this brings up a point I made a while ago - they've utilized 501st for other stuff they've done in the parks - why not let some of them in to be managed and help spruce things up for a while? I mean, they typically pay them in admission tickets and for the ones that aren't local enough to drive over for a day, they normally put themselves up in hotels to attend. Sometimes Disney even ends up making money off them because they pay to stay in a Disney resort so they can work these things. I mean, really!

My take on it is this: I think it's absolutely fine to ban costumes where the face would be covered by a mask. However, I find it a bit absurd that I can't wear the robe that they sell in the land that I bought it in. I don't think there should be anything wrong with allowing the robes and just asking guests to not wear it with the hood up. The jedi/sith robes are a 1-1 equivalent to what WWoHP has and it is handled in a different (and in my opinion much poorer) way.

In regards to the use of make-up, I do feel you could even work that into the "face being covered" rule to avoid people showing up in blue face paint. Again, my main issue with the policy is that they ban an article of clothing that they sell.

 

[MrPromey]

My take on it is this: I think it's absolutely fine to ban costumes where the face would be covered by a mask. However, I find it a bit absurd that I can't wear the robe that they sell in the land that I bought it in. I don't think there should be anything wrong with allowing the robes and just asking guests to not wear it with the hood up. The jedi/sith robes are a 1-1 equivalent to what WWoHP has and it is handled in a different (and in my opinion much poorer) way.

In regards to the use of make-up, I do feel you could even work that into the "face being covered" rule to avoid people showing up in blue face paint. Again, my main issue with the policy is that they ban an article of clothing that they sell.

I agree with you 100% on the robe thing. Seems like such a simple and easy thing and would be closest WWOHP that you're going to get.

Makeup can become a little more difficult because there are degrees of it, especially between characters. If you look in the 501st gallery, you'll see what I mean - figuring out where to draw the line between bounding and all-out costume would be difficult in some cases.

I think part of the problem is that George Lucas let fans get away with a lot as long as they weren't officially* profiting off what they did. That's how the 501st got the size it did and how they've been able to do these mass public appearances and stuff - usually it's for charity and if not, it's still not-for-profit.

He created a huge group of fans that the more tightly controlling Disney does not really appreciate so much. I've never seen anything else like it.

But again, I totally agree about the robe thing and with the outfits the apparently will allow, that seems like it should easily fall into it. I just don't think that a lot of people arguing for the full-out costumes have a full understanding of how mainstream the more hard-core Star Wars fandom actually is or what costumes in their minds, entail.

If people started showing up at Universal in full Lord Voldermort or Alastor makeup or as Death Eaters and dementors, they'd probably get turned away too but by-and-large is seems that this group is more interested in being the "good guys" and also tend to be a little more casual than many Star Wars fans - the fact that there is no Harry Potter hotel and the rumored prices of the Star Wars one Disney is building (with a belief that enough people will pay) kind of backs up this line of thinking.


*I say "officially" because there is this whole crazy underground market for unfinished vacuum-molded costume pieces and semi-elaborate ways people make and then sell finished costumes and stuff to skirt those rules.

 

[The_Jobu]

Again, my main issue with the policy is that they ban an article of clothing that they sell.

It is a bit odd that I have to wait till I get back to my hotel to put on my First Order outfit and start bossing people around.

 

[MrPromey]

It is a bit odd that I have to wait till I get back to my hotel to put on my First Order outfit and start bossing people around.

Look - what you do to your own family in your room is your business - not ours!

 

[The_Jobu]

Look - what you do to your own family in your room is your business - not ours!

Oh, they'd never tolerate that. I'll probably just harass people in the food court or yell at people for running by the pool.

 

[Incomudro]

Some perspective here. When we are talking about Star Wars costumes and fans, it isn't the same as someone in a robe and a scarf at Universal and it isn't the same as 99% of anything you'll see at a Mickey's Not So Scary party (which is a ticketed even where everyone knows or quickly learns that over 50% of the guests dress up, anyway)

We're not talking about some guy with a gut in a store-bought spiderman onesie wandering around, either.

These are Star Wars fan-made costumes:

So are these:

So are these:

These guys? All fans in self-made costumes:

View attachment 414524

These guys?:

Still fans.

Now these guys, they must work for Disney, right? I mean, look where they are! Tourists are recording them and taking pictures!:

and

Nope. These are all 501st members in homemade costumes. Disney themselves, made arrangements to bring them in because A: their costumes are more accurate than the ones Disney themselves uses. B: they didn't have to pay them in actual money or take on employee liability by having them there for these things and C: they didn't have to adhere to the same policies that they do with costumed characters that appear in the parks in terms of safety and comfort.

I have been to a number of Mickey's not So Scary Halloween parties and aside from a common understanding that more than half the guests are in costume for this event when you show up, I have never seen anything that could even remotely resemble anything you see here.

Notice how almost every costume has a mask? Notice how when you get two or more of them together, they start to look like a "thing" rather than just a fan in a costume? How does Disney allow Star Wars costumes and not end up with something like one of these pictures?

No Mask? No problem - go out there and look, plenty of fans have done make-up for Darth Vader without the helmet andof course, these folks:

(this one's from a fan tutorial on how to do the makeup)

View attachment 414525

View attachment 414526

Do they provide an online rule book? Do they make a policy about how people in costume can't stand close to each other? Do they say "you can wear a costume as long as it doesn't look too good or too risque? How would they judge that evenly?

These aren't just a handful of randos - do a google image search for "Star Wars 501st". It's a worldwide club. This is what Disney is concerned with having to deal with and I can't blame them in the least. It's all a far cry from what Disney is showing as acceptable in their examples, too.

Think I'm exagerating? Check out their website: https://www.501st.com/

Or just jump straight to their member gallery: https://www.501st.com/members/members.php

You may be thinking these are all just photo ops and these people wouldn't want to walk around a park all day like this. You'd be wrong. They go to Star Wars Celebration each year and do it for hours and hours at a time inside, outside, doesn't matter.

Disney selling Jedi robes? Sure. Disney allowing people to wear their own costumes? Where do they draw the line and how do they enforce it uniformly when these kind of people show up?

Much easier to say costumes aren't allowed, don't you think?

But again, this brings up a point I made a while ago - they've utilized 501st for other stuff they've done in the parks - why not let some of them in to be managed and help spruce things up for a while? I mean, they typically pay them in admission tickets and for the ones that aren't local enough to drive over for a day, they normally put themselves up in hotels to attend. Sometimes Disney even ends up making money off them because they pay to stay in a Disney resort so they can work these things. I mean, really!

Thank you.

 

[MrPromey]

Oh, they'd never tolerate that. I'll probably just harass people in the food court or yell at people for running by the pool.

Are we talking the Polly or the Grand Floridian, here?

 

[The_Jobu]

Are talking the Polly or the Grand Floridian, here?

On a First Order salary? All-Star Sports.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Some perspective here. When we are talking about Star Wars costumes and fans, it isn't the same as someone in a robe and a scarf at Universal and it isn't the same as 99% of anything you'll see at a Mickey's Not So Scary party (which is a ticketed even where everyone knows or quickly learns that over 50% of the guests dress up, anyway)

We're not talking about some guy with a gut in a store-bought spiderman onesie wandering around, either.

These are Star Wars fan-made costumes:

So are these:

So are these:

These guys? All fans in self-made costumes:

View attachment 414524

These guys?:

Still fans.

Now these guys, they must work for Disney, right? I mean, look where they are! Tourists are recording them and taking pictures!:

and

Nope. These are all 501st members in homemade costumes. Disney themselves, made arrangements to bring them in because A: their costumes are more accurate than the ones Disney themselves uses. B: they didn't have to pay them in actual money or take on employee liability by having them there for these things and C: they didn't have to adhere to the same policies that they do with costumed characters that appear in the parks in terms of safety and comfort.

I have been to a number of Mickey's not So Scary Halloween parties and aside from a common understanding that more than half the guests are in costume for this event when you show up, I have never seen anything that could even remotely resemble anything you see here.

Notice how almost every costume has a mask? Notice how when you get two or more of them together, they start to look like a "thing" rather than just a fan in a costume? How does Disney allow Star Wars costumes and not end up with something like one of these pictures?

No Mask? No problem - go out there and look, plenty of fans have done make-up for Darth Vader without the helmet andof course, these folks:

(this one's from a fan tutorial on how to do the makeup)

View attachment 414525

View attachment 414526

Do they provide an online rule book? Do they make a policy about how people in costume can't stand close to each other? Do they say "you can wear a costume as long as it doesn't look too good or too risque? How would they judge that evenly?

These aren't just a handful of randos - do a google image search for "Star Wars 501st". It's a worldwide club. This is what Disney is concerned with having to deal with and I can't blame them in the least. It's all a far cry from what Disney is showing as acceptable in their examples, too.

Think I'm exagerating? Check out their website: https://www.501st.com/

Or just jump straight to their member gallery: https://www.501st.com/members/members.php

You may be thinking these are all just photo ops and these people wouldn't want to walk around a park all day like this. You'd be wrong. They go to Star Wars Celebration each year and do it for hours and hours at a time inside, outside, doesn't matter.

Disney selling Jedi robes? Sure. Disney allowing people to wear their own costumes? Where do they draw the line and how do they enforce it uniformly when these kind of people show up?

Much easier to say costumes aren't allowed, don't you think?

But again, this brings up a point I made a while ago - they've utilized 501st for other stuff they've done in the parks - why not let some of them in to be managed and help spruce things up for a while? I mean, they typically pay them in admission tickets and for the ones that aren't local enough to drive over for a day, they normally put themselves up in hotels to attend. Sometimes Disney even ends up making money off them because they pay to stay in a Disney resort so they can work these things. I mean, really!

Man, looking at all those photos just really drives home the point what a total embarrassment SWGE is. Disney spent a billion dollars to create a deserted land that doesn't even come close to capturing the fun and the amazing variety of characters in Star Wars.

My local street fair or Comic Con is more "Star Wars" land than what they built. Disney simply CHOSE to not have all of those incredible aliens, Jedi, bounty hunters, and characters roam the land.

I truly don't know how anybody can look at all of those pictures and then defend SWGE.

 

[MrPromey]

On a First Order salary? All-Star Sports.

You just made me spit coffee!

You win, sir!

 

[Incomudro]

Man, looking at all those photos just really drives home the point what a total embarrassment SWGE is. Disney spent a billion dollars to create a deserted land that doesn't even come close to capturing the fun and the amazing variety of characters in Star Wars.

My local street fair or Comic Con is more "Star Wars" land than what they built. Disney simply CHOSE to not have all of those incredible aliens, Jedi, bounty hunters, and characters roam the land.

I truly don't know how anybody can look at all of those pictures and then defend SWGE.

The embarrassing part is that Disney is cutting costs by not employing costumed characters in those roles at GE like they implied they would.
You're frickin' Disney and you only put about five people on payroll in character in your Star Wars land?
That's ridiculous.
Disney really could hire (background checks train) and pay some of those people in the photos to work GE

 

[MrPromey]

The embarrassing part is that Disney is cutting costs by not employing costumed characters in those roles at GE like they implied they would.
You're frickin' Disney and you only put about five people on payroll in character in your Star Wars land?
That's ridiculous.
Disney really could hire (background checks train) and pay some of those people in the photos to work GE

And that I think kind of nails it.

There are enough of them in the central Florida area alone that would kill for this as an actual paying job not to mention many, many more that would rotate showing up through a 7-day-a-week schedule to be treated mediocre and paid in passes for the first couple of months - Disney's already got their contact info and has used them in the past.

A lot of those people were there opening day out-of-costume to see the place first.

I would imagine the pool is even lager near Disneyland.

The damming part is Disney has people that already know all this. I'm not saying anything here they don't already understand. So why didn't they do it?

 

[Incomudro]

And that I think kind of nails it.

There are enough of them in the central Florida area alone that would kill for this as an actual paying job not to mention many, many more that would rotate showing up through a 7-day-a-week schedule to be treated mediocre and paid in passes for the first couple of months - Disney's already got their contact info and has used them in the past.

A lot of those people were there opening day out-of-costume to see the place first.

I would imagine the pool is even lager near Disneyland.

The damming part is Disney has people that already know all this. I'm not saying anything here they don't already understand. So why didn't they do it?

And they've got the $$$$ too.

 

[MrPromey]

And they've got the $$$$ too.

Yeah but even being cheap, they could have pulled this off with a couple of phone calls and a handful of comped passes.

 

[The_Jobu]

The embarrassing part is that Disney is cutting costs by not employing costumed characters in those roles at GE like they implied they would.
You're frickin' Disney and you only put about five people on payroll in character in your Star Wars land?
That's ridiculous.
Disney really could hire (background checks train) and pay some of those people in the photos to work GE

Out of all the grips with Disney (not just for SWL but across the parks), the skimping on staffing is my only major complaint. There's lots to nitpick, but if they just gave more hours there'd be nothing but upside. It's my bugbear.

Ok, back to Star Wars.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I don't think you all properly appreciate how close to the edge Disney, and particularly the PEP division under $hapek, is teetering these days financially. How are they supposed to pay themselves a salary if they're making only a few billion in net profit per quarter, let alone spend the copious amount of money required for costumed CMs?? I've heard horror stories abound, like $hapek having to sell dozen or two shares of stock just to feed his family for the month. I heard even Bob Iger had to tell Willow that they couldn't buy a new 120ft yacht this month, that they would have to wait a few weeks. I can't even imagine being in that terrible of a position!!! Things are rough right now, and I think we should all be thankful that we were able to get all the glorious(ly overpriced) shopping and eating facilities at SW:GE. That's what matters, not those stupid rides that stupid people like.



(Edited a punctuation error)

 

[RSoxNo1]

Heck, in our warehouse, my employer has automated robots that roll across the floor using technology similar to the trackless ride system and those interact with people all day long. They stop and start constantly to make sure they're not running over anyone and they are large industrial things carrying literally a ton or more of weight and they've been at it for more than a decade. (and it isn't like Disney would need to have something like this moving around people - have them "servicing" some of those space craft behind barriers in an endless loop to make 'em look less like set pieces and more like actual working vehicles).

My local super market has this.

 

[brb1006]

I don't agree with them lifting the no costumes rule at all.
Too many potential problems with this one.
Time Square costume characters come to mind.
Yes Disney will never be Times Square, but people it's not good.

Now that I think about it, when did costume characters at Time Square become a thing? Did this start up sometime in the 2010's?

 

[brb1006]

You don't want guests confusing other guests with cast members - plain and simple - and with 501st's level of costume design, you'd have guests with better costumes than Disney's own folks which would become a problem, fast.

The story about the time a female guest decided to visit Walt Disney World while dressed up as Tinkerbell comes to mind. It actually made the headlines.


I also remember seeing a news report about the time a group of guests got arrested outside of Disneyland for dressing up as Disney Characters.