Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[WDW Guru]

The level of immersion is actually a fundamental issue - I don’t think the average guest feels they are “immersed” without the citizens of Batuu that make it a real place. Without the needed roaming aliens, droids, bounty hunters, Jedi, etc. it’s not a “living and breathing” Star Wars land so it can’t be truly immersive, but it can be a very detailed set with an impressive static Falcon in the middle.

That’s actually the problem - it’s not immersive, it’s not fun, it’s not exciting, it’s just “detailed”.

You do realize that you can be immersed into a land without roaming characters? Many other lands such as Pandora, Africa, Asia, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmead don't have any more roaming characters than SWGE, yet still manage to immerse guests into the lands they create.

 

[BrianLo]

Fundamentally, whatever side of the debate you are on; the majority of even the harshest criticisms are still fixable with the product we were given.

This is not a boondoggle of DCA, WDSP or HKDL levels. A billion dollars isn't needed to fix anything. Frankly, a Season of the Force type budget would over-deliver everything people are asking for: A new mission, entertainment, ambiance, OG trilogy meet and greets, holiday decor, new milk formulas etc. Disneyland has it easier, they have half of that stuff still oddly propping up the corpse of Tomorrowland.

It helps that of course we still mostly believe ROTR is worth the wait and I think the opinion of the land will change drastically in kind. Pandora would have been a disaster if FOP was a staggered opening.

 

[Rich Brownn]

Fundamentally, whatever side of the debate you are on; the majority of even the harshest criticisms are still fixable with the product we were given.

This is not a boondoggle of DCA, WDSP or HKDL levels. A billion dollars isn't needed to fix anything. Frankly, a Season of the Force type budget would over-deliver everything people are asking for: A new mission, entertainment, ambiance, OG trilogy meet and greets, holiday decor, new milk formulas etc. Disneyland has it easier, they have half of that stuff still oddly propping up the corpse of Tomorrowland.

It helps that of course we still mostly believe ROTR is worth the wait and I think the opinion of the land will change drastically in kind. Pandora would have been a disaster if FOP was a staggered opening.

Does everyone forget New Orleans Square opened with neither of the attractions -- and Walt did that.

 

[Hawg G]

One could build a fully immersive carnival, but guests won’t like it any more than they like a carnival. A problem Disney’s faced before. In this case, they spent far more money to build a fully immersive fictional planet, but it’s not exactly captivating guests in the way they imagined. The level of immersion is certainly not the issue. The level of detail in the land is certainly not the issue. Rather, the content of the immersion and detail is the issue. Lost in these buzzwords, they forgot the foundation of why people want to visit themed environments in the first place.

The land is getting decent reviews. MFSR is getting good reviews relative to the average attraction. I do believe the consensus is slightly higher than Star Tours but below ToT, RnRC, TSMM, and SDD. For they money they’ve spent, I can see why they expected higher.

Below a Vekoma coaster in a box, and a family coaster. Both with VERY minor theming.

Why has no high up Disney exec had to fall on their sword for this?

 

[Kram Sacul]

Does everyone forget New Orleans Square asopened with neither of the attractions -- and Walt did that.

And it was basically all shops. A glorified mall. No rides, overpriced drinks and a secret club that you had to pay a fortune to get into. That Walt. What a disaster.

 

[Movielover]

Below a Vekoma coaster in a box, and a family coaster. Both with VERY minor theming.

Why has no high up Disney exec had to fall on their sword for this?

Wasn't somebody fired as a scapegoat?

Also the land is making money. The light saber building experience alone brings in thousands each day.

 

[Tom Morrow]

You do realize that you can be immersed into a land without roaming characters? Many other lands such as Pandora, Africa, Asia, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmead don't have any more roaming characters than SWGE, yet still manage to immerse guests into the lands they create.

His constant push for roaming characters! roaming characters! is funny because SWGE has more roaming characters than any other land in Orlando in that it has some when the rest have none. Though WWoHP has live entertainment that SWGE does desperately need, the only characters you can meet are the flipping Knight Bus driver and the Hogwarts Express conductor, both generic figures and they stay at their respective photo ops. So many of these complaints can be applied to WWoHP and other lands if they'd just adjust the focus on their fanboy goggles or Jaded Towards Disney and Star Wars goggles.

 

[erasure fan1]

So many of these complaints can be applied to WWoHP and other lands if they'd just adjust the focus on their fanboy goggles or Jaded Towards Disney and Star Wars goggles.

Yes, there is no denying Potter suffers from a lot of similar issues as galaxys edge. But I've said it before, there is a reason Potter gets a pass in my opinion. I'm sure people would go nuts for a Valdomort, Harry, Dumbledore... meet and greet. The reason it gets brushed off is once they walk into this place that they have loved for over 20yrs, and see these places you've always dreamed of going. Nothing else really matters. Right or wrong, that doesn't happen in Galaxys edge except seeing the falcon. Remember that one of the big attachments to star wars, is all the crazy cool background aliens and characters. So it makes sense that if you don't have the iconic places, people would at least want to see familiar aliens and characters that make sense for the time. This same problem spills over into the Disney star wars movies as well. Did all the legacy aliens just die after the fall of the empire? For JJs cantina and Rians casino to not have some legacy aliens peppered in is just stupid. The cheapest, easiest, fastest way to make galaxys edge feel more star wars for everyone? Add in legacy aliens and creatures.

 

[Incomudro]

You do realize that you can be immersed into a land without roaming characters? Many other lands such as Pandora, Africa, Asia, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmead don't have any more roaming characters than SWGE, yet still manage to immerse guests into the lands they create.

Yes, but to play Devil's advocate - Disney said over and over again that what they were going to do in this land - the way we would interact with it - was going to be far and above the way Disney or any other park had ever done so before.
In reality, it's right in the ballpark of what they have done before.

 

[Mike S]

Yes, but to play Devil's advocate - Disney said over and over again that what they were going to do in this land - the way we would interact with it - was going to be far and above the way Disney or any other park had ever done so before.
In reality, it's right in the ballpark of what they have done before.

Plus I’m pretty sure they hyped up aliens, bounty hunters and the like and now they’re nowhere to be found.

If they kept their mouths shut on that until they knew they could actually do it maybe people wouldn’t care so much about their absence.

 

[SplashJacket]

Wasn't somebody fired as a scapegoat?

Also the land is making money. The light saber building experience alone brings in thousands each day.

Popcorn stands bring in thousands.

But yes, tens of thousands.

 

[RobWDW1971]

You do realize that you can be immersed into a land without roaming characters? Many other lands such as Pandora, Africa, Asia, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmead don't have any more roaming characters than SWGE, yet still manage to immerse guests into the lands they create.

Of course, but those lands were not designed to be a living, breathing Star Wars outpost. You can't have it both ways - if it is supposed to be like Adventureland, have BGM playing, have rides from different planets, time periods, etc.

WDI made the decision to have this land built specifically to be a living, breathing Star Wars world populated with the citizens of Batuu, which would include roaming aliens, Jedi, droids, bounty hunters, etc. That is the fundamental conceit of the land. It is also fundamental to something called a "Star Wars" land - unique characters that fill any Star Wars world is what makes them iconic, not the buildings, desert, swamp, snow, etc.

If you don't have that community of citizens for this particular brand and creation, you are left with an abandoned, beige, closed door movie set.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Does everyone forget New Orleans Square opened with neither of the attractions -- and Walt did that.

And New Orleans Square was amazing when it opened, even without them. If you haven't watched the Disney+ episode "Disneyland Around the Seasons", it has a great section showing the opening of New Orleans Square - filled with life, color, music, riverboat passing by, etc. Listen to Walt talk about it and then think about Batuu.

You are actually reinforcing my point - New Orleans Square, like SWGE, is made of three major elements - the land, Pirates, and Mansion. You judge each one by themselves - Walt opened the first attraction, the land, by itself and it was a huge hit on its own, then Pirates, then Mansion.

Here, Batuu opened and is an unfortunate, creative disappointment, MSFR is well below the public's expectations, and now we hope that ROTR is great. But regardless of ROTR, the first two elements are being judged as they are. If Mansion turned out to be a terrible ride, the streets and atmosphere of New Orleans Square would still have been perceived as a huge win, unlike Batuu.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Here, Batuu opened and is an unfortunate, creative disappointment, MSFR is well below the public's expectations

That's your opinion. Others don't share it.

And unless you polled the public you are asserting something to be true for which you have no evidence, which is tantamount to lying.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Plus I’m pretty sure they hyped up aliens, bounty hunters and the like and now they’re nowhere to be found.

If they kept their mouths shut on that until they knew they could actually do it maybe people wouldn’t care so much about their absence.

That's the biggest complaint I have heard from friends and family that went. My brother loved the land but was confused as to why there where no roaming droids but they were advertised in the commercials.

 

[RobWDW1971]

That's the biggest complaint I have heard from friends and family that went. My brother loved the land but was confused as to why there where no roaming droids but they were advertised in the commercials.

Like when they showed aliens walking around the land as well? Apparently, the marketing people understand what a “Star Wars” land should look like. Oh, and of course the commercials blast the iconic music - so not immersive. Stupid marketing people, obviously don’t understand the brand power of awkward silence.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Like when they showed aliens walking around the land as well? Apparently, the marketing people understand what a “Star Wars” land should look like. Oh, and of course the commercials blast the iconic music - so not immersive. Stupid marketing people, obviously don’t understand the brand power of awkward silence.


View attachment 429757

That's supposed to be Dok Ondar I believe. Was he supposed to be just a AA or a walkaround character as well?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Like when they showed aliens walking around the land as well? Apparently, the marketing people understand what a “Star Wars” land should look like. Oh, and of course the commercials blast the iconic music - so not immersive. Stupid marketing people, obviously don’t understand the brand power of awkward silence.


View attachment 429757

Hagrid's doesn't look anything like this:


They all embellish in their advertisements.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Hagrid's doesn't look anything like this:


They all embellish in their advertisements.

Why does there have to be a tit for tat for well disney does this but universal does that. Why cannot we enjoy both parks and criticize both equally? I agree with both of your points the commercials over exaggerate things.

 

[Tom Morrow]

View attachment 429761
Why does there have to be a tit for tat for well disney does this but universal does that. Why cannot we enjoy both parks and criticize both equally? I agree with both of your points the commercials over exaggerate things.

Because the poster in question keeps using WWoHP as an attempt to contrast all of his complaints about SWGE.