Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Mike S]

It's also Japan. Soaring opened and the lines peaked at 6 hours and it averages 3-4 hours daily last I checked.

Exactly. Add on the fact it’s Nintendo and it’ll be insane. I’m impatient to see it in Florida but not that impatient to deal with Japan crowds. I’m going to Hollywood when it opens there.

 

[Incomudro]

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.

You're quite right about this.
The residents of Black Spire weren't supposed to be we the Disney vacationers.
We the vacationers were supposed to be dropping in on them.
They were supposed to be there, surly types in the cantina, bounty hunters looking around, droids roaming by.
I've said it before - run the occasional droid across one of those overhead bridges.
You just need someone with a remote control.

 

[RobWDW1971]

So if they made the setting during the OT, how many Jedi would you see? There are 3 known Jedi that are alive during that period. 1 which dies in the first movie and one in hiding. So you have Luke, and only Luke as a Jedi. Not exactly the utopia of Jedi walking around using the force.

Of course, you could have it take place during the PT (or the old republic era), but then you would continue to complain that the most known characters aren't in the land (Darth Vader, Luke, Leia, Han etc).

Or you can have an entirely different creative concept that opens it up to all of Star Wars and can include Jedi from all of the moves, Clone Wars, future movies/TV, etc.

The great thing about Jedi is they can be of any color or species (Obi. Mace Windu, Yoda, Ayala Secura (below), etc.). We don’t need to “know” the Jedi (although there are plenty of iconic ones that we would). Did we “know” all of the Jedi in the Jedi Training Academy?

You are falling into the trap of working within their guidelines, which is the issue. Having to rationalize that you can’t have Yoda or Mace Windu because they’re dead, but you can have X, but not Y is just a further demonstration of their fundamentally flawed concept.

If you can’t celebrate Star Wars’ amazing Jedi characters and the Force in a Disney billion dollar “Star Wars” land, where can you?!

 

[jinx8402]

So your issue isn't that they picked a specific time, but that you want every single character available to you? Go to a star wars convention for that. Disney wanted to make a place that you actually visit, which requires some type of place setting, which includes timeline.

 

[Incomudro]

Water feature in the WDW queue.
There is (or was) supposed to be a water feature in the queue for RotR.
I haven't seen it on any images.
Is it there?
Marni?

 

[peter11435]

Water feature in the WDW queue.
There is (or was) supposed to be a water feature in the queue for RotR.
I haven't seen it on any images.
Is it there?
Marni?

It is there

 

[Incomudro]

It is there

Excellent!
Thank you.
I really look forward to seeing this part of the land - a part that is largely passed over in most of the stills and videos I have seen.
Just a couple more days.

 

[erasure fan1]

You are falling into the trap of working within their guidelines, which is the issue. Having to rationalize that you can’t have Yoda or Mace Windu because they’re dead, but you can have X, but not Y is just a further demonstration of their fundamentally flawed concept.

The funny part is you don't need to rationalize it. Force cave, Bam! Any jedi/sith from any time frame. Done. The Imagineers are supposed to be the best at this. I think they could have, but the powers that be disallowed it.

So your issue isn't that they picked a specific time, but that you want every single character available to you? Go to a star wars convention for that. Disney wanted to make a place that you actually visit, which requires some type of place setting, which includes timeline.

Sure it needs a place setting. But again a time stamp on a land doesn't prohibit most any of the things people wanted in the land. Why do you need a star wars convention to see a Rodian or squidface bounty hunter or any other legacy alien walking around? The narative that you can’t cater to all the generations of fans because it's set in this one time. Is just as bad as the everything about galaxys edge is terrible and no one likes anything. The fact of the matter is, it would not be very hard to incorporate prequel, sequel and OT star wars into a land like this, while keeping it in the timeframe they were so bent on having.

 

[jinx8402]

Sure it needs a place setting. But again a time stamp on a land doesn't prohibit most any of the things people wanted in the land. Why do you need a star wars convention to see a Rodian or squidface bounty hunter or any other legacy alien walking around? The narative that you can’t cater to all the generations of fans because it's set in this one time. Is just as bad as the everything about galaxys edge is terrible and no one likes anything. The fact of the matter is, it would not be very hard to incorporate prequel, sequel and OT star wars into a land like this, while keeping it in the timeframe they were so bent on having.

I never said it didn't need aliens and droids roaming around. In fact, that is one of biggest things I think it needs. I was talking specifically about having Jedi walking around.

 

[doctornick]

The funny part is you don't need to rationalize it. Force cave, Bam! Any jedi/sith from any time frame. Done. The Imagineers are supposed to be the best at this. I think they could have, but the powers that be disallowed it.

Yep, this. I'm generally positive about the land and think many of the complaints are overblown, but not having some sort of "Force" element is mindboggling to me. The Force is really, more than anything else, the thing that makes Star Wars into Star Wars.

I have no problem from a story standpoint not having the Force in display in the land as it really wouldn't make a lot of sense in fitting in without a canon-clashing story treatment. but there's no reason not to have a Force strong area where you see Force Ghosts of characters and/or images of them a la the Dark Side cave in ESB.

 

[RSoxNo1]

As I'm the only one still engaging you, I'm going to do so a bit more thoroughly.

It is also important to consider whether the place you are creating is actually a place where people want to spend time with their family and endlessly revisit in the future.

Agreed.

Using the far extreme to make a point, you can have an incredibly detailed, perfectly executed Alcatraz prison yard, but that doesn’t mean it is a successful theme park environment.

Right, this goes to my argument about good execution on a bad theme. Side note, the Alcatraz tour in San Francisco is excellent and highly recommended.

The intent is that Batuu is a very detailed, run down, remote trading port on the outskirts of the galaxy that is now under tyrannous First Order control where Jedis and the Force are outlawed.

Uh, OK. That sounds depressing, boring, and lacking fun and excitement (and (shocker) that is exactly how it turned out).

The ONLY way this direction could have worked is that the land was filled with unique Star Wars characters, wandering droids, aliens, bounty hunters, etc. at all times constantly interacting with you like an intergalactic Renaissance Faire, which they also chose not to do.

Star Wars itself isn't the clean aesthetic of futurism that preceded it in the Sci-fi genre. It is worn, it is battle run. You can denegrate Africa as being a run down version of an African village but the flawless execution of the land doesn't give the "boring, depressing, vibe". I don't find any aspect of Galaxy's Edge depressing. You can make the boring argument, but for it to be considered depressing you're going to have to come up with examples.

The discussion on unique characters, droids, etc is absolutely valid.

Whereas Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, New Orleans Square, Main Street, Cars Land, etc. are places we want to go to and return again and again.

That underlying, fundamental creative choice is the core of the issue. They didn’t have to go this unfortunate route as there are certainly other creative ways to create a Star Wars theme park area, this is their choice.

I'm not saying I disagree that the lands you listed aren't worth revisiting, but I'm asking why it is that they are worth revisiting? What is it that has you returning to those lands? Is it familiarity with the source material? By going with the "inspired by" route, you can certainly make an argument that they needed to better connect you to the source material in other ways if not the setting. More atmospheric characters would help that, as would the second attraction.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The funny part is you don't need to rationalize it. Force cave, Bam! Any jedi/sith from any time frame. Done. The Imagineers are supposed to be the best at this. I think they could have, but the powers that be disallowed it.

Hasn't it been a criticism of Star Tours that the scenes and characters are from all over the timeline and that is bad?

But Star Tours is the darling of doing Star Wars right when compared to GE.

But GE sticking to a place in time is bad.

It's very confusing.

 

[MisterPenguin]

When Nintendo opens in Japan next year you will see MASSIVE lines. The type of lines we all initially expected for Star Wars. You can absolutely bet on it.

Here's what U.Japan should do:

1. Black out the majority of their passholders.
2. Charge those same passholders a 30% surcharge to buy a day-ticket if they want to go during their blackout (and, in general, just 30% more for everyone!).
3. Give out a timeline of when it will open, but then open three months early with a major attraction missing.
4. Limit attendance at its opening to those who paid premier pricing to stay at one of their resorts for one full month.
5. Announce draconian measure of how they will limit how many people can enter the land such that if they decide to create crazy 10 hour lines, more than half can be assured that they won't get in. And you won't know if you can get in unless you show up first.
6. Open it at a time of year that it's almost impossible for children to get off from school.
7. Assume everyone knows about it and wants to go, so, don't bother to advertise it much, for surely it will create its own crowds!

I'm sure that will help!

 

[doctornick]

Hasn't it been a criticism of Star Tours that the scenes and characters are from all over the timeline and that is bad?

But Star Tours is the darling of doing Star Wars right when compared to GE.

But GE sticking to a place in time is bad.

It's very confusing.

Personally, the messed up timeline of Star Tours bothers me quite a bit. I don't mind them going to ST planets - they would have existed during the time of the OT anyway - but why would you have Finn appear, etc?

ST works wonderful as a "greatest hits" attraction - and I supported keeping it from before GE opened and think it still continues to have value - but there is no reason to not keep the timeline reasonable in it.

 

[RobWDW1971]

So your issue isn't that they picked a specific time, but that you want every single character available to you? Go to a star wars convention for that. Disney wanted to make a place that you actually visit, which requires some type of place setting, which includes timeline.

Actually my issue is exactly that they based the entire 14 acre land and all of its attractions on one hyper specific time and place when the Star Wars universe is timeless and infinite. I fully understand their choice and rationale, but for this particular brand it was a terribly limiting and shortsighted approach.

You’re assuming just copying Pandora or the Harry Potter lands was the only way to create a Star Wars theme park experience, but that’s not the case.

Within 5 years (probably sooner), you will see the Mandalorian and other popular characters walking around and slowly but surely their entire concept will be undermined to the point of being non-existent.

Oh, and although I’ve never been to one, just looking at pictures of Star Wars conventions, they look infinitely more fun and “alive” and are more celebrations of the brand than walking through an abandoned Batuu hoping to see maybe Chewbacca or Rey awkwardly pantomiming working on an engine behind a fence.

 

[RobWDW1971]

. Side note, the Alcatraz tour in San Francisco is excellent and highly recommended.

Second that - but we shouldn’t give WDI any ideas!

 

[erasure fan1]

Hasn't it been a criticism of Star Tours that the scenes and characters are from all over the timeline and that is bad?

But Star Tours is the darling of doing Star Wars right when compared to GE.

But GE sticking to a place in time is bad.

It's very confusing.

Was it criticism? I'd say it was more just poking fun at star tours. I wouldn't call star tours the "darling". But I will say that people get to see a lot of what they love in it. So I'm sure it connects with them more for that reason alone. The thing is, the argument isn't that galaxys edge is bad because it sticks to one place in time. The complaints are it didn't integrate more of the 40+ years of the franchise. You could have both, and not sacrifice the lands continuity, but they chose against it for some reason.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

You expect the cost of DHS to go *down* because of an added billion dollar land opened early and doesn't have all the bells and whistles you expect?

What kind of reality are you living in?

He's not. He's using a very commonly used tactic for those who don't want to hear anything different than they believe - repeat yourself often enough and loudly enough and people will either 1) lie and say they agree with you to get you to shut up or 2) walk away and ignore you, thus giving you the "win" in your head.

But what is more sad and frustrating about Batuu and MFSR is that it's not a question of investment or quality, it's just poor storytelling and terrible creative choices, which is all on WDI. They spent an enormous amount of money on MFSR and an incredibly complex ride system that suffers from an "adventure" that is really just a boring errand you run in the dark to get some cans from some dude who is yelling at you.

To your point, if the adventure was the Kessel Run or going head to head with Tie Fighters (actually in space and not flying at ground level around a train) and going to battle with a Star Destroyer to save the Rebellion (er, Resistance), it would have been much better received. Having the pre-show being Han and Chewie would also have been incredible, but again, not an issue of cost/quality, a poor creative choice to lock the attraction into a limiting time period so your dream of flying the Falcon now includes, um, Hondo? Just countless incomprehensible creative decisions by WDI and they can't rely on their go to excuse of limited budgets.

Incomprehensible to you, maybe. Please stop presenting your opinions as fact...you've been doing it over and over again throughout this thread, and it's gone way past getting old. Yours is not the only opinion, nor is it the only one that matters. This thread isn't about you or your opinions - it's about Galaxy's Edge - and your incessant, over-and-over-again complaints are drowning out the voices of others.

I've been quiet in here for a while specifically because the poison and vitriol you and a few others continue to spout can taint the opinions of those reading them, and I, for one, still WANT to enjoy Star Wars, and still am - in both the films (all of them - admittedly, I'm disliking the prequels less as time goes on) and The Mandelorian.

Do I think Iger and Co. botched the opening of the land in ways that should have cost them their jobs? Absolutely. But - as many have tried to say - the land is NOT complete yet. The headliner attraction isn't open. The bugs weren't all worked out (of the app or the land). Let the new attraction open. Let them have some time to live with the land and how it's being received. Let them make tweaks (which I'd almost bet there are at least some coming) before trying to convince the rest of the world that it's a failure just because it doesn't meet your expectations.

 

[No Name]

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.

Pandora’s appeal is in the beauty of its natural world. It doesn’t need a large ops budget for characters. The problem with Galaxy’s Edge’s premise is that it’s a war-ravaged place carried in spirit by poor but optimistic citizens. Without said citizens, it’s just a war-ravaged place.

There's a difference here though. Fictitious planet with unique architecture and landscaping is far more appealing than a carnival. Toy Story Land, Storybook Circus and Dino-Rama are good executions of poor themes. Pandora, Africa, and Galaxy's Edge are interpretative executions on excellent theme concepts. In each case you could have recreated a specific area (real or fictional) or you could have gone with the "inspired by" route.

With Pandora, they made the right call, but you could have also been justified with a "Home Tree" weenie. With Galaxy's Edge, rather than a specific piece of architecture or natural landmark as the Weenie, instead they went with the Falcon. I absolutely understand the choice of a new planet, but for me the bigger issue is locking the attractions and the land into a specific timeline. There were a few alternatives with a few modifications that could have also encorporated Star Tours into the DHS version of the land. That would have in part satisfied the different land requirements. They can also satisfy that with new missions on Smugglers Run.

Whether it was a unique planet or a familiar one, if there were more ambiance components like drones, droids and aliens that would help. If there was more kinetic energy from water or the Bantha-like attraction, that would have helped. If they opened the land with both attractions, that would have helped. If Smugglers Run didn't focus on Solo and Clone Wars plot points, that would have helped.

Despite all this, if Rise of the Resistance blows us away, most guests will let all this other stuff slide.

Agree on many points. However, my hot take is that they were foolish to build a land around a premise that calls for a lot of roaming entertainment. I don’t care if they were promised the funds initially, we all know that that kind of stuff gets cut very easily, and the land should still be solid without it. Just as Pandora, Diagon Alley, etc. are. Unlike those, Galaxy’s Edge’s premise falls apart without citizens of Batuu selling the story, because otherwise it’s an old dirty war-torn city that comes off as depressing rather than optimistic. For a billion dollars, they should’ve built something that stands more on its own. A good start would’ve been a better storyline for Smugglers Run. In my opinion.

TSMM is also the only ride in the park without a height requirement. That will change when Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway opens, but that can't be dismissed from a mass appeal standpoint.

Very true, but even tossing aside the preschoolers, TSMM is rated higher among teens and adults than most attractions with height requirements are. GSATs are collected for different age groups, of course, so it’s not like the height requirement really impacts the separate ratings.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I was thinking about it recently, and I came to this conclusion.

I am glad they didn’t utilize the OT. For me, I think about how the OT comes across as dated. I love the movies; don’t get me wrong. But I grew up with the prequels, and the OT were just the old looking movies we saw before they came out.

Add the fact that using the OT either means only being able to utilize audio and media from the original films as they aren’t any younger... or being stuck with the older version of the characters. I just don’t think t would be doable. You can’t use their current voices, sound too old. Carrie isn’t with us anymore. Harrison wouldn’t do it. So then you have to hire actors to mimic their voices.

my hope is they slowly add to the land as the story progresses: and They don’t keep it stuck in the time setting they’ve chosen forever.