Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Castle Cake Apologist]

I've gotta say, I couldn't care less about Star Wars or anything that involves it, but this has me so HYPED.

I can almost envision a scenario where the artistry and storytelling of this land inspire me to start looking into the franchise itself a little deeper.

The general thought is that it won't be. It will remain open for crowd control for a few years and then re-themed since it isn't connected to the new land.

It won't be integrated or connected at all. Star Tours will exist, separate and updated, outside of the main land for the first few years before finally being refurbished into something else non-Star Wars.

I think this speaks volumes about the identity crisis that this park will still be in, even after all of these expansions open. So, we're going to have Star Wars Land, and then also have Star Wars Mini-Land where Star Tours is? I guess I'm just not understanding the big picture here.

 

[odmichael]

That last option, which is what it sounds like they're going with at least temporarily, is absolutely terrible from a theming and guest aesthetic perspective. It's literally no different than sticking a Harry Potter ride in the middle of Marvel Super Hero Island or opening a Ratatouille ride in the Mexico pavilion. It's honestly a mind-bogglingly bad decision IMO.

They won't change Star Tours until they have established the identity of future "lands" in the theme park as they begin this process of rebranding Hollywood Studios.

 

[jmmc]

Since the new Falcon ride will also be a simulator it may make Star Tours superfluous.

From what I hear about the Falcon ride, it seems somewhat different than Star Tours. More like Star Tours mixed with Mission Space where they are smaller areas and people have a kind of mission to perform. And I think the whole space tourism angle keeps Star Tours unique enough.

While I doubt they would do this, given that it doesn't look like the area are TOO far away in DHS, could they have some kind of separate, partially-themed path leading from the back of Star Tours and behind the Muppets area into SWL? I think that could possibly work, though is Disneyland they couldn't do anything like that.

 

[Wishing Star]

 

[CaptainAmerica]

They won't change Star Tours until they have established the identity of future "lands" in the theme park as they begin this process of rebranding Hollywood Studios.

My concern has nothing to do with the other lands. Hollywood Studios has always been kind of foggy in how they define their lands, but Star Wars Land changes that. It 100% will be defined and have an identity of its own and it's incoherent to have Star Tours outside of it.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I understand your position, but the reasoning behind the location of the "Star Wars Experience" was to make the land more of a actual experience unknown to guest, forcing guests to explore the land as well as involving well known activities and icons in the movie. I also believe it's been said that they wanted guest to create there OWN story, (be a Protagonist) instead of watching a story play out in Potter (Just being an observer)

Potter is cool and even better if you like the films, but i feel like Disney will make Star Wars inclusive to ALL guest.

It's because of how Universal created a personal story experience in The Wizarding World that the SWE is being built like this.

Short of receiving your very own acceptance letter to Hogwarts before you enter, you very much live the story, not watch it. You change money at Gringott's, get chosen by a wand, buy a house robe, share some butterbeer with fellow first years in the Leaky Cauldron, use your wand to practice magic spells, pick a pet, then board the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade, buy some candies at Honeydukes and the make your way to Hogwarts. It very much is a personal experience for those familiar with the source material.

The SWE will be the same. Those unfamiliar with the Star Wars canon won't be blown away by the fact the battle escape vehicle is driven by a black R-Whatever unit. Fortunately, almost everyone has seen at least one Star Wars movie. And even those that haven't certainly have been exposed to the IP unless they have been living under a rock for the last 40 years.

 

[jmmc]

The general thought is that it won't be. It will remain open for crowd control for a few years and then re-themed since it isn't connected to the new land.

I think that's a little too cynically worded, with "crowd control", but it may be they will just leave ST there until it naturally gets to the point it would be replaced, anyway. I know the latest version isn't THAT new, but it seems like it would be too soon to end the ride given it's recent update.

 

[odmichael]

My concern has nothing to do with the other lands. Hollywood Studios has always been kind of foggy in how they define their lands, but Star Wars Land changes that. It 100% will be defined and have an identity of its own and it's incoherent to have Star Tours outside of it.

I agree. I'm just saying they won't remove Star Tours for quite a while until they establish what theme that area will take up. With Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the park is filled with established IP's. It's just a question of which ones Disney is looking into.

Also it actually benefits having Star Tours initially open to redirect some traffic away from Star Wars Land.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I wonder if they can do gun fights like the old western theme parks and ghost towns... basically block off areas for a show and have storm troopers shooting "blasters" at han solo and Chewbacca and them shooting back. with disneys imagination and budget this could be really cool, with blaster bolts and explosions.

This was a plan for Diagon Alley and Wizard Duels. It was nixed when Universal realized just how crowded the streets were ALL the time.

 

[righttrack]

This needs tour group flags to be completely accurate

 

[Uncle Lupe]

It could use about 10,000 more of those little cardboard people

Most of those in the model just represent the Photopass photograhers.

 

[Cesar R M]

Look at this huge backstage entrance and large door.

I wouldn't expect a parade- but it appears there will be some vehicles or stages that will come out on occasion.

Mini Parade?
Or the March of the order and similar events will go out from there?

You missed this picture:

View attachment 215460

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

 

[TiggerDad]

Fake news - you're missing all the strollers.

 

[Cesar R M]

Its missing a sea of strollers.

Fake news - you're missing all the strollers.

great minds think alike..

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

Cloud City?

you got it

 

[Disneyhead'71]

"Ride the movie" got old quick for me in Uni.
Obviously many people love it, but for our family - the sense of knowing exactly what was going to happen became very predictable very quickly.
I very much prefer the Disney approach as done in Pandora and SWL.

What? That's exactly what they did in Pandora. And I expect SWL to be quite similar to stepping into a Star Wars movie. Just one we haven't seen yet. It's like....

"Star Wars: Rogue Land"

 

[King Racoon 77]

Will these be for hire ?

 

[Princess Leia]

Holy flip this looks amazing. The size and detail look really well crafted. Well done Imagineers!!

 

[bclane]

I think that's a little too cynically worded, with "crowd control", but it may be they will just leave ST there until it naturally gets to the point it would be replaced, anyway. I know the latest version isn't THAT new, but it seems like it would be too soon to end the ride given it's recent update.

I wasn't trying to be cynical but I do wish they would keep it. One of my favorite memories is riding Star Tours with Princess Leia the night of the Star Wars after party that occurred following the Force Awakens opening. She had to scold me for trying to take a picture with her instead of immediately leaving after the ride was over. Her scolding me honestly just made the experience better. She very much stayed in character as she moved me off the ride.

 

[raymusiccity]

I wonder if they can do gun fights like the old western theme parks and ghost towns... basically block off areas for a show and have storm troopers shooting "blasters" at han solo and Chewbacca and them shooting back. with disneys imagination and budget this could be really cool, with blaster bolts and explosions.

It's certainly doable. The Cylons fired at all of the tourists during the BattleStar Galactica portion of their Hollywood Universal Studios tram ride. (way back in the day!)