Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[GoofGoof]

I think people are taking "canon" in this case a bit too literally.

Although some seem to think it will be exclusively Sequel Trilogy based, that doesn't even make sense from the stand point of "synergy" as they are making films outside of that timeline, as well (the upcoming Han Solo movie, the rumored Boba / Yoda / Obi-wan films, etc). Disney marketing also knows perfectly well that it's the OT fans that spend the big bucks on merchandise, etc.

The land itself is canon, but it isn't going to be stuck in any one time period. That's a big part of the reason that they made a new, unique land to begin with. Because that way, anyone can pretty much show up at any time. I don't think you will see events/meet and greets/etc. where you have, say ANH Leia, Old Luke, and Young Obi-wan together, but at different times, I'm sure they will all appear.

Guests, including (if not especially) big Star Wars fans are going to have no problem suspending disbelief in this way, because it means a much larger variety of characters that will be involved. It would make no sense for them to suspend the land in one timeframe, as it would inherently limit too much.

I agree with this 100%. It’s a huge fail to make a whole Star Wars Land and not include epic characters like Yoda or Vader or Boba Fett. I get the whole concept of making it a truly immersive land by having it be a specific planet in the Star Wars universe at a specific point in time but I’d personally be fine with a small lapse in continuity of the timeline to get access to all of the current and future characters. I think we are in the minority on this though. I brought this up a little while back in another thread (maybe it was even this one many pages ago) and was largely shouted down by people insisting that the land is only going to be new trilogy based and that classic characters would only appear outside of Star Wars Land.

 

[GoofGoof]

While I think that it is difficult to over-estimate the demand that these lands are going to bring, I think you are severely over-thinking that people are going to want to go to both. I frequent a lot of Star Wars sites, and the most common thing you see from folks is relief that they are both going to be nearly identical because they are only planning on going to one. Only crazy Disney geeks at sites like this even really entertain going to both coasts for anything. The average person in general just knows that the difference between Disneyland and WDW period is that the latter is "bigger", they seem them as having very similar offerings (even if you and I know that isn't exactly the case).

As I said, I think for the sake of publicity (the news articles, etc.) they will stagger the "official" openings, so they get two rounds of press coverage, but in terms of actual operating - yes, it makes perfect sense for them to both be operational as soon as possible for those very logistical reasons. Disneyland simply cannot handle being the only park with a SWL for any length of time. This is going to bring such massive crowds to both that indeed, we are going to be talking holiday-level park shut-down phases for quite some time.

And once both are open, you bet your bottom dollar that Disney is indeed going to publicize them both together. Just like they did in the initial announcement where they said "Coming soon to Disneyland Resort and WDW". This is a dream for Disney marketing, because they have to be so regionally focused in their campaigns and promotions up until now. Disney very well wants you to know that you can have nearly identical experiences on either coast, which is part of the reason this was all designed this way to begin with. If they were thinking as you are, they would have split attractions and made them somewhat unique, which is the opposite of how they have handled this since the very first announcement.

Since DL is opening first there will likely be some hard core East coast SW fans who fly out for the opening. I don’t see many West Coast SW fans flying out to FL six months later for the 2nd grand opening of the same park land. If they were significantly different, maybe they would, but not for the exact same land. Execs and the media will attend both. Both will have heavy marketing on Disney Channel and ABC.

 

[marni1971]

I agree with this 100%. It’s a huge fail to make a whole Star Wars Land and not include epic characters like Yoda or Vader or Boba Fett. I get the whole concept of making it a truly immersive land by having it be a specific planet in the Star Wars universe at a specific point in time but I’d personally be fine with a small lapse in continuity of the timeline to get access to all of the current and future characters. I think we are in the minority on this though. I brought this up a little while back in another thread (maybe it was even this one many pages ago) and was largely shouted down by people insisting that the land is only going to be new trilogy based and that classic characters would only appear outside of Star Wars Land.

I agree. As an original trilogy kid I want to see characters from eps 4-6 as they’re now known. I couldn’t care less for the dark skinned trooper dude or the Vader wannabe we’ve recently been forced to endure.

Although I am quite partial to BB-8

 

[Rowlet]

I agree with this 100%. It’s a huge fail to make a whole Star Wars Land and not include epic characters like Yoda or Vader or Boba Fett. I get the whole concept of making it a truly immersive land by having it be a specific planet in the Star Wars universe at a specific point in time but I’d personally be fine with a small lapse in continuity of the timeline to get access to all of the current and future characters. I think we are in the minority on this though. I brought this up a little while back in another thread (maybe it was even this one many pages ago) and was largely shouted down by people insisting that the land is only going to be new trilogy based and that classic characters would only appear outside of Star Wars Land.

Agree 100% as well. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has characters appear throughout the rides/lands that perished in the story line, and that's with J.K. Rowling influencing/controlling a lot of the lands' development. Breaking continuity/canon happens and it shouldn't be that big a deal. Disney villains are present over the parks who have been killed/eliminated somehow. Star Wars land should be inclusive of all the characters, at the minimum in recognition of their tremendous cultural impact and to appease fans. You should never forget who got you to where you are today.

 

[GoofGoof]

Agree 100% as well. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has characters appear throughout the rides/lands that perished in the story line, and that's with J.K. Rowling influencing/controlling a lot of the lands' development. Breaking continuity/canon happens and it shouldn't be that big a deal. Disney villains are present over the parks who have been killed/eliminated somehow. Star Wars land should be inclusive of all the characters, at the minimum in recognition of their tremendous cultural impact and to appease fans. You should never forget who got you to where you are today.

Not to mention that the original WWoHP had an Ollivander’s Wand shop which was in Diagon Alley not Hogsmeade but it is/was one of the more popular additions to the land. Fans were willing to forgive the fact that it didn’t fit exactly with the books/movies because the experience itself was enjoyable. I think the same would apply to Star Wars.

 

[MichRX7]

I agree. As an original trilogy kid I want to see characters from eps 4-6 as they’re now known. I couldn’t care less for the dark skinned trooper dude or the Vader wannabe we’ve recently been forced to endure.

Although I am quite partial to BB-8

Really, I want them all to be there existing in the same time so I can see Darth slap Kylo Ren silly and tell him to quit being such a whiny wuss.

 

[Goofyernmost]

While I think that it is difficult to over-estimate the demand that these lands are going to bring, I think you are severely over-thinking that people are going to want to go to both. I frequent a lot of Star Wars sites, and the most common thing you see from folks is relief that they are both going to be nearly identical because they are only planning on going to one. Only crazy Disney geeks at sites like this even really entertain going to both coasts for anything. The average person in general just knows that the difference between Disneyland and WDW period is that the latter is "bigger", they seem them as having very similar offerings (even if you and I know that isn't exactly the case).

As I said, I think for the sake of publicity (the news articles, etc.) they will stagger the "official" openings, so they get two rounds of press coverage, but in terms of actual operating - yes, it makes perfect sense for them to both be operational as soon as possible for those very logistical reasons. Disneyland simply cannot handle being the only park with a SWL for any length of time. This is going to bring such massive crowds to both that indeed, we are going to be talking holiday-level park shut-down phases for quite some time.

And once both are open, you bet your bottom dollar that Disney is indeed going to publicize them both together. Just like they did in the initial announcement where they said "Coming soon to Disneyland Resort and WDW". This is a dream for Disney marketing, because they have to be so regionally focused in their campaigns and promotions up until now. Disney very well wants you to know that you can have nearly identical experiences on either coast, which is part of the reason this was all designed this way to begin with. If they were thinking as you are, they would have split attractions and made them somewhat unique, which is the opposite of how they have handled this since the very first announcement.

I disagree with them wanting to open both at the same time, but, you are probably right about the joint "coming soon" announcement. There will not be an overflow of people storming to the west coast, especially since the exact thing will be opening in Florida just a few months from that time. However, there will be some that will make the trip just because they want to see it ahead of time. I think you are grossly underestimating the demand for this land. I am not a Star Wars fan, but even I want to see it, however, if you look at attendance figures just for the Star Wars weekend, May the 4th be with you, you would have to be living in a dream world to think that this will not bring the house of mouse to a new peak in attendance. It offers no extra anything by having them both open at the same time and I can see a multitude of reasons why it is to there benefit to stagger it, like they are doing.

If you want to know just how little I have had interest in the genre, I have seen only two SW movies from beginning to end. I don't even remember the name of the first one, I took my grandson there because I lost a bet with him. The second was "The Force Awakens" because I wanted to see how they incorporated Hans and Princess Leia in the movie. I think it will be extremely interesting to see how the land is done, the ride system, the detail even though I couldn't care one little speck about who's who, what they are in relation to anyone else, or any other historical or current manifestation of the story lines. I just think the land would be really impressive, just like I thought 20K Leagues was one of my favorites and never once have seen the movie. They seem to be pouring mega bucks into the project and I want to see the results. As far as Star Wars itself... I have made my feelings about that pretty clear... blah!

PS. I also have enjoyed Star Tours every trip, not because I was a Star Wars fan but, because I thought the ride was a lot of fun. Still do.

PPS. They are going to advertise them both together now and it is a given that they will do it when they both are open. However, there will be little need to spend much on advertising the first few years. That is how big I think this thing is. We will see who is right about the popularity.

 

[BlindChow]

If characters from all nine movies aren't there when the land first opens, I bet they add them later on. Casual fans will want to see their favorites, and if they can't find them they'll let their expectations be known.

Kind of like how there weren't any Disney characters in Epcot when it first opened, but guest demand made them reconsider.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

If characters from all nine movies aren't there when the land first opens, I bet they add them later on. Casual fans will want to see their favorites, and if they can't find them they'll let their expectations be known.

Kind of like how there weren't any Disney characters in Epcot when it first opened, but guest demand made them reconsider.

That’s probably gonna be the case.

“What do you mean I can’t meet (SPOILER) here? This is Star Wars!”

 

[MisterPenguin]

If characters from all nine movies aren't there when the land first opens, I bet they add them later on. Casual fans will want to see their favorites, and if they can't find them they'll let their expectations be known.

Kind of like how there weren't any Disney characters in Epcot when it first opened, but guest demand made them reconsider.

Here's one option: Stagger the characters throughout the day based on the 3x3 movies. You can spread it out all day: Anakin and Obi-Wan and Maul in the morning; Vader, Luke, Leia in the afternoon; Rey, BB-8, Kylo in the evening. Or, rotate through the timeline a few times through the day.

No overlap of timelines. The full gamut of characters. Show up at the time that your favorite trilogy is 'current.'

 

[GoofGoof]

Here's one option: Stagger the characters throughout the day based on the 3x3 movies. You can spread it out all day: Anakin and Obi-Wan and Maul in the morning; Vader, Luke, Leia in the afternoon; Rey, BB-8, Kylo in the evening. Or, rotate through the timeline a few times through the day.

No overlap of timelines. The full gamut of characters. Show up at the time that your favorite trilogy is 'current.'

They can definitely keep the characters from different timelines separate either by time like you suggest or just by using different physical locations. Darth Maul doesn’t have to appear with Kyle Ren in the same location. Both could have a place.

 

[Boek68]

This is one of the areas where I agree with how Universal does WWoHP. No costume characters of the main characters. You have to ride the attractions to see them. Plenty of other world building costumed characters but main characters are banned from appearing in the area. This is apparently one of the stipulations J.K. had requested.

 

[bclane]

This is one of the areas where I agree with how Universal does WWoHP. No costume characters of the main characters. You have to ride the attractions to see them. Plenty of other world building costumed characters but main characters are banned from appearing in the area. This is apparently one of the stipulations J.K. had requested.

That’s a good point. Only the dragon is in costume outside of the rides....er you know what I mean. I doubt Disney follows that model though.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Question: I recently saw updated drawings and one was of a toy shop and behind the counter they had a character. I’ve seen characters that are creatures in other drawings who look like servers and cashiers. Surely Disney isn’t going THAT far in theming??? That would greatly exceed expectation but barely practical from an employee/operations standpoint.

 

[bclane]

Question: I recently saw updated drawings and one was of a toy shop and behind the counter they had a character. I’ve seen characters that are creatures in other drawings who look like servers and cashiers. Surely Disney isn’t going THAT far in theming??? That would greatly exceed expectation but barely practical from an employee/operations standpoint.

They have said that all cast members will be in character all the time...but yeah does seem like a lot to expect.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I don't like the idea of ruining the continuity. Disney is spending hundreds of millions to get the details right for it all to be nullified by people who want to see Darth Vader. They should stick to continuity. This always has bugged me about Star Tours. They had so many opportunities in the SW universe to make a great attraction that makes sense and they choose Star Tours concept? Anyways, they can always build other Star Wars Lands in other parks in different time periods. I for one hope they build a SWL at MK in the northwest corner of the park like at DL.

 

[Jones14]

They can definitely keep the characters from different timelines separate either by time like you suggest or just by using different physical locations. Darth Maul doesn’t have to appear with Kyle Ren in the same location. Both could have a place.

This. I bet Vader returns to Launch Bay once Star Wars Land opens. Chewbacca is from all three trilogies, and BB-8 replaced Xbox games, so it’s not like he needs to be swapped out for R2.

Outside of this and the roaming streetmosphere, I don’t expect anything else; neither Pandora nor Potter give you the chance to see the main heroes outside of the attractions.

 

[GoofGoof]

This. I bet Vader returns to Launch Bay once Star Wars Land opens. Chewbacca is from all three trilogies, and BB-8 replaced Xbox games, so it’s not like he needs to be swapped out for R2.

Outside of this and the roaming streetmosphere, I don’t expect anything else; neither Pandora nor Potter give you the chance to see the main heroes outside of the attractions.

That’s one way to go. I personally would prefer to see 1 Star Wars area in the park as opposed to Star Wars spread all over the park like it is today. I assumed launch bay and Star Tours would be repurposed for some other use.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

That’s one way to go. I personally would prefer to see 1 Star Wars area in the park as opposed to Star Wars spread all over the park like it is today. I assumed launch bay and Star Tours would be repurposed for some other use.

But I would also rather have more Star Wars than Xbox stations or nothing.

 

[Timothy_Q]

But I would also rather have more Star Wars than Xbox stations or nothing.

I’d rather they demo’d the whole area and built a new land with expanded capacity