As I wrote earlier today, forget about big new rides or permanent shows happening anytime in the next few years. But those are hardly the only ways that Disney brings characters and franchises into its parks. Meet-and-greets with Darth Vader, C3PO and other popular walk-around characters ought to be locks. (Sorry, Dads, but I wouldn't get your hopes up for "Slave Leia," though.)
Disney's got a lot of options to show off more Star Wars, through its entertainment departments. The big question, as I alluded to this morning, is: What does the public want? Put it another way: What will get more people to visit or spend more at Disney theme parks? If a new entertainment offering doesn't help promote the bottom line, why choose it over some other option that would?
With that in mind, I'm suggesting three specific ideas for our Vote of the Week. (And thanks to Twitter follower Clayton Lott for suggesting the World of Color idea.) Vote for the one that most would get you to take an extra trip to a Disney theme park.
If you've got another idea, please let us know about it, in the comments. Have a great weekend, and if you're able and willing, please take a moment to give in support of hurricane relief efforts. We hope that our readers in the northeast soon will be back to normal, safe, and in the mood to talk about silly things like all this stuff.
For me, that's the only one that works for now. Beyond that I'd say hold out for a new attraction(s) (or a land where you can keep all the Star Wars stuff in)
Personally, I think (apart from the obvious merchandising) that Star Wars should keep some separation from the other standard Disney classics for now (Like how they're handling Marvel, to an extent)
It would be odd (for me) to see a Star Wars parade coming down main street or to see it alongside Beauty & the Beast during World of Color. (If there's a star wars land, a parade would be cool there)
No doubt this is a huge thing for Disney, but I think there still needs to be some franchise boundaries. As much as people love Star Wars, I still don't think people would love to see the parks overrun with Star Wars stuff.
I would obviously expand the area that it's currently in, but I would limit it to those areas.....you still want disney to be the bigger focus.
Who wants to see Princess Leia at the Princess meet n greet with the other Disney Princess???
There are many ways to add Star Wars. They can add a E-Ticket big attraction or go smaller with a D-Ticket companion to Star Tours. I can see them replace the Magic Eye Theater with Captain EO with a Star Wars 3-D film. Convert the eating establishments with Star Wars themed restaurants like the Cantina with real or animatronic figures as entertainment.
The Big E-Ticket attraction has to be the replacement of the Autopia ride (including the Nemo Submarine Ride if necessary) with a Star Wars themed land. This is a totally enclosed land with walking Star Wars characters and Meet and Greet spots.
FWIW, I think there should be an Avengers section, too, for next summer, along with Star Wars. But Star Wars' music is more iconic - so it would be the better of the two options if Disney decided to add only one new segment next year.
Based on what you read on this site you'd swear Disney buys these franchises for the theme parks, but in reality the film studio historically has been the profit engine for the company. Gee, I wonder if Marvel and Lucasfilm have more to do with the studio than the parks...
1)Gut Spaceship Earth install a killer 3D based ride and turn the outside into the Death Star
2)Turn Illuminations into a Star Wars based firework and laser show
-Job Done
Ps I know Disney wont do it but it would be cool
Lucas has guarded his legacy like a dragon his treasure, and any use of Star Wars trademark in a theme park must have cost a fortune. I believe that the only reason Disney renewed Star Tours (unless they already had plans of buying Lucas out) was to rejuvanate what was essentially a relic (darn good relic though) and protect their hold over first rights to the star wars material - stopping anyone else using it. Disney never needed Star Wars to make their parks big, they already were. So why pay someone else for access to IP when your already the only show in town.
Two things have changed now.
Firstly, Universal has shown that it can be a threat, and with access to Harry Potter has shown what incredible and successful material can be created with the appropriate franchise. Disney is still top dog, but Universal is now starting to yap at its heels. Technically Harry Potter has been a more lucrative franchise (in books and movies), but I think Star Wars has far more lucrative possibilites, and has proven it has the longevity to compete with Potterland.
Secondly, they now don't have to pay licencing fees.
I believe you'll see little changes immediately, including all those ideas mentioned. I also believe that you won't see major changes (like you've said) at least until Ep7. This is for different reasons to yours. The development time is a big consideration, and it would take at least until 2015 to fully plan and develop a land. So if it is going to take until Ep7 arrives, no doubt they will wish to incorporate some of the new film ideas, at least as a cross promotion of sorts.
So my tip is all of the above with a real significant Star Wars presence by 2016-17, most probably a redevelopment of Tomorrowland in Disneyland, and a redevelopment of either Hollywood Studios or Epcot (or maybe eventually both) in Florida.
I don't like the World of Color idea, but then again, I am more on the WDW side of things.
Dump the Indy show at DHS and make it a Star Wars thing.
Also on a personal note to Anthony Murphy: I am your father.
Gut that whatever restaurant to the left of Star Tours and turn it into the Cantina.
And by the way J. Rao: I am your father.
Completely anti-EPCOT ethos, but very cool idea nonetheless.
Tom- I like your Spaceship Earth idea. Then they could aim it across central Florida at Universal and cause Harry Potter to feel a disturbance in the... whatever force is equivalent to in the HP world.
This Star Wars area needs to go into Hollywood Studios for sure. Indy can go, the Stunt Car thingie can go, and whatever is left can be removed with a blast from the death star.
Something BIG has to be built to catch everyone's eye from afar like Hogwart's Castle at UIA. A friend recently related how his wife teared up with emotion upon entering Harry Potter world. I'm 42 (so 7 y/o when Star Wars premiered) and I want to cry like a baby when I enter this new area. (And not just because of how much another Disney trip is costing me.)
Please get it right, Disney!
World of Harry Potter, followed by CarsLand, has shown the potential of heavily themed, focused, districts within a theme park. But (for the investment) there needs to be longevity. Very little news has been coming from the Avatar Land front since its announcement - except for rumors of problems and politics. Now, Avatar was a great movie. However, it doesn't seem to have the long-term cultural impact of that galaxy far, far away. Throw in a few progress headaches, and I could see the company looking away from the big blue aliens. Nobody talks about Avatar, two years later. Thirty-five years later, people still talk about, and reference, Star Wars.
And then there was the movement of the manager of the successful Cars Land project over at Disney Land to the Walt Disney World side (can't remember her name) the timing of which must have fallen into the period when Disney was in discussions with Lucasfilm.
Need a long term, culturally relevant, high design potential, family friendly, themed land to be put in the capable hands of a proven manager? Sounds like Disney has all the necessary requrements on the East Coast right now. And, let's face it, Disney Studios could use a bit of improvement.
Stay tuned!
Secondly, If Disney can agree for Avatar land after a single movie (and IMO not one that was overly impressive story wise) then I dont doubt for one second that Mos Eisley will pop up somewhere in a park. Of course if Disney really wanted to impress me that build Walt Disney Star Wars Galaxy In England, possibly within walking distance of my house. :)
Congratulations, Travis, on your first Typo Of The Week Award!
Now that Disney controls the entire franchise, they can calculate the value of a theme park attraction throughout the value chain. A great theme park ride has the potential to improve out of park sales of Star Wars stuff for decades. As long as Disney did not own the rights, theyd naturally rather improve the sales of say cars stuff.
Certainly a theatrical production like the Indy show (which already has a great space and theater to accommodate a production) is available. And there's the Cantina, expanded retail,, interactive game and play area and character greeting opportunities
But after that ... what else?
Star Tours runs through almost every simulation permutation in virtually every SW environment and is all about speed and flight.
Certainly Star Wars is a great get for Disney but ... Where are the E-Tickets?
I assume your reference is to the TV show "Scrubs," but I don't get it :(
Beyond that über ride, there's always the Ewok Shooting Gallery attraction (the targets are actually on the Ewoks), an expanded Jedi Training Academy (indoors and with more tech and 3D wizardry), the Death Star omnimover adventure (where we visit scene after scene of imperial troops getting throttled by Vader), and last, but not least, the Slave Leia Meet 'n' Greet (an after hours, up charge attraction for the 21 and older crowd).
Easy! And I just came up with those on the bus ride home....
1. A representation of one or two planets. There were some impressive landscapes represented in the prequel trilogy (episodes 1-3).
2. A Jedi Academy done full force (pun intended) with training film and backstory. Practice using lightsabers. Include simulation of "force" with training goggles.
3. Ride any variety of Star Wars vehicles in an enclosed planetary environment a la Star Wars Autopia. Add a racing feature or target shooting or pick your adventure.
4. A walk through adventure in Death Star. Visit the trash compactor. See the control room. Help Luke and Princess Leia escape via the Millenium Falcon. Shoot the TIE Fighters on a robotic arm on a track like simulator.
There are many things that can be done.
"May The Schwartz be with you!"
MERCH-andising, MERCH-andising!!
What's the matter, Colonel Sanders?....CHICKEN???
President Skroob: "Sandurz, Sandurz. You got to help me. I don't know what to do. I can't make decisions. I'm a president!"
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