Will Star Wars Land ever happen?
Walt Disney World: It's time Disney.
From Dominick D
Posted September 22, 2012 at 2:11 PM
Two things have been on the rumor mill for DHS for a long time: Star Wars Land and Monsters Inc Coaster. Today I'm here to talk about Star Wars Land. Arguably the greatest film franchise of all time, Star Wars was the film that changed cinema history. Disney has Star Wars covered in theme parks, but why haven't they made a land yet? Face it,mwe know what they can do, but why haven't they done it? Are they just waiting to announce it in 11 months at D23? Let me know what you think.
Dom maybe.....NOT! Haha!!!! ;)
From Rob Pastor
Posted September 22, 2012 at 5:30 PM
It's perfect for Hollywood Studios. It would only require modest changes to a restaurant and one or two under utilized buildings. Star Wars weekends are probably the busiest time of the year for DHS. And expansion to a land could be performed for minimal cost. Plus, the factor of more profit via expanded Star Wars licensed product offerings. In 2011, Star Wars ($1.5 Billion) was second to only Disney Princess' ($1.6 Billion) for international product sales. Star Wars easily outdistances Mickey & Friends ($750 Million) and Toy Story ($685 Million). (Product sales source: Forbes Business Magazine)
From Chad H
Posted September 22, 2012 at 6:28 PM
Don't know. Given Star Wars miniland popping up in Legoland, I think the rights are tied up at the moment...
From steve lee
Posted September 22, 2012 at 7:26 PM
Star Tours has always been a missed opportunity (moreso at Studios), but I think it was created at a time where they had more noble plans for that park. Hollywood Studios was supposed to be, much like Universal Studios Florida, a working production location. That...hasn't been the case in quite a while (for both DHS and USF). Maybe the idea of a dedicated "land" for a single franchise seemed like a crazy idea then. Things have changed.
This should have been on their agenda long before they got James Cameron on the phone.
(not entirely sure how Star Wars changed film history, though. Jaws had already established the precedent for the summer blockbuster two years earlier)
From Dominick D
Posted September 22, 2012 at 7:37 PM
Face it Steve, Star Wars pretty much started this whole Sci-Fi genre and has had a big cultral impact.
Dom: Star Wars started the Sci-Fi Genre?
Ever heard of:
2001: A Space Odyssey?
Fantastic Voyage?
Forbidden Planet?
The Day The Earth Stood Still?
Heck, even Star Trek came out before Star Wars!
Looks like Dom edited his post. Now mine is an orphan :(
I think what Dom means is that Star Wars elevated sci-fi from B-movie status to legitimate box office draw in the eyes of the public and studio executives. It also demonstrated the power of merchandising. Those Star Wars trinkets bankrolled Lucas' next films in the series and the rest of his empire. Suddenly, every studio wanted to duplicate the Star Wars revenue model. The period from 1977 to 1991 was like a Golden Age of sci-fi beginning with Star Wars and ending with T2. This wouldn't have been possible without Star Wars. It redefined the genre.
Kevin said: "I think what Dom means is that Star Wars elevated sci-fi from B-movie status to legitimate box office draw in the eyes of the public and studio executives. It also demonstrated the power of merchandising."
As a person who dislikes Star Wars and most things associated with it, I agrre with this statement 100%. Well put, Kevin.
From Dominick D
Posted September 23, 2012 at 10:26 AM
Mike, I never edited my post. But yeah, that's what I meant; Sci-Fi wasn't B movie status anymore.
You had a line that said something like, "Star Wars pretty much started the whole Sci-Fi thing." I have to paraphrase, because it's no longer part of your post. Since it was that particular line I was responding to, I'm sure it was there. I may be old, but I'm not blind and I can read :)
From Dominick D
Posted September 23, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Mike, thats in another post.
No, sorry, Dom. I'd have no reason to respond here to something you said in another thread. Now let's leave it be, it's no longer an issue.
From Jay R.
Posted September 23, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Also while Jaws started the "the blockbuster" 2 years prior, Star wars took it up a notch by launching the "blockbuster franchise".
It was even nominated for Best Picture......
I think a Star wars land could be huge & I'm sure, business wise, has been on the table a lot in the past.
But this is Lucas's baby & there has most likely been some questions / debates / over financial & creative standpoints & more between Lucas & the execs at Disney (where there have been a few changes since star tours started).
I'm sure both sides would WANT a star wars land....seeing as how there's such a huge fan base worldwide.
Even for a casual fan like myself ( I like the movies overall, nothing more / nothing less ) I'd really want to check this out.
Dominick, YOU WILL NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER be a JEDI. ;)
From Dominick D
Posted September 23, 2012 at 5:39 PM
Karly, what the heck does that have to do with anything?
From N B
Posted September 24, 2012 at 1:53 AM
I don't think Disney is ever going to create an entire land based on a movie franchise that peaked a while ago. The trend seems to be geared towards newer films with upcoming sequels.
Disney also likes to use thier own films to create lands so they don't have to pay license fees. They better do something quick.....
A lot of the die-hards are complaining about Cars Land possibly coming to Orlando. A visually stunning and incredible immersive area, with one decent ride and two not so good ones.
Disney, get your act together and one up Universal....
From Tim Odom
Posted September 24, 2012 at 5:31 AM
They *should* have made a Star Wars land when DHS was new. But, they did not, and I fear the time for that has past. I, for one, would absolutely love to see more Star Wars there. The fact that Avatar will get a full fledged land and the best Sci-Fi trilogy ever (sorry, I try to forget the prequels EVER happened) probably won't bothers me.
But, yeah, I think the easiest way to fix DHS would be to add a Pixar-land and a Star Wars land. Pixar might happen, but I highly doubt Star Wars will. And that is a shame.
From Dominick D
Posted September 24, 2012 at 5:48 AM
Well, they made a new Star Tours 6 years after the prequels ended, so why not make a land?
From Ryan Spann
Posted September 24, 2012 at 6:21 AM
I still want more Indiana Jones.
From Tim Odom
Posted September 24, 2012 at 7:55 AM
Why not? Cause the trilogy is over 30 years old and most of their 'target demographic' remembers the, um, lackluster prequels (I am being generous there) rather than the original movies. Revamping a ride is a lot different than building an entire land. Now, I would absolutely love it if they proved me wrong, I
want to be wrong, but I fear that that particular ship has sailed.
From Jay R.
Posted September 24, 2012 at 9:58 AM
Tim, I think the franchise is still popular enough for a land.
Even though the prequels get slammed, the franchise as a whole is still doing well.
When you factor in the merchandise (which according to forbes was in the top 3 last year), the animated series, the video games, books, etc. Star wars, for being over 30 years old, is still raking in money.
And while it has it's demographic of older fans, there are plenty of younger fans (fans of clone wars cartoon, the huge groups at the jedi training attraction)
Would it have been better to build a themed land years ago? Yes, of course, but something tells me, if a land was made now, it wouldn't flop.
Star Wars is a cultural icon. Currently there is a very successful series (Clone Wars) being broadcasting/produced and another one on the oven. I sells more toys than any other TV/movie series, except Disney’s Princess. My 3 year old son loves star wars. It is still “peeking”.
The only reason why Disney didn’t go further with Star Wars in theme parks is because Lucas has all the licensing rights. Since a Disney attraction will not increment significantly the sales of SW merchandise, Lucas has no interest in giving up a portion of the licensing fees. By the other hand, why would Disney promote a brand that it has no commercial gains if it could do the same with one where it has the commercial rights?
If Disney simply forget its cross-selling policy for a moment, it would see that expanding SW into a land would make sense (attract more customers and make them more happy) not only for DHS, but also for Paris Disneyland and even for Disneyland California.
From Phil B.
Posted September 25, 2012 at 8:11 PM
It's a shame Lucas won't move forward with anymore films, at least he hasn't admitted to it publicly. The Clone Wars cartoon is surprisingly well produced and feels more in line with the original trilogy than the prequels ever really did, aside from some finer points in those movies and a lot of Revenge of the Sith. That reason is because Lucas doesn't direct the shows episodes. Dave Filoni has done a masterful job of taking material from the prequels, the expanded universe, and the original trilogy and making it all work together far more seamlessly than Lucas ever could hope to do. Lucas serves as executive producer, and it really is a job that is best suited for him. When he is able to work as part of a team, instead of the one pulling all of the strings, his Star Wars product proves to have immense potential as legitimate Sci-Fi entertainment, not the parody of itself that it seems to have become.
There is an immense amount of material that could translate onto the big screen. Youtube some of the "Star Wars:The Old Republic" trailers and watch them on the biggest screen you can with the lights down, volume up and on the highest resolution. It's classic trilogy awesomeness, set hundreds of years earlier, but still feels instantly familiar, and it takes the source material very serious and blows you away with what is still possible in this universe, especially with Lucas hovering on the sidelines as opposed to leading the charge. A new movie trilogy on the level of these types of trailers would set off a frenzy in the Star Wars fandom, as well as the casual movie going public worldwide. It would give the franchise the much needed shot in the arm it has needed for years to be taken as serious Sci-Fi entertainment once again, and could very well be the push that would "Force" Disney's hand into creating that full on immersive Star Wars land so many have dreamt about. Unfortunately, all of this rides on the shoulders of a very stubborn, most likely bitter from the public backlash of the prequels, George Lucas. I'd love to see the man come around on the idea and serve as executive producer for any new films, but that seems like a very long shot.
With the popularity of heroines in recent films like the Hunger Games, Lucas could executive produce but not write or direct a sequel trilogy about the struggle of a female Jedi to turn from the dark side of the Force. Quest --> Fall --> Resurrection. It could be prequel Take 2 but with a believable and better story. Also, less CGI and forget the droid army. If he's not convinced, maybe somebody could make a movie about a female space ninja during a period of galactic civil war. Yeah, I'm referencing Lucas not being able to make Flash Gordon, which resulted in Star Wars.
Even if Lucas would make a Star Wars land (which sounds very vague given the expansiveness of the universe), it would require lots of steamrolling around DHS and would awkwardly have to fit around Star Tours 2 which Lucas and ILM spent forever making.
Also, Lucas sucks so screw Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I'm hoping for a rebooted Star Trek experience from JJ Abraham's films. They already play the music from Wrath of Kahn at DHS.
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