THE opening scene of the original Star Wars movie sees viewers pulled in as an impossibly large spacecraft fills the screen.
Visitors stepping into Disney’s new Star Wars land will experience a similarly immersive reveal as they enter the new 14-acre theme park.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is due to open at Disney parks in California and Orlando in August, brings the famous galaxy a little closer to home.
Visitors stumble upon the camp of Resistance, scrappy freedom fighters seeking refuge on a planet largely forgotten by the evil First Order.
“You can step into this place and actually feel like you are in Star Wars,” Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger told CNN.
“There’s a plaque when you walk into Disneyland that says ‘Here you leave today, and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy’. It was Walt’s way of saying leave everything behind. You’re coming into a new place, whether it’s yesterday, or tomorrow, or fantasy, it’s not where you’re from.”
While the painstaking detail will appeal to franchise enthusiasts – even the droid tracks in the ground are authentic, made using R2:D2 from the original films – there is plenty for the casual fan to marvel at, not least the land’s centrepiece: a lifesize Millennium Falcon. With its capsule-shaped cockpit and the pincer-like front end, the Falcon will inspire thoughts of its iconic pilot who bragged how the ship made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.
The ship serves two purposes. It fronts the land’s only functioning attraction, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and provides the focal point of Galaxy’s Edge, where guests will line up for photos that will make them social-media darlings.
Another familiar ship waits not far from the Millennium Falcon. A life-sized TIE Echelon marks the presence of the First Resistance, its storm troopers looking to weed out rebels as they patrol.
“[The fans] are particular and I think we started by wanting to please them the most because we knew that if we pleased them, then we’d please everyone,” Mr Igner explained.
“By pleasing them, what we meant by that is one, it has to be big and bold because that’s what Star Wars is, and it’s what Star Wars was.”
Imagineers – that’s what Disney calls the creative brain behind their operations – have pulled out all the stops to make the new Star Wars feel far removed from the existing theme park fodder. The immersive nature of Galaxy’s Edge allows guests to wade in as deep as they’d like, from remaining anonymous with a virtual “Do Not Disturb” sign to taking on tasks or missions from local denizens.Everyone from shop assistants to maintenance workers are dressed to look the part. Their name tags are even written in Aurebesh, the language of the fictional realm.
The photo opportunities are slightly more subtle, with the X- and A-wings parked off to the side. Apparently fresh from battle, steam hisses from the vents.
The same goes for the theme park’s famous character encounters. Look closely and you’ll see some film favourites, but Chewbacca is more likely to invite you to join the new recruits, rather than summon you in line for a photo. The land takes inspiration from films past, present and future. “We wanted this to be both an homage to the past, we’re big believers in respecting legacy,” Mr Iger added.
“For instance, there are elements in here that will appear in The Mandalorian, which is a Star Wars series that will be on Disney.
“There are elements in here that will be in the next film that comes out at the end of the year. There are elements in here that probably will appear in future Star Wars films yet conceived. This is a great blend of the past, present, and future that is Star Wars.”
Not that Disney are finished yet. A second ride, Star Wars Rise of the Resistance, will open later this year, depicting a battle with dark warrior Kylo Ren.
Of course, this is still the House of Mouse so, along with your sense of awe and wonder, you’d be daft to come without your credit card.Looking for that special collectible only available in the Black Spire Outpost? You will find it at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, overseen by the alien himself. How about fried chicken or fruit juice? You must mean Fried Endorian Tip-Yip and Meiloroon Juice.
There’s even blue and green milk as swigged by Luke Skywalker himself. (The frothy, non-dairy concoctions resemble fruit-flavored milkshakes, so slightly more appealing than they look.) Savi’s Workshop allows guests to build their own light sabers. You’ll need more than the Force, however, the experience will set you back $199.99 (£158.50) a piece, plus tax.
In the words of Luke Skywalker himself: Chewie, we’re home.
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