''Star Wars'': Galaxy's Edge

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is an upcoming Star Wars-themed area being developed at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida.^[2] The Star Wars-themed area, or "land," at each park will encompass 14 acres.^[3]

Announced in August 2015,^[4] the lands are scheduled to open at both locations in 2019, with the Disneyland version opening first.^[5] Walt Disney Imagineering executive Scott Trowbridge is supervising the development of the new land at both parks.^[6][7] Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on March 3, 2016, at the Disney shareholders meeting, that construction on both versions of the land would begin in April 2016.^[8]

Background

History

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was first publicly announced by The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015, though it did not have an official name at the time. According to Iger, it will be "occupied by many inhabitants; humanoids, aliens and droids … the attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology."^[2] Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, stated that the land "will introduce you to a Star Wars planet you’ve never seen before — a gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters familiar and not so familiar."^[3]

In an interview for the winter 2015 issue of the official Disney fan club publication Disney twenty-three, Trowbridge stated: "[O]ur intent is to make it feel as if you just walked into one of the movies... Bringing Star Wars to life in the physical world gives us the opportunity to play with a whole bunch of things we've never done before... to really engage all of the senses. What does that street feel like? What does that animal smell like? What does blue milk taste like?"^[7]

Iger announced in March 2016 that construction on both versions of the land would begin in April 2016.^[8] Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016.^[9] In February 2017, Iger stated that the lands are scheduled to open in 2019 at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios.^[1]

In July 2017 at the D23 Expo, Chapek revealed that the themed lands would be called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Chapek also announced that Disneyland's version will open first.^[5]

Design

Walt Disney Imagineering designed the project in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, with Imagineer Scott Trowbridge supervising the project, Asa Kalama and Chris Beatty serving as executive creative directors, and Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo and designer Doug Chiang of Industrial Light & Magic involved as consultants.^[10] Together, the team decided to set the lands on a new planet, located within the Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions.^[11] Described as a "remote frontier outpost", the unnamed planet has not previously appeared in other media, although it has existed within canon "for thousands and thousands of years."^[12][11] The team chose to create a newly designed world instead of using an existing planet from the films such as Tatooine or Hoth, because those locations evoked a pre-existing familiarity with guests, with Trowbridge explaining, "We wanted to build new Star Wars stories, new Star Wars destinations, but this time you could be in that story that required us to go to a new place."

This used to be a vibrant trading port back in the old sub-lightspeed days, but now with advent of hyperspace, its prominence has kind of fallen and faded a little bit which has made it a great spot for those who didn't want to be on that kind of mainstream path. The smugglers, the bounty hunters, the rogue adventurers looking to crew up, the people who don't want to be found — basically all the interesting people.

— Supervising Imagineer Scott Trowbridge describing the featured planet^[11]

The development team drew inspiration from real-world locations, including as Istanbul and Morocco, and traveled there to study the architecture, culture, and weather.^[13] The team also cited Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the original Star Wars trilogy as a basis for the aesthetic look of the land.^[13] The timeline is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, in the years leading up to the sequel trilogy, and will depict the rising presence of both the First Order and the Resistance.^[10][12] The Star Wars-themed land will have two new attractions: one will allow riders to control the Millennium Falcon, and the other will place guests into the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.^[14][15] Concept art depicts a full-size Millennium Falcon situated among alien buildings built into tall cliffs.^[14] There will also be a version of a cantina.^[16] The new planet is designed for guests to begin their own narrative. The Millennium Falcon attraction will feature a "customized secret mission".^[17]

Parks

Disneyland

At Disneyland, Galaxy's Edge is being built to the north of Frontierland, where Big Thunder Ranch and backstage areas were located.^[16] As a result of the expansion, Disney purchased nearby properties to relocate the office and warehouse space that was on the land.^[18]

On January 11, 2016, several attractions in Frontierland and Critter Country were closed. Big Thunder Ranch closed permanently, including the multifunction event space, barbecue restaurant, and petting zoo. Other attractions closed temporarily, including the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. Tom Sawyer Island reopened on June 16, 2017, and Fantasmic! reopened on July 17, 2017. The Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes reopened on July 29.^[19][20][21]

The construction of Galaxy's Edge resulted in a reconfigured route for the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. A first look at how these changes would impact the park were revealed in January 2016, when concept art was released depicting the northern bank of the river after construction was completed.^[22]

Disney's Hollywood Studios

At Disney's Hollywood Studios, Galaxy's Edge is replacing the majority of the park's Streets of America, including the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure which closed on April 2, 2016, as well as the surrounding backlot facades, restaurants, and shops. Together with the previously closed Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction, Galaxy's Edge will be part of a major expansion of the park that will include Toy Story Land.^{[3][23][24][25][26]} The remaining operating portions of Streets of America (containing Muppet*Vision 3D) were left undisturbed and renamed as Muppets Courtyard.^[27] The land will be accompanied by the Star Wars Hotel.^{[28][29][30][31]}

See also

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a themed land at Universal Parks & Resorts in Osaka, Hollywood, and Orlando
• Pandora – The World of Avatar, a themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom

References