This past weekend at D23 Expo, Disney shared a few details about the expansions coming to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The new lands are going to be Star Wars-themed (obviously), and in traditional Disney fashion, are going to be absolutely steeped in Star Wars story and vibe.
One of the biggest attractions is going to be the E-ticket-worthy Millenium Falcon “secret mission” ride. Described as a “customized” ride that lets you “control the Millenium Falcon,” it’s surely going to be one of the centerpieces of the expansion. While “customized” might be too strong a word to describe the experience (after all, the revamped Star Tours is a “customized” ride), it’s still neat to imagine what could be awaiting guests inside the Falcon. The concept art shows the Falcon sitting in a docking bay with its ramp open—here’s hoping the queue will actually go through (or at least get really close to) the interior.
The next biggest attraction is supposedly one focusing on a certain battle in the New Era. It’s described as an “epic Star Wars adventure that puts you right in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and The Resistance.” As /Film astutely points out, that pins down the land’s timeline and setting as being in the post-Return of the Jedi era.
Of course, this being Disney, the land will be absolutely studded with all the little touches and details that are the hallmark of Disney park theming. Apparently human cast members (Disney-ese for park workers) will be kept to a minimum, with alien figures and animatronics functioning as shopkeepers and such. Everything is supposed to be fully themed, including the food and merchandise offerings. So, yes, you’ll apparently be able to finally try some blue milk.
Universal really set the bar when they unleashed The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the world a while back. I say this as a die-hard Disney parks fan: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one of the best, most themed rides I’ve ever experienced. Disney has their work cut out for them with this huge expansion.
Unfortunately, there are little to no gritty details about the rides or attractions themselves. However, we can expect that with such a rich, storied universe, they’ve got more than enough details and bits to draw from to create one hell of an experience for guests. Construction won’t begin until mid-2017, and given how long expansions like these can take, we’ll be waiting a good long while before we’ll be running from rope drop to the Falcon.
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