The Disney World Star War or the Galaxy’s Edge is a beautiful area dedicated to the Star Wars saga fans. This park is a part of the Disneyland Resort and the Disneyland Park in California’s Anaheim. Moreover, the same part is also present in Star Wars: Galaxy Edge Orlando, Florida. The area of each park is over 14 acres.
The highlight of the fictional Disney World Star War area is that it is part of an imaginary village. The name of the same is Black Spire, and it is situated at the end of Planet Batuu. Moreover, all the Star Wars Disney Land hotel, restaurants, shops, entertainment units, and other attractions are part of this imaginary planet.
The planning finalization for the Disney World Star War parks took place on August 15, 2015. Later, the construction of these began after almost a year, on April 14, 2016. While the normal Disneyland version started functioning on May 31, 2019, the Hollywood Studio’s debut was on August 29, 2019. Moreover, the entire construction and development of the Disney World Star War parks were by Mr. Scott Towbridge. He is an Imagineering executive at the franchise company.
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Disney World Star War Parks: History
The WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) board was already planning for a Disney World Star War park by 2010. They were planning to set up the same as part of the Disney Hollywood Studios. Moreover, the idea was to exactly resonate with the settings and characters from the Star War films trilogy. Besides, Endor and Tatooine were also part of the original plan.
According to the initial plan, the park was occupying the major portion of Echo Lake. Therefore, the Disney World Star War area was to take over the section for Sounds Dangerous and Stunt Spectacular Indiana Jones. However, the entire plan went into hold after the CEO of Walt Disney’s meeting with Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm President. Moreover, Bob Iger, the Walt Disney Chairman, was also part of the meeting, after which there was a notice of postponement of the project. Later, news revealed that the board was waiting for the Star War sequel trilogy’s release and the anthology movies.
Finally, on August 15, 2015, Chairman Iger announced the big project’s design alterations. As he makes the Disney World Star War park announcement at the Hollywood Studios, he reveals further details. According to Iger’s statement, the area will be full of inhabitants, droids, aliens, humanoids, and more. Moreover, he assured that nothing present in the park would be out of context for Star Wars fans. Therefore, everything such as entertainment plans and attractions will be part of the whole storytelling.
Efforts to create a unique Star Wars experience for all
On the other hand, the second chairperson of Walt Disney, Bob Chapek, assured fans that the Star Wars: Galaxy Edge theme park would be unique. He says that people will undoubtedly have the best experience of their lives once they enter the area. During an interview for the Walt Disney club publication of 2015, Mr. Scott Trowbridge said that the park intends to make guests feel like they are exploring an original Star War film. Moreover, according to him, living up to Star Wars followers’ dreams will give them an edge over all other theme parks globally. Therefore, it is not an easy project for them because it involves so much emotion of people.
In the same interview, Trowbridge said that the whole process of supervising and planning the project is intriguing. Moreover, the creativity level is so high that it is sometimes difficult to assess whether the work is par with the expectations. For example, imagining Star Wars streets, the smell of the animals, and blue milk are some of the project’s most creative aspects.
Later, Mr. Iger announces in March 2016 stating that the Disney World Star War project will start in both the California and Florida locations soon. Again, in a later D23 Expo event, Iger reveals that the park gates will open for the public in 2019, and the name will be Star Wars: Galaxy Edge. Moreover, Chapek adds to the announcement stating that the first to welcome guests will be the Disneyland version. Soon, Trowbridge updated guests that the Star Wars World planet has a unique name, Batuu. We get to see the same name in Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances, a 2018 novel.
The opening ceremony and the debut of Disney World Star War Parks
In May 2018, the name revelation of the story village raised the excitement level. Trowbridge’s statement reveals that the village name is Black Spire Outpost. You can find the mention of the name in Solo: A Star Wars Story, 2018 film. Finally, the opening date revelation was about to happen, and fans could not hold back their excitement. The final dates for the opening were during summer 2019 for Disneyland and fall 2019 for Hollywood Studios. Later, in April 2019, Marvel Comics issues five comic miniseries to introduce the new attraction.
Finally, during both the openings, the presence of ace members was enhancing the event’s charm. The main people to honor the opening ceremony were Igers, George Lucas. Star Wars maker and actors Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, and more. As soon as the opening was over, people were flooding the ticket counters from all across the world. As a result, the park authorities shifted to mostly online bookings. Therefore, there was a virtual queue to purchase tickets.
Elaborate information regarding theme park locations
Here are the two main theme park locations for Star Wars fans and followers:
Disneyland Park
You will find the Galaxy’s Edge section of Disneyland Park towards the northwest of the campus. Moreover, three entries will lead you to your destinations. They are the Critter Country, Fantasyland, and the Frontierland. To make way for the Star Wars section, Disney Park authorities decided to compromise quite a bit. As a result, you will not find The Big Thunder Ranch and the backstage area anymore in the park. Moreover, the authorities relocated the warehouse and main office to another section keeping the previous one vacant for the Star Wars village.
There was a requirement of the Rivers of America and Disneyland Railroad as reconfigured routes during the Galaxy Edge construction. The first look of the plans regarding impact assessment was available in January 2016 for the first time. The first prints of the concept art were clear depictions of the northern river banks. Plus, by the end of January 2016, several previous attractions, including the ones in Critter Country, Frontierland, and more, were already vanishing. The closing of the Big Thunder Ranch also became inevitable after a serious malfunction issue. Along with the same, the petting zoo and barbeque restaurant, there were also gone.
Several other attractions were closing down simultaneously. Later, the reopening ceremony of the Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Mark Twain Riverboat took place on June 16, 2017. The famous Fantasmic! The reopening took place the next day, on June 17. Finally, after all the reopening events, the Disneyland gates were open to all on May 31, 2019.
Hollywood Studios, Disneyland
In the Hollywood Studios Park case, the Star Wars area is towards the southwest of the campus. Moreover, you can directly enter this section through two entrances- Toy Story Land and Grand Avenue. The new Galaxy’s Edge that you see now was built on the area that previously was popular for the Streets of America. The same includes the Extreme Stunt show, Lights, Motor, Action! Moreover, there is a constant Honey, I shrunk the kids: Movie Set Adventure.
The new project’s impact was soon evitable given the changes around the San Francisco-New York backlot facades, shops, and restaurants. As a result, the other portions of the streets, including Muppet*Vision 3D, got a new theme. It was a resonation of the Grand Avenue, a themed street of Los Angeles. Moreover, there was a Figueroa Street with an earthen berm tunnel present between Grand Avenue and Galaxy’s Edge. The reason for such a way was to keep the two worlds separate and still keep the connection intact. Soon, there will be a Galactic Starcruiser too.
What are the main attractions in the theme parks?
- Smugglers Run- Millenium Falcon- It is one of the coolest simulator rides where the guests will get a chance to manage the Millenium Falcon.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance- It is a super-adventurous dark ride where guests become part of battles between the Resistance and First Order. The same attraction is available in both the Disneyland Park and the Hollywood Studios version.
There are several other major attractions why you may want to visit the parks again.
Star Wars Disneyland shops and restaurants
- Oga’s Cantina- A great place to go for snacks and custom drinks
- Black Spire Outfitters- You can visit this shop if someone wants to dress up like Batuu people.
- Ronto Roasters- the best in the area when it comes to roasted pork and frilled sausage wraps
- Milk Stand- a counter from which you can purchase green or blue milk.
- KatSaka’s Kettle- If you are looking for a variety of popcorn, then this is good
- Resistance Supply: You can visit this shop if you want a battle against their First Order. Similarly, another one called Cargo: First Order to match up with the Resistance team’s attacks.
- Toydarian Toymaker- Here you will get a wide range of toys thanks to the skilled workers who have such beautiful talent.
These are only a few of the several other restaurants and shops you may want to visit during the next vacation.
Design of the Disney World Star War parks
The Star War project was the collective brainchild of Walt Disney Imagineering and the Lucasfilm Group. Here the project supervisor was Scott Trowbridge, executive creative directors Chris Beatty, and Asa Kalama. Moreover, a large-scale project such as this one requires the involvement of several consultants too. Some of the names in this project include Doug Chiang, designer at Industrial Light Magic, and Pablo Hidalgo.
Finally, the decision regarding the planet’s name was in the making, and Batuu won by majority votes. According to the team, every part of the project has to be unique, and so Batuu was a perfect choice. Besides, the team’s wish was to create a modern and unique world, unlike Hoth and Tatooine. Since fans are already aware of these attractions, there will be no “WOW” factor, so they are special.
Some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the theme parks:
Here is a list of the most common questions regarding the Star War theme parks:
Which Disney Park has a separate Star War area?
The Walt Disney World Resort in California and the Galaxy’s Edge, Florida, are the two parks with a separate Star Wars zone.
Do you get character meals at the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
For the special weekends, the Walt Disney authorities will offer a galactic dine-in meal in the Hollywood Studios. Apart from this breakfast, you may also book a character dinner. Moreover, if you want a deeper insight into what you can expect, check out reviews of a Hollywood Studios, Disneyland dining experience.
Is there a mandatory reservation policy for Disney World Star Wars Land?
If you are considering only the Galaxy’s Edge, then you don’t require a mandatory reservation. However, if you are visiting Disney World, then a reservation is a must. Although permission is not mandatory to explore only the area, you need to enter the restaurants and shops here.
When does Disney World have the least crowd?
The busiest times are during school breaks and holidays, including weekends and long vacations. On the contrary, January and February are the low seasons when the winters are at an extreme. The crowd is less even during September to November because of fewer school holidays.
Final thoughts:
Here is an elaborate article that will help you understand why Star Wars in Disneyland is so popular. Plus, you get a slight outlook of what all you can experience there.
