Out of all the amazing news to come out of D23 Expo on Saturday concerning their live-action slate of movies, everyone was waiting for any and all Star Wars news perhaps the most. And there was certainly a lot of it, but one that set this writer’s brain and childlike exuberance alight was The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger’s announcement that a Star Wars Land will be added to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. The 14-acre expansion will be the largest single-themed land expansion in the history of either park. He even showed some concept art!
As with all Disney lands, there’s a story behind it, and this is being described as “a never-before-seen planet, a remote trading port and one of the last stops before wild space where Star Wars characters and their stories come to life.” Iger said in his presentation, “these new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”
There will be two signature attractions in the area, we’re told: the aforementioned thrilling battle experience and a chance to get behind the controls of the fastest and coolest ship in the whole galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, on a customized secret mission. Not sure what that means entirely, but it sounds amazing to me!
This land and rides will be separate, I’d imagine, from Star Tours, the motion simulator ride which has been a staple of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland area since 1987 and has gotten renewed interest since its incredibly revamp in 2011. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the Florida home of Star Tours and has had a decent but not huge area devoted to the Saga for a number of years.
It sounds like, whichever way you go, fans of a galaxy far, far away will have a lot to be excited about.
What do you think of this exciting Disney/Star Wars news? Are you signing up for the Rebel Alliance now? Let us know in the comments below.
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Kyle Anderson is the weekend editor and a film and TV critic for Nerdist.com. Talk to him about stuff on Twitter!
