This week, we will try to anticipate the answer to that question by taking another look at Disney's plans for Star Wars Land in the context of what it has done with the franchise in The Force Awakens. Let's start though by getting this out of the way — While we will avoid major plot and character spoilers in our posts (and encourage commenters to do the same!), later in the week we will discuss a few relatively minor things that happen in the film. We will provide a warning in each post, but if you've not seen the movie and want to leave this series to read until you have, we understand.
The unprecedented success of The Force Awakens validates Disney's management decision to scrap its initial plans for Star Wars Land in favor of developing a more expansive design that incorporates elements from the new films. For millions of fans around the nation and the world, The Force Awakens is their Star Wars movie. Rey, Finn, and Poe will be as beloved by fans in their teens and 20s as Luke, Leia, and Han have been by fans who are now in their 30s and 40s. Today's Star Wars fans will imagine adventures on Jakku and Takodana as a previous generation imagined flying onto planets such as Hoth and Mustafar.
If Disney had limited its Star Wars Land to the characters and planets introduced in the first six episodes, it would have thrown away the opportunity to deepen the franchise's connection with the millions of new fans who have flocked to The Force Awakens. While theme park fans always wish that great new attractions could have opened yesterday, Disney would have lost an immeasurable amount of momentum for the Star Wars franchise by rushing a new land into development without elements from the new films.
Here's what Disney has confirmed about Star Wars Land: Each land will be about 14 acres, making them the largest single-themed lands in any Disney theme parks. They will include a Cantina restaurant and two major new rides: one themed to the Millennium Falcon and the other to a battle against the First Order. And the land will be set on a "new" planet that was not introduced in the first six films.
Note that Disney said that the Star Wars Land planet was not introduced in episodes one through six. It didn't say anything about episode seven, leading us to ask if anyone else gets a Takodana vibe from Disney's released concept art for land after seeing the new film?
If you want a glimpse at what Star Wars Land would have been like under Disney's original plans, take a look at the Season of the Force event at Disneyland. Very simplistically, Season of the Force is Star Wars Land v1.0, minus a centerpiece new attraction. We've got Star Tours, a Hyperspace Mountain overlay, new food, meet and greets, and merchandise. Imagine a Star Wars-themed spinner ride plus a major new ride in the Autopia/sub lagoon space in that mix, and we're there.
Given the size of the crowds that packed into Tomorrowland for the event over the past month, Disney would have had a hit with Star Wars Land v1.0. But it doesn't take much imagination to envision hordes of little kids asking, "Where's Finn?" Or wondering why the rebels are fighting the Empire instead of the First Order. So let's count Disney's delay in announcing and starting construction of Star Wars Land as a positive sign that fans ultimately will end up embracing the new lands. With some extra time to follow the new film, instead of rushing ahead of it, Star Wars Land can appeal to all generations of Star Wars fans.
Tomorrow, we will continue our series with a look at one of the elements that made Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter so successful and the new challenge that Disney faces in replicating that within Star Wars Land.
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I'll be honest, I was really hoping that Abrams wouldn't screw this up with so much riding on it. But the movie has given me a new excitement for these lands. Again, not gonna give anything away, but there were some moments where I thought to myself "Boy, I hope this gets included!"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we're at the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the Star Wars franchise, and I can't wait to see the rest of it unfold.
Anyways, now my question is what will the attraction based on the first order look like?
A shooting dark ride like Justice League at Six Flags, or more along the lines of toy story midway mania?
I always thought a new planet setting was the smart way to go, because it let the imagineers full reign on what they want to put in there. There's no cantina on Hoth, no ewoks on Tatooine, and no forests on Corrusant, but you can create a new world and put in whatever you like, without breaking any of the theming.
Now the question will be WHEN in the Star Wars universe you will be visiting. A "Fight The New Order" ride doesn't technically jibe with Darth Vader challenging kids at the Jedi Training camp. But I imagine, in this respect, Disney will just have to play it a little bit looser. As long as guests get to walk around in that universe and realistically feel like they are seeing aliens and droids and spaceships, it should all work out.
I believe Disney has announced that they will add scenes from the new movies. Don't worry, I think we can afford to kinda let timeline go. Even WWOHP, as awesome of a land as it is, is also a little screwy when it comes to timeline. Hogsmeade seems to take place during Goblet Of Fire; the fact that Sirius Black is still a wanted man, seeing Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students walking around, an entire attraction (Dragon Challenge) being based around the Triwizard Tournament...but then take the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley and you have Escape From Gringotts which takes place during a very particular scene from Deathly Hallows Part 2. :/
I guess you can say that the two lands take place during different periods in the series, but if Diagon Alley is set during Deathly Hallows, then why is it that all these "mudbloods" can freely walk around Diagon Alley without being brutally murdered? See, there is something to be said for things like that, but sometimes you just gotta let things like that go, especially when everything else is so spectacular. And I'm pretty sure this will be the case with Star Wars Land.
The others resorts should have one or two planets each. Disneyland could have 2 planets, DLP other 2 , the resorts in Asia should not repeat the same ones.
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