(Updated throughout) Disney tonight revealed the names of its food and merchandise locations in its upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens this summer at Disneyland and this fall at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort. The 14-acre lands are set on the planet Batuu, in a place called Black Spire Outpost. The Resistance has set up camp on the edge of this once-abandoned settlement, which long ago served as a waystation on sub-hyperspace trade routes. But where the Resistance goes, the First Order is soon to follow.
Everything in the lands is designed to adhere to the theme of a faraway rebel outpost, so you won't find souvenirs, food, and drinks that you can get in any mall back here on Earth. All the items for sale in Galaxy's Edge will be designed exclusively for the land. The stores will include:
Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, selling "ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, holocrons, lightsabers, and more."
The Droid Depo, where you can design and build your own astromech droid.
Savi’s Workshop, where you can design and build your own lightsaber.
Resistance Supply, with hats, pins, badges and other Resistance supplies and souvenirs.
First Order Cargo, ditto, but for the baddies.
Additional merchandise stalls will include:
The restaurants of Galaxy's Edge will include:
Milk Stand, serving what's probably the most famous food or beverage item associated with the Star Wars films: the Blue and Green milk from the original and most recent movies.
Ronto's Roasters, serving meats roasted over an old podracer engine, including the Ronto Wrap, filled with spiced grilled sausage and roasted pork.
Kat Saka's Kettle, a popcorn stand serving the "Outpost Mix," a "sweet and salty popcorn snack with a hint of spice."
The main restaurant in Galaxy's Edge will be the counter service Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. It's the home of Chef Strono "Cookie" Tuggs, the former chef at Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana from The Force Awakens. Here's the menu from Disney:
Oga's Cantina (previously announced) will serve alcohol drinks entitled Bespin Fizz, Bloody Rancor, Dagobah Slug Slinger, Fuzzy Tauntaun, Jedi Mind Trick, Jet Juice, The Outer Rim, Spriran Caf, T-16 Skyhopper, and Yub Nub, and non-alcohol drinks Black Spire Brew, Blue Bantha, Carbon Freeze, Cliff Dweller, Hyperdrive Punch It!, Jabba Juice, Moogan Tea, and Tarine Tea.
The land's two attractions, which were previously announced, will be:
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — A motion-base dark ride that will take new Resistance recruits aboard a First Order Star Destroyer, from which they will have to elude Kylo Ren and General Hux, then escape back to Black Spire Outpost. The 11-minute ride (according to non-official inside sources) will include animatronics of Kylo Ren and General Hux and multiple screens, with extensively decorated pre- and post-ride scenes.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — An interactive motion-base experience where teams of six will have to work together to fly the Millennium Falcon on a perhaps-not-completely-above-board mission. You will sit in the cockpit of the Falcon as you try to complete your assignments, under the instruction of Hondo Ohnaka and Chewbacca.
(Here is a look at the animatronics that Walt Disney Imagineering is working on for the Falcon ride.)
If you sign into the Disney Parks app before you ride, your performance on Smugglers Run will influence how the characters in the land might respond to you on the rest of your visit. The app will include a role-playing game that allows you to take on tasks for the First Order or the Resistance, allowing you to interact with characters and locations throughout the land.
Keep reading for more news about Disney's Star Wars lands, here on Theme Park Insider later this week.
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Really interested to see how Disney pulls off the merchandise. Universal did such a great job for Harry Potter, making all of the shops and items within stay themed to the land - but at the end of the day, Potter's setting is still a contemporary urban area. And Disney has always been more overt in its merchandising opportunities and branding. I really want to see how they "pull back" a bit and keep all the items in line with the land's setting and themes. Looking good, by that list.
I don't know, I am starting to get skeptical. I have felt all along that they needed to go big, and by carving out lands was an indication that they might not want to go all out. What Universal did (and I kind of think it was contractually obligated by some degree) was that the Potter areas were designed from the ground up by Potter maniacs. It is starting to look like Disney is trying to mimic the Potter area but do it without that level of detail. The costumes don't scream out 100% Star Wars. The food looks like theme park food. In the Potter stores you can buy things that look like items that Harry would buy. It is seeming to come off cheap to me. Now, I could be wrong. Completely wrong. But if they want to truly outdo the Wizarding World, they need to make you feel like you are steeping onto another planet. I am not getting this.
Love the drink names, and the Yub Nub - CLASSIC!
My question here would be particularly about the merchandise. Since there are already locations within the parks where you can buy Star Wars merchandise, how will these shops be different? At DHS, for example, you can shop for toys and plushes at the Star Tours exit shop and build your own lightsaber or design your own droid there and at the Launch Bay exit shop. You can also create your own name tag in Aurabesh at the Launch Bay gift shop as well as purchase some more high end souvenirs (master replicas, scale models, and authentic props).
If PtWoA is any clue, these shops sound like they're going to be more like the Launch Bay and Star Tours exit shops than more intricate market-style merchants that were initially hinted at when Galaxy's Edge was first announced. Obviously, Disney still needs to protect against shrinkage and appeal to the masses, so moving away from the traditional gift shop is probably a tough ask. However, I do think there was hope that the quality and variety of the merchandise available would be beyond what Disney is already offering in their current in park Star Wars gift shops and Once Upon a Toy/World of Disney. The impression I get here is that they are "playing it safe" instead of trying to hit a home run. Galaxy's Edge would probably be a home run with the average guest even with minor misgivings and slight lapses in detail, but WWoHP and PtWoA have set an awfully high bar that is raised even higher being attached to an IP with such a massive, but sometimes finicky fanbase.
Also, why can't we eat some Porgs like Chewie? What happened to letting the Wookie win? Who wants Tip Yip when you can have succulent Porg, even if they're staring at you while you chow down on their siblings.
I wish they would use alien meats and alien produce for this land, as "beef, pork, and chicken" just throw off the theme entirely. Totally kidding of course. But on a more serious note- I hope they have random aliens walking around as well, since the universe is populated by more than just humans. And one more thing- is anyone else a little concerned by the fact that this planet is something that isn't a big part of the Star Wars movies and that it will not feature most of our beloved characters? I like that they are going for immersive (it worked well for Harry Potter), but for Star Wars, I would have OKAY with non immersive lands. I would have preferred several mini lands all right next to each other without any need to tell me why they're right next to each other. I want to go to Tatooine and visit the cantina and Jabba's Palace. I want to go to Dagobah and visit Yoda's hut. I want to visit Endor and meet an Ewok. I want to go to Naboo and walk the streets and, dare I say, maybe bump into a Gungan. I want to walk the corridors of a star destroyer or a death star. I'd totally be okay with these experiences being inexplicably right next to each other. Not everything has to be completely immersive. Does anyone else feel this way?
I'm extremely amused that both Disney rides in Galaxy's Edge use a lot of
screens while Universal Orlando is working on 2 roller coasters.
Everything looks good! (Chuckle in TH)
The milk was a given, but if you put these dishes and the Pandora land food in front of me, I'd be hard pressed to tell which dish belonged to which land if I weren't a geek who had to cover this for a living.
And Shaun, you have articulated what I fear might be the main public reaction to this land, "I thought this was supposed to be Star Wars?"
Really, two screen based attractions on motion bases... my interest in this land just plummeted. I was under the impression that Rise of the Resistance was going to be the Pirates of the Caribbean of this new land, not the Transformers.
I see where you're coming from Shaun, but I don't go to a theme park to be on what is essentially a movie set. I think the public has spoken on the movie theme park concept through the changing focus of DHS, USF, DCA, and USH. People don't just want to walk between movie sets and take selfies standing in front of iconic scenes. Not only that, making a theme park land nothing more than a series of movie sets would limit the value of a return visit - You got that picture next to Yoda on Degobah, if you want to relive it, you can just pop the DVD on at home. How many people take a tour of a movie studio and keep going back year after year? Personally, we've visited 3 of the major Hollywood studios, and on our next trip to SoCal don't plan on touring any of the ones we've done before (aside from USH, of course).
The idea of open-ended storytelling and self exploration bring a lot more value than simply recreating what we've already seen on screen. It turns a non-fiction movie set with props and actors into a fictional reality with stories and potential. It's been proven again and again over the past 10+ years even as the popularity of sharing iconic photos on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has exploded. Guests aren't going to spend $100 or more a day to sit in the Mos Eisley Cantina trying to figure out if Han shot first as Greedo falls to the floor every 30 minutes on a repeating loop. Sure, Disney could have taken that "safe route" (and, yes I'm still standing by my assessment that they're playing it safe based on their merchandise store descriptions) by recreating iconic scenes from the Saga, but by not limiting themselves to what has already been burned into celluloid (and digital storage devices), it gives this land nearly limitless potential. It then comes down to how far Disney wants to push the envelope, and whether they can live up to the hype that they created when they first announced this project.
Good points by all. But, let's be honest, these new dishes and drinks look like a nightmare to create on a mass level. I'm sure within 1 year they will ditch them for "galaxy burgers," "light speed dogs," and "space slime nachos."
Robert I completely agree. There's been many disheartened fans indicating that Galaxy's Edge "isnt really Star Wars". (Eluding to the backstory)
It's going to be amazing.
The more that comes out about Galaxy's Edge, the more I start to feel that it is less about faithfully recreating Star Wars and more about creating Disney's version of Star Wars. In no way does that mean the land is going to be a failure...it looks completely amazing, I love all the stuff that has been revealed in the past couple days, and any theme park fan will definitely consider it a contender for best theme park land ever created. I've just got a hunch that those who go into this expecting it to be a 100% accurate immersive experience in the Star Wars Galaxy will wind up being disappointed.
One review I read (from the secret press preview) said at "worst", guest will feel like they are on the set of a a legitimate Star Wars film, but the reviewer was "wowed" multiple times by the scale & scope (and also the size). Now things may be a bit different when you have thousands of people around, but just reading that review made me think they even more excited.
No matter what, there will be disappointments, because that's just human nature. Everyone (especially Star Wars fans) has an idea of their perfect Star Wars land. There's no way Galaxy's Edge will be everything to everyone. It's impossible.
However I do think ultimately, the land will be quite enjoyable & (as a part of a full Disney park trip) will be a huge success.
They have the longest attraction Disney has ever made. The attention to detail (including new original music & piped in scents) suggest that even if this isn't "my personal vision" of what a Star Wars land should be, that it will still be above any other land that Disney has created.
The fear is that the land will be Disney's "The Shape of Water" - a hit with critics and industry insiders, but one that leaves many fans wondering if they should have liked it more than they actually did. (For the record, I loved "The Shape of Water" and expect to love Galaxy's Edge.) And asking what the food and merch in this land will be like 12 months after opening is a spot-on, insightful question.
I fully expect, however, that Disney will get bot-slammed on social media around the opening, as the Union of Sh*t Stirring Robots tries to make this the latest thing to divide segments of the American population. So it's going to be very hard to get any real read on how the public is actually feeling about the land after it opens.
I imagine an answer to the question "What will things be like in 12 months after opening" could be answered by looking at Pandora. I haven't had the chance to visit Animal Kingdom since it opened. Have things changed? Is the menu at the Satulli Canteen (I'm not checking the spelling) still the same? Or has it become more generic since opening. Wasn't Avatar-Land's food and merchandise all supposed to be Pandora themed? Were they successful in maintaining that? Or can I get a blue cat-person stuffie with Mickey Mouse ears?
The thing that makes me laugh is that everyone keeps pointing to Harry Potter as the game changer. Harry Potter didn't invent land specific merchandise or food. Back in the day, Main Street at Disneyland and New Orleans Square both had "real" shops to add to the authenticity of being back in those eras. It's a shame that it took Potter to wake Disney back up to real themeing. Also a shame that while the imagineers understand the importance of nooks and crannies in designing a new land, park management turns things like the Court of Angels into exclusive spaces for wealthy guests.
If I enjoy it as much as I love The Shape of Water then I will be a happy camper indeed.
Am I the only one thinking the lightsaber experience could make or break this land. Ok, not make or break obviously, but you know what I mean.
The interactive wands are the thing that truly sets the wizarding world apart. the immersion is off the charts.
One of my most cherished memories is walking along Diagon Alley with my kids as they did spells with their wands.
If Star Wars Land can replicate that in any way, it will be awesome. I fear it will be just paying $50 for the what is ultimately the same thing you can get for $6 at walmart.
@lujab2004 - I don't think the create-your-own-lightsaber shop will be any different than what they offer now at the Star Tours exit shops. Guests can piece together lightsabers using various interchangeable plastic parts and accessories. Based on what Disney has released about the land, lightsabers are not going to be interactive or offer any sort of feedback inside Galaxy's Edge. From the sound of it, Disney will be trying to use their apps to create unique interactions within Galaxy's Edge. Galaxy's Edge lightsabers are not going to be like WWoHP wands.
I do expect that Disney will continue to sell "Master Replica" lightsabers that are made of higher quality materials like glass and metal at prices that are typically in excess of $150, but guests that are spending that much on a toy probably don't want their kids waving them around in shoulder to shoulder crowds. Disney has not announced any partnership with the company that makes Master Replicas to indicate that the higher end lightsabers will offer any interactivity within Galaxy's Edge.
I would note that Jedi don't need a lightsaber to use the Force, so limiting interactivity to those wielding the elegant weapons for a more civilized age would undermine the fact that the Force flows through all living things.
This is so amazing, I recognize all the food and drinks from my favorite Star Wars movies! Just like that antique shop on that one planet where so and so bought that old crappy light-saber, so iconic right. Just like the costumes that they showed us earlier although one of them looked a lot like a blue Marty Mcfly body-warmer.
In the end it will compliment Black Spire Outpost perfectly as the one and truly Star Wars inspired land for Disney fans.
Food has never been as huge as a deal in Star Wars movies with exceptions of blue and green milk and Rey's fast rising green bread (which I hope makes an appearance, too). Disney is getting creative with their food options much like they did in Pandora. But really anything is better than wookiee cookies and Darth Vader waffles.
In the interest of immersion, I wouldn't think lightsabers would be readily available for purchase in most shops in the Star Wars galaxy. However, who doesn't want to wield a lightsaber like a hero (or villian), so I'll let this slide.
The thing I am most curious about is how is one's success in Smuggler's Run going to change the experience elsewhere. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine that there are going to be a lot of cast members in character wandering the land. But if there are too few, then lines waiting to meet those cast members will take away from immersion.
@ Russel & lujab2004,
l.Based on the review I read, I think the light saber experience will be different than the one associated with Star Tours (Officials said It's limited to 14 people at a time & will a minimum of 20 minutes per person, but it mentioned that they didn't feel like toys at all, so he assumed they would be expensive based on the material)
The other store (Droid Depot) where guest can make droids.... and the droids will apparently have interactive elements throughout the land.
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Rise of the Resistance only has two animatronics??