Thannks to a talk at CES yesterday, we’re hearing our first reports about one of the possible attractions coming to Star Wars land at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Jon Snoddy, an executive vice president over at Walt Disney Imagineering, was on a panel at CES and in a moment of excitement let slip some information on the attraction Imagineering and Industrial Light and Magic are partnering on. According to Snoddy it will be “unprecedented, in a way.”
The information itself comes from a Business Insider reporter who was at the talk. Snoddy hinted one of the new Star Wars land attractions would be a “boat ride,” probably similar to the new Pirates of the Caribbean attraction being constructed at Shanghai Disneyland. Also, that there would be a combination of real world sets, robotics, and digital projection on a scale we haven’t seen before.
The Pirates ride at Shanghai Disneyland reportedly will incorporate choreographed boat motion similar to what you experience on Indiana Jones Adventure but you are on the water. Imagineering often uses a ride vehicle technology developed for one park and transfers it to another park with a new story. So the reports of a similar ‘boat ride’ coming to Star Wars land does not surprise me that much.
Now the big caveat is that this quote make have been taken either slightly out of context. After all all there is a boat ride planned for Avatar-land. Still, that is reportedly described as a more gentle family ride, it sounds like the Star Wars land ride would be more rollicking.
Previously: Star Wars Land announced at D23 Expo.
Another possible problem with this report is that it conflicts with what Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned at the D23 Expo. He said that there would be two signature attractions, “including the ability to take the controls of one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, on a customized secret mission, and an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle.”
It’s possible that plans change, and the Star Wars plans revealed at D23 Expo were definitely preliminary. Or, it’s possible that they realized that one E-ticket and lessor attraction would not be enough for the franchise.
Finally, usually attractions in a land that’s inspired by a movie has some sort of tie-in to the movie itself. There’s a boat-ride in Avatar-land because the scenes with the river were part of an important story element. Unless my memory fails me, there was no river in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” So it’s possible that this is a third attraction planned to relate a story element from Episode VIII, which will have opened in theaters before Star Wars Land opens in the theme parks.
What’s your best guess? Was Snoddy talking out of turn, or have plans for Star Wars land changed that much already?
I read somewhere else a person surmising that the boat ride was for the battle versus the First Order attraction, I just have a hard time picturing that working…I really expected that attraction, when I heard the description at D23, to be a virtual reality type experience. I really hope your hypothesis is right and that this is some sort of third attraction but I guess we will just have to wait and see!
Think of Pirates of the Carribean, a boat ride can still feature an epic battle, so it could be that the non-falcon ride is the boat ride.
Also if there are desert planets and forest planets why can’t there be a water-logged planet in the Star Wars galaxy?
Save the boat ride for Avatarland. Star Wars should be more like a combination of Indiana Jones and the MGM ride at Walt Disney World. They really are going through too much brain storming. The Imagineers should get input from Tony Baxter and yes, get George Lucas’ input since Star Wars was his baby. Give him some respect even though he sold out to Disney for $4 Billion dollars. I’m sure he still he feels bad he short selled on his franchise.
I hope also feels bad for some of the idiotic changes he made to the original 3 movies. As well as the immensely disappointing prequels.
God bless him for his creation of the Star Wars Universe.
But good lord, he’s needs to kept as far away from any more disastrous input.
The Force Awakens shows Disney’s on the right path.
He said,
“It will be a boat ride where the boats are controlled down to millimeters to precisely align them frame by frame to this ILM giant projection that will be able to determine where peoples’ eyes are to give a sense of depth in 3D.”
Boat ride could also mean a ride with a large enough vehicle for 4+ people without water. Imagine a ride Great Movie Ride style ride that uses Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) like that. Similar to a “boat” without water. This could be then done as a ship or a tour of Jakku or really whatever they wanted and use some of this new technology by tracking where the AGV is exactly.
“blah” to a boat ride. seriously roller coaster’s please.
During the D23 Expo Bob Iger also said that these attractions would feature all new locations and planets and aliens. That these places would tie into the movies but stand on their own. So with that being said a boat ride does not have to directly tie into the Force Awakes or for that matter Episode VIII at all.
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