Star Tours, a fan favorite attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, has been updated to include scenes from the new film, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” This attraction has received several updated overlays since its debut in 1989, and the latest additions are sure to… Read More »Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker scenes added to Star Tours
As fans hoped and expected, a new sequence will be added to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue to tie in with the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” on December 20th. Passengers who board the Starspeeder 1000 with C-3PO as Pilot and… Read More »Star Tours announces new destination tied into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In all the huge news that was revealed during the last four days of Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, you may have missed the tidbit that Star Tours: The Adventures Continue will be getting a new destination – the planet Crait. The planet is rich… Read More »Star Tours: The Adventures Continue adding planet from The Last Jedi
click to embiggen Looking for a way to enjoy the new Star Tours attraction but can’t make it back to Disneyland or Disney’s Hollywood Studios anytime soon? Well, faster than it takes to fly a parsec, Disney.com has whipped up a new Star Tours intergalactic… Read More »Disney.com Launches New Star Tours Mini-Website
Tony Baxter, Senior VP Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering, recently chatted with the ForceCast, one of the more respected Star Wars fan podcasts, about Star Tours. They discussed the new version a bit, but Baxter was really excited to explore some of the history of the original Star Tours attraction, including tidbits I’ve never heard before.
You can listen to it here, or I’ve included some of my notes below the jump:
Read More »Tony Baxter relays the untold history of Star Tours, the original
Part of what makes the new Star Tours so awesome, for me at least, is the incredible level of inside jokes, easter eggs, cookies, remnants, and homages. Probably this is because I publish a book of such tributes (Walt Disney World Hidden History: Remnants of Former Attractions and Other Tributes
Here’s what we’ve been able to find so far, listed “chronologically” as we progress through the queue and ride. It should be noted that numerous posters on a couple Disney fan sites helped me by adding to my initial list with new items, that are now folded in:
Queue
THX1138. On the terminal boarding announcements, watch the bottom of the screen for Flight 1138 to Chandrila. There’s also a verbal announcement for landspeeder THX1138, an echo (though a new recording) of a similar announcement pre-rehab.
Fantasy in the Sky fireworks. One video on the large viewscreen mentions Fantasy in the Sky, a reference to the longtime fireworks show at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.
George Lucas. One verbal terminal announcement pages Egroeg Sacul (George Lucas), a holdover announcement from the ride’s previous incarnation.
Tom Morrow. Another verbal announcement mentions Mot Worrom (Tom Morrow backwards), which honors an Audio-Animatronics figure from Tomorrowland’s past (at Disneyland, more than one!)
NCC-1701. Just before reaching the large overhead screen, look to your right for white circle designs in the wall. One is labeled in red font with N1C7C01 – an ‘every other letter’ cipher for the number designation of Star Trek’s Enterprise, NCC-1701.
C3PO and R2D2. Another circle design in this same location uses a backward cipher for the droid names.
Tony Baxter. In the corner just below (just after) the overhead screen, look for lettering in dim light saying TWB3000. This is in deference to Senior Vice President of Creative Development at WDI Tony Wayne Baxter, and the old Star Tours flight number 3000.
Read More »Star Tours – Inside Jokes, Tributes, Remnants, Homages
Here is the great Michael Giacchino on scoring and recording the music for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue queue. I don’t know if you caught it. But there were a couple scenes in there that are not in the final product. Starting at 0:45… Read More »Scoring Star Tours
Bob Iger, George Lucas, and Anthony Daniels enjoy a first ride on Star Tours after the dedication ceremony
When Star Wars Episode One was under production 14 years ago, word leaked out from George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic that they were working on a segment, based on the pod-racing segment, that they wanted to use to update Star Tours at Disneyland. At the time I remember thinking that, it was nice to know that someone remembered how Star Tours was designed to be easily updated with new destinations all the time. Alas, nothing happened at the attraction, but there was a new hope in the air.
I started to let myself dream about what an updated Star Tours would be like. It would have multiple destinations, new characters from the films, include some of the best sets from the movies, and utilize 3D technology. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue meets all my dreams and more.