I've still got awhile to wait before Galaxy's Edge opens in Hollywood Studios, & I get to find myself behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon. Until then though, Disneyland just put out this cool little video of what to expect from queue to actual ride. This attraction has a lot of layers to it. From the initial intro to the mission, to the waiting dock of the Falcon's inside designed with implicit attention to detail, all the way to the cockpit where you actually pilot the attraction. Which, by the way, I've completely made up my mind is the only way to go, pilot or co-pilot. This looks absolutely amazing. I was more excited about the actual land than I was this opening attraction. Now however, I'd have to say my excitement level is about even for both. How bout y'all? Who's made it to the Land already, & who can't wait for Hollywood Studios to take a chance at piloting the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
New Details On "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge"
New details just came out for my number 1 anticipated thing coming this year. It originated from a strange place, financial newspaper, Barron's. I came across it via The Disney Blog. A reporter got a full walkthrough of the attraction's, & gave some pretty thorough details of the experience. Like the bridges to Pandora, both entrances will serve as a kind of scene change. You'll go from dark to light as you're immersed in a brand new world that'll look, smell, feel, & sound totally Star Wars. One of the main attractions, Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run , will put you in control of the fastest ship in the galaxy. Apparently Hondo Ohnaka of Star Wars: Rebels fame will lead the adventure, as he's borrowed the Falcon from Chewbacca for a special mission. You'll head through to the 6 person cockpit passing familiar settings, specifically mentioning the 3-D holographic chest board. Your input at the controls will affect the actual ride in real time. Not only determining your outcome, but also affecting your experience in the land as a whole. For example, hearing about how well or not you did through whispers around the area when you visit the store or Oga's Cantina . There was also a couple new details on the other attraction, Rise of the Resistance. The ride will start off with the queue, walking through a Resistance base. Then you're "captured" by the First Order, & taken aboard their ship. That's where the trackless ride comes in with the transport. Leading to the escape complete with Kylo Ren, stormtroopers, & an AT-AT Walker the reporter was especially impressed by. He talked a little about Oga's Cantina , it having a real feel of A New Hope's cantina scene. Featuring alcoholic beverages, a first for Disneyland, & a non-dairy blue milk, the seating will be sparse. Most likely to encourage guests to move on through with their drinks. There will be one less seat among tubes & vessel filled bar, if I have anything to say about it. I'm planning on spending a good amount of time there in particular. The final piece of light shedded on the new land came in its form of Pandora's Banshee. Visitors will have the option of purchasing, or "adopting", their own droid. Even giving it it's own personality. Examples were given of it being scared, & signaling when stormtroopers are near. These are portable, & as awesome as it sounds, they went on to mention possibilities of full size R2-D2 style droids for those that want to shed out some big bucks. Could you imagine having your own full size droid? Depending on how deep your pockets have to be, I might have to settle for mini droid, but I'll still take it either way. All in all, the biggest detail I'm excited about that came out is hands down the ones about these droids. Much like Pandora's Banshees, I'm sure I'll brave the 5 plus hour lines to get my hands on one day one. Anyway, what do y'all think? Any of these details get you more excited for the new land? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Disney Parks Announce Opening Season For "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge"
Disney Parks has announced the opening seasons for both Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge parks. Disneyland's is scheduled to open in the summer next year with Hollywood Studio's version following closely behind, opening late fall. Not sure why the gap between the two. Either Hollywood Studio's park is planned bigger, or they're planning on trying to open the Star Wars themed resort at the same time. This announcement just makes the whole thing that much more real. I'm more excited about these lands than I am for any Star Wars release. Didn't dream I was going to have to wait until late fall for it. This is gonna be a hard one. I almost don't even want any sneak peeks, just so it can all hit me at once. And though I'm saying that now, I know I'm lying. If I can, I'm gonna know this place's whole layout before I even step foot in the place. Hell, I've been waiting for this my whole life, & just didn't know it. Who else is already planning next year's seasons around these openings? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
First Look At What We Can Expect From Inside The Millennium Falcon Ride!
An in-progress sequence from the Millennium Falcon attraction has been unveiled, & Nvidia put up this pic as well as some details on what we can expect from this ride when we visit Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge when it opens next year. The pic's a little lackluster, but the over technical details are amazing. Produced by ILMxLAB, & running in real time, this was the first glimpse of the highly immersive attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering teamed with Nvidia & Epic Games to develop the new tech. Riders will enter the cockpit, which much like Mission: Space will have buttons & knobs, giving you the chance to "pilot" the Falcon. Here's where it gets technical though. The cockpit will be powered with a single BOXX chassis packed witheight high-end NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPUs, connected via Quadro SLI. Quadro Synch will synchronize five projectors for creating ultra-high resolution & perfectly timed displays to fully immerse guests in planet Batuu. The team created a custom multi-GPU implementation for Unreal Engine. Anyone who plays games knows what that is. “We worked with NVIDIA engineers to use Quadro-specific features like Mosaic and cross-GPU reads to develop a renderer that had performance characteristics we needed,” says Bei Yang, technology studio executive at Disney Imagineering. “Using the eight connected GPUs allowed us to achieve performance unlike anything before.” Most of that was even too technical for me, but from what I got out of it, this definitely is not going to be your average simulator. Five projectors? This is one of my most anticipated parts of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. I can't wait for more on this. What do ya'll think? Does this sound awesome? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Patents To Make Your Lightsaber Dreams Reality At Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge just got even better if this is what this is for. Ever since the announcement of a Star Wars themed land the question on everyone's mind has been lightsabers? They've talked AR, & it looks like they're getting ready to make that happen. This sounds amazing, technical, but amazing nonetheless. WDW News Today reported via blooloop.com, Disney has filed a patent for an AR system to make your laser sword dreams a reality. Actual wording, "relates to systems & methods for augmenting an appearance of a hilt to simulate a bladed weapon." This doesn't describe the intended use. So while could be walking around like a Jedi in Batuu, this could also be for a console or mobile game. I doubt it though, the scale of this thing is pretty intense. There will be a physical hilt containing motion & orientation sensors to determine where the hilt is. On a display (headset, phone, visor) you will see the overlay of "a broadsword, an axe, or a katana." That cover any other uses, but we all know what this is for. Especially when you look at the hilts & notice a dual-blade, "Darth Maul" option. You'll have control over type, size, shape, & color as well, with other users seeing what you see. Also in the patent is a speaker & haptic generator for sound & vibration. The blades will interact with real objects both static (doors, walls, rocks) or dynamic (moving doors & targets), as well as virtual objects both static (force field, another virtual blade, etc.) or dynamic (moving virtual blade, virtual blaster fire, virtual moving robot, etc.). Interaction with objects will trigger visual, audio, & tactile effects. If that doesn't sound like the most awesome thing you've ever heard, one diagram shows deflecting blaster fire with a flash occurring, & two lightsabers flashing as they connect eluding to dueling. The patent even goes as far to describe deflecting a blaster bolt back at the stormtrooper that fired, triggering audio of being hit. This is amazing on so many levels. I can't believe this is a real thing that is actually about to happen. So excited. What do y'all think? Wanna get your hands on a lightsaber? Put it in the comments like & share.
Cards Paint A Vivid Picture Of "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge"
This is so cool. Apparently, last month at Galactic Nights in Hollywood Studios guests who attended the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge panel we're given some cards. WDW News Today just put up a picture of them all, & not only do they give details of what to expect, the back is map of the planet Batuu. The cards feature a host of details. Captain Rex from the original Star Tours is now a DJ in the local cantina. We'll get fired on by some AT-AT walkers in "Battle Escape". Based on your rep you could have to get out of soome situations with local thugs & bounty hunters. Speaking of which, you can join the Resistance, First Order, or become a bounty hunter/smuggler. You may even come face to mask with Kylo Ren. The maps one of the really intriguing parts though. "Black Spire Station" selling droids & parts. "Docking Bay 7" looking like the place to get some grub. The "Cantina", my favorite concept here, seems to be the main hub of all the action. "Surabat River Valley" is a spot that most likely will wind up the Millennium Falcon's backdrop for the upcoming attraction. "Merchant Row" will be home to many shops like the toy store that will carry Batuu made toys, with "Docking Bay 9" being the place the First Order will "set up shop for their recruiting." There's a part of me that still can't even believe this is happening. The level of emersion they're going for is amazing! I can't wait to walk these streets & lose myself in this world. What do y'all think though? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Second New Destination For Star Tours Reveals "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" Planet's Name
Last month we talked about Star Tours going to it's new Star Wars: The Last Jedi location of Crait. Over the past week, leading up to it's debut, Disney's been giving more little tidbits of info, like the addition of another undisclosed destination, Kylo Ren, & Poe Dameron. The addition of the newer characters led to rumors that when the ride is put back on random, there will be no mixing of the Star Wars generations now. Meaning whatever "time" your ride is based in will reflect the characters you see. I actually like this concept, but I'm a cannon freak. I like to know everything has its proper place in my stories. One of the very few things I do take seriously. I didn't want to really talk about these new disclosures until we got to the part I cared about. What is the undisclosed destination? Well, upon its release yesterday, Disney announced the destination as Batuu. Apparently C-3P0 knows of this planet, a remote outpost on the "galaxy's edge", once booming, & now fell to the rise of hyperspace travel. Now it's a port for smugglers, traders, & us adventurers traveling uncharted regions. They also mentioned it's an unoccupied safe haven from the First Order. The best part is what all this really is. If you haven't caught on from the concept art they released below, or the wording used, then surprise! This is the planet shown to us in model form, that will be the subject of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This just upped my excitement to jump on this ride ten fold. I can't wait to get a first look at this planet being created for us to explore in less than a couple years. This is just one more step in building the anticipation for this monumental event, & I can't wait for more. There's still a part of me that can't believe this is happening. Anyway, what do y'all think about this revelation, & what do y'all hope gets announced next when it comes to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
"Star Wars Galactic Nights" At Hollywood Studios Shaping Up To Be A Must For Star Wars Fans
If you got some spare funds lying around & nothing to do on December 16th, you might want to make your way to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Galactic Nights. You'll be joining the man who's been all over the Star Wars universe as many different characters ever since debuting as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, Warwick Davis. David Collins will host Inside Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a panel with members of Walt Disney Imagineering & Lucasfilm, giving attendees an inside look at the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge & the progress being made with these lands being added on both coasts to Hollywood Studios & Disneyland. Guests will get to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the Star Wars Launch Bay & Star Wars: Path of the Jedi. As well as having new touches added to Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular from the films debuting that night. All that, along with photo-ops throughout the park with three new backdrops, character encounters, special themed food, beverage, merchandise, & more. There's two major things however that are making me even consider this. One, is the ability to dress up Star Wars. That was probably my favorite part of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Adults just don't get to wear costumes that much without being judged, so we take every chance we get. Second, is my new infatuation ever since Happily Ever After, state-of-the-art projections. Disney put out this picture of what the Hollywood Tower will look like as it's transformed into different locations from the Star Wars galaxy, accompanied by special effects, lighting, & the iconic Star Wars score. This projection looks like you could walk right up to Jabba's Palace & knock on the door. This sounds amazing. So you see all those lightsabers in the street? It'll set you back a little with the ticket price for the 7pm-midnight event coming in at $129, with discounts for Annual Passholders & DVC Members. Times four, that's the only thing really holding me back from this, this year at least. I'm making a list for next year though, & this just found a spot on it. This sounds amazing, & coming right off The Last Jedi release, I'm going to bet the Force will be strong with this event. What do y'all think though? Impressive? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Hollywood Studios Debuts Toy Story Land & Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Models Along With Concept Art For Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Walt Disney Presents in Hollywood Studios has finally revealed Toy Story Land model along with the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge model from D23, & concept art for the upcoming Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, taking the former spot of the Great Movie Ride. Inside The Magic has put up these awesome videos giving everyone a look at them. We already saw the Galaxy's Edge model at D23, & talked about it here. However, this video seemed to give me a better since of scale. I could be imagining things, but it seems to come of taller in this look than at D23. Since I had already seen this model though the real thing that caught my eye was Toy Story Land. The giant Jenga & the whole place being made of Tinker Toys... I can't even explain how much tis does for me. This place screams fun. And as much as I talk about not wanting another roller coaster with the Slinky Dog Dash, that thing looks massive. If it has the Slinky effect while in motion this thing might actually wind up being something different. Fingers crossed. Last up, & kinda falling a little short just because there's not much to show yet, concept art for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. You get to see a glimpse of the model for the ride car. As well as some shots of the inspiration that stems from the newest Mickey Mouse cartoons. It's a "2 & 1/2D" whatever that means, they are describing it as 3D without the glasses. I got a lot of hope for this, as I really enjoy the new Mickey Mouse cartoons, but they better knock this one out of the park. It's replacing a classic. Anyway, what do y'all think of these? Put it in the comments, like, & share.