Guests attending Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World this year will have a chance to be captured by Darth Vader, frozen in carbonite, and mounted inside Jabba the Hutt’s lair – or at least a notch or two short of that.

The iconic moment in which Han Solo undergoes carbon freezing in “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” is being duplicated as part of Disney Parks’ new “Carbon-Freeze Me” experience, developed specifically for the annual “Star Wars” event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, beginning May 18, 2012.

UPDATE (5/18/12): The Carbon Freeze Me experience is now open and I’ve posted a full report and video:

UPDATE (7/5/12): My Carbon Freeze Me figure has arrived and it looks fantastic:



I also have posted photos and a full report here.

Guests at Star Wars Weekends this year will be given the opportunity to step into a “Carbon Freezing Chamber,” located near The American Idol Experience in the theme park, and have their faces 3-D scanned using multiple cameras to create a 8-inch figurine depicting themselves frozen in carbonite. It also comes with a light-up wristband.

The figurine will be shipped to fans’ houses after around four weeks, featuring the participant’s face instead of the likeness of Harrison Ford, stuck in that famous pose.

The resulting figurine will be able to be hung on a wall. It’s part of Disney’s “D-Tech Me” line of personalized products.

With thousands of fans attending Star Wars Weekends each year, the new “Carbon-Freeze Me” experience is sure to be a popular one. As such reservations are required and available to be made as of today by calling 407-WDW-TECH (407-939-8324). A call made to that line today took 13 minutes on hold before a Disney representative answered, who said the experience has been extremely popular so far and is likely to be fully booked within a few days.

The cost to create a “carbonite” figurine featuring your own visage is $99.95 (plus tax and shipping). With tax, it comes to $106.45 and shipping amounts vary based on location. Additional figurines featuring the same image will be available for $74.95 each (plus tax and shipping). In addition, theme park admission is required for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to participate and no discounts apply toward the “Carbon-Freeze Me” purchase.

Guests should arrive 10 minutes earlier than the reserved time and expect the whole process to take around 30 minutes, with more time allowed to strike multiple poses in order to choose that perfect “Han in agony” face (or any other zany facial expression). Faces must be clean and free of make-up.

A few more restrictions worth noting are that children participating must be at least three years old and accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. When calling to book, a valid credit card number is required, though it won’t be charged until the experience takes place, at which point it is non-refundable. Cancellations must be made within 48 hours of the reserved time or a $25 cancellation fee will be assessed, with the same fee applying for no-shows.

And yes, I have my own time booked for the new experience on opening day of Star Wars Weekends, which is May 18, 2012, continuing Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through June 10. May the Force be with me.