Star Wars Updates

A week ago, the Anaheim Convention Center was the site of the Star Wars Celebration convention, from April 16 to 19. One of the first items of business was the reveal of the new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Like the first trailer, it had a lively spirit. It contained images of new designs for the film but also contained images that harkened back to the original trilogy. Again, Lucasfilm—now part of Disney—continues to show its commitment to combining old images with new ideas in the push of Star Wars. Here's the trailer:



The trailer makes its debut on Thursday, April 16, and is viewed, by the end of the convention on Sunday, 88 million times.

The reaction from veteran and new fans alike to the trailer has been very positive, with a mix of excitement and anticipation: Excitement brought by the quickly paced images advance the feelings of hope for fans, that this movie will result in the same excitement that the original trilogy produced.

People new to Star Wars also seem hyped up, as seen in the video's comments. Those who are new to the franchise may not have the same sense of nostalgia as us long-time fans who feel pangs of joy at the sight of the Millenium Falcon and the return of Han Solo and Chewbacca, but because of the spectacle of the trailers, they still consider just how cool and fun this movie could be.

Thanks to all the fans for a record breaking 88M views in the first 24 hours of the #TheForceAwakens trailer! #SWCA pic.twitter.com/OsQhyP8rC7 – Star Wars (@starwars) April 19, 2015

With eight months until the movie's release, there is certainly an abundance of anticipation. The trailer raises a lot of questions about the saga and gives virtually nothing away about the plot—which are good things, since they will inevitably lead fans to the theaters in search of answers as well as lead other movie-goers in search of a fun story. In short, Disney and Lucasfilm set out to make a movie that everyone will want to see. And judging from the elaborate yet surprisingly uncluttered visuals of the trailers and the waves of positive reactions, they seem to be on the right path.

Furthermore, Star Wars Celebration revealed details about the next movie of the franchise. Not Episode VIII (which, by the way, is set to be released in May 2017 on the 40th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars movie A New Hope) but the first spin-off story of the franchise. To be released in December 2016, a year after The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Rogue One will be the first of a series of more spin-offs in what will be called the Star Wars Anthology of films (this Daily Mail article offers some details from the movie's director, Gareth Edwards). The official Star Wars twitter account tweeted the plot of Rogue One plot:

A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One #RogueOne. – Star Wars (@starwars) April 19, 2015

There was even a visual teaser for Rogue One, a sort of pre-mini-trailer.

Disney and Lucasfilm are treating the Star Wars galaxy as just that, a galaxy. It is interesting to note that since Rogue One takes place between Episodes III and IV, that it is the same time frame as Disney's current TV program, Star Wars Rebels, so that it could possibly tie into that series in some way.

Whether that was an intentional choice for the first spin-off has yet to be confirmed, but these ideas sure get a fan's imagination turning. Could Rogue One include characters (and actors) from the prequel trilogy? Characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi are still alive at that time. But regardless of any tie-ins, the possibilities for movie opportunities are now boundless. Future "anthology" films could explore stories from one side of the galaxy to the other, and could cross different periods of time in the saga's presumed history.

This galaxy is a big one, so how about things in our own real galaxy?

A few Disney-related updates have come out about Star Wars, not the least of which is the upcoming "Star Wars Weekends" in Walt Disney World happening May 15 to June 14. Also, celebrities have been announced for Star Wars Weekends, including Ian McDiarmid (a.k.a. The Emperor, who made an appearance at Celebration), Warwick Davis (a.k.a. Wicket the Ewok), and Frank Oz who performed Yoda and was heavily involved in another Disney-owned franchise, The Muppets.

In other news, Disney worked with 20th Century Fox to release the six-movie Star Wars saga on digital download. You can now get Star Wars movies in iTunes and other digital outlets.

Finally, some details on Disney's Star Wars cruise have been revealed. Exclusive to the Disney Fantasy cruise ship, "Star Wars Day at Sea" includes a themed deck party where guests can meet and greet popular Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and Darth Vader. The evenings are capped with fireworks set to the score composed by John Williams. These cruises set sail from January 2016 through April.



Star Wars Disney Cruise Line days are detailed at a Walt Disney World presentation. Inside the Magic video.

Disney Hollywood Studio's Changes making way for a Galaxy Far, Far Away?

Speculation can be fun, especially when pondering what the coming Star Wars attractions might be for Disney Parks. In my last couple articles, I was dreaming big and thinking of the many ways the company could make an immersive Star Wars experience unlike any before. Perhaps the final result will be even greater than our imaginations.

Yet, it seems that there is anticipation from many fans of a coming disappointment—that the new park attractions will not be as grand as we wish, and that it will end up being a let-down. My hope for a large-scale expansion of sections of Disney parks to include an entire Star Wars Land comes not just from my own desires as a fan, but from contemplating how Disney has historically approached its own challenges in creating themed domains for guests. The apprehension of many fans to share in this kind of hope comes from rumors that suggest firmer evidence of smaller-scale additions to the parks.

If we look at these rumors and read between the lines of other goings-on in Walt Disney World, some of these ideas could be related to the coming Star Wars rides, whatever they may be. From what we can divine from these tidbits of news so far, small changes to Disney's Hollywood Studios do not suggest the addition of a new land, as I've wished. The changes, however, could be plentiful, and add up to an attempt to improve the overall essence of this particular theme park, which has seen its attendance rise much slower than its three cousins, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom.

According to an article from Daily Finance, industry tracker Themed Entertainment Association notes that Disney's Hollywood Studios has seen its attendance climb just 5.2 percent between 2008 and 2013. That's significantly slower than the 8.9 percent and 6.9 percent upticks in attendance at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, respectively.

First, there is the removal of Mickey's Sorcerer's Apprentice hat from the park's central point. The area is once again open to show its original centerpiece, The Great Movie Ride inside the facade of the Chinese Theater. While the theater is not as easily recognizable as a famous piece of Mickey's costuming, it's still an impressive front that harkens back to the original intent of the park: that of the magic of going to the movies. Speculation persists that the Sorcerer Hat may find a new home somewhere else, either in the Studios or at some other site.

Second, there is Disney CEO Bob Iger's comments that Disney's Hollywood Studios will soon be renamed. Whatever the new name, it is unlikely that such a name change will happen without a new outlook on the park itself. It is rumored the "Studio" name is the first word on the chopping block. The idea of filming TV shows and movies at the park has long been absent. There is no more Hulk Hogan programming and there are no animators working on sketches for guests to peek in on. Instead of those ideas expanding over time, the park has become more like a theme park, with thrill rides like the Tower of Terror and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Over time since the park's opening, people have become much more aware of how movies are made—the curtain has been lifted, with such things as extras and featurettes on DVDs, documentaries about movie productions, and the rise of sites like YouTube and the ease of personal video devices—that the magic of movie-making just doesn't seem all that magical anymore. We're harder to impress nowadays since our public consciousness is fully aware of CGI and the contributions of computers to entertainment. So, some of the opening-day intentions of Disney's Hollywood Studios has dated quite fast.

Third, there have been and will be closures of some attractions in the park. The Studio Backlot Tour has already closed, leaving some space open, should the entire experience be removed. The Tour itself, to me, was a rather sad affair. There wasn't much to see beyond a few vehicle props in the boneyard. Catastrophe Canyon, also part of the tour, was always an enjoyable little spectacle, but failed to remain impressive after decades of advanced special effects; the same goes for the water tank and its ship-at-sea attack starring park guests.

Personally, my favorite part was the prop room. There was genuine interest from many guests to view genuine props from movies, but the problem was that the prop room was just that—a room. You would look down from a balcony to watch a solitary person below hold up a few props that happened to be lying on the table, then the crowd would move on. It seems in hindsight that the room was hastily thrown together and just served its purpose as a glorified storage room. But these gems from movies are just what people like me would love to see more of. A curated collection of movie history will always be intriguing. If Disney can make Animal Kingdom into a not-a-zoo park, just consider what they could do with the idea of a museum of movie memorabilia that wouldn't just live in some random room.

There are other closures planned. The American Idol Experience is also going out. Rumor has it that Sounds Dangerous is near closure. Also, Echo Lake seems to be planned for renovation, or more likely, removal. Finally, the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, the second-longest running show in Walt Disney World behind the Country Bear Jamboree, is set to close any day. It was rumored to shut down this past January but as of April is still running.

It would appear that Disney's Hollywood Studios is going through much more than just a name change. The whole park seems to be gearing up for some kind of large-scale change, perhaps on its way to a more solid identity. Or, perhaps, as I'd like to speculate and hope, it's on its way to include anything from a single additional Star Wars ride alongside Star Tours, or all the way to an expansive area devoted to experiencing the story. Such an area could just be retheming the Indiana Jones spot for Star Wars, or such an area could be one that spans from Star Tours all the way around the southern horseshoe bend of the park. In other words, I still have hope for a large-scale assault on my senses and my fandom. As with the upcoming films, we will wait and see with great excitement and anticipation.

