Disney News

Category: Hollywood Studios

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Attraction Opens Thursday at Disney World

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Attraction Opens Thursday at Disney World

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens tomorrow at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios and the force is strong with this attraction!!!

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance sets a new standard for what a Disney theme park experience can be, as guests become heroes of the Resistance in a climactic battle with the First Order.

    In one of the most immersive, ambitious and technologically advanced attractions ever created for a Disney park, guests launch into space aboard a transport shuttle, only to be captured by a Star Destroyer and pursued by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren as they frantically search for a way to escape the clutches of the First Order.

    This new attraction inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge draws guests into a sprawling Star Wars narrative that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, as jaw-dropping sights brimming with vivid detail create surprises around every turn. In one of the longest Disney attraction experiences ever, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance delivers thrilling action driven by cutting-edge technology and innovative design that gives guests the feeling of stepping inside a Star Wars film.

    Join the Resistance

    • Guests exploring Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge find the Resistance’s temporary encampment in the forested area along the outskirts of Black Spire Outpost on Batuu.
    • The gateway to the encampment is marked by a large turret. From there, a pathway leads deeper into the forest toward towering cliffs and the crumbling remains of an ancient civilization. Guests weave through low stone walls, timeworn pillars and tight corridors as they progress farther into the base, hearing military communications chatter along the way.
    • In a makeshift briefing room, Rey – a hero of the cause – appears via holo-transmission alongside dutiful droid BB-8 to welcome the new Resistance recruits. She shares a plan to reunite with General Leia Organa at an off-planet location that must be kept secret from the First Order.
    • Guests then board a nearby Intersystem Transport Ship (I-TS) and have to make their rendezvous quickly to avoid a First Order Star Destroyer on its way to Batuu. They should have a bad feeling about this …

    An All-Encompassing Attraction Experience

    • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance throws out the rulebook for traditional attraction design, eschewing and/or blending industry notions such as “queue,” “preshow” and “ride” to create a seamless, holistic experience full of rich details and breathtaking excitement on a cinematic scale.
    • When guests board the I-TS, they’ll feel as if they’re lifting off the surface of Batuu and blasting into space alongside Poe Dameron in his signature black-painted X-wing starfighter, Black One.
    • Before the I-TS can make the jump to lightspeed, it’s caught in the tractor beam of a Star Destroyer and pulled into a massive hangar bay.
    • Guests make their escape from the Star Destroyer aboard eight-passenger First Order Fleet Transports piloted by reprogrammed R5-series astromech droids.
    • The attraction features grand set pieces – including the hangar bay that is filled with 50 menacing stormtroopers and a docked TIE fighter. At various points, guests dodge blaster bolts from stormtroopers and AT-AT walkers, scurry past huge turbolaser cannons, and stumble into the Star Destroyer’s bridge.
    • Throughout their journey, guests are hunted by Kylo Ren, who uses the Force in an attempt to pry from their minds the location of General Organa’s secret base. Guests feel Ren’s tremendous malevolent power as they narrowly avoid his attacks.

    Authentically Star Wars

    • Actors from the current Star Wars film trilogy reprise their roles for new scenes and dialogue in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, including Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) and Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux). Many scenes were filmed at the same time “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” were in production.
    • Poe Dameron’s X-wing is one of several vehicles from the Star Wars galaxy appearing in the attraction.
    • Disney cast members adopt personalities of First Order and Resistance troops throughout the attraction to further deepen the immersive experience for guests.
    • Walt Disney Imagineering worked hand in hand with Lucasfilm in writing the attraction’s script, ensuring characters and storylines were properly integrated into the broader Star Wars
    • The attraction introduces a new featured character: Lieutenant Bek is a Mon Calamari Resistance officer who helps guide the Resistance recruits through their harrowing journey.

    Cutting-Edge Technology Powers Immersive Storytelling

    • Walt Disney Imagineering combined multiple ride systems to tell the story of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. In one sequence, a new simulator experience gives the sensation of falling from space to crash land on Batuu.
    • The trackless ride vehicles in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are some of the most advanced ever used in a Disney attraction, with a sleek, low profile and the ability to move in all directions.
    • Disney A-1000 Audio-Animatronicsfigures appearing in the attraction provide a deep level of immersive storytelling through their lifelike and dynamic movements.
    • To fully realize this Star Wars story, Imagineers created thousands of special effects, from slashing lightsabers and whizzing blaster bolts to exploding walls and massive star fields – just to name a few.

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020, at Disneyland Park in California. 

  • BREAKING: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Set to Open March 4, 2020 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

    BREAKING: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Set to Open March 4, 2020 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

    In a special presentation Tuesday at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek announced Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open March 4, 2020, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

    On this new attraction, guests step through the movie screen and join Mickey and friends on a railway adventure as they take part in the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse Cartoon Short.

    This will be the first Disney ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, that will draw your guests inside a Mickey cartoon for a fun-filled adventure where “Mouse rules apply” and anything can happen! 

    Walt Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty came on stage during the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts panel during last year’s D23 Expo and described Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway as a zany, out-of-control adventure with unpredictable twists and turns, dazzling visual effects, and mind-boggling transformations that happen during the scenes.

  • Disney Reveals New Poster for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

    Disney Reveals New Poster for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

    Disney just released a new poster for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and it shows you’ll be traveling into a world where Mouse Rules Apply! The ride will be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in spring 2020 and Disneyland’s Toontown in 2022.

    Burst into a world where mouse rules apply

    Hollywood Studios Chinese Theater and the new El Capitoon Theater in Disneyland will serve as magic portals that lets you step through the movie screen and join Mickey and the gang on some wacky adventures pulled directly from the Disney Channel’s Emmy® Award-winning “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts. The Runaway Railway will feature a new technology known as “2 & ​1⁄2 D,” which is like 3D without glasses.

    You can download a high-resolution version here.
    Stay tuned for exciting updates on this immersive experience opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Spring 2020 and at Disneyland® Park in 2022.

  • New 360° Tiny World Magic Shot Available in Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

    New 360° Tiny World Magic Shot Available in Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

    Disney PhotoPass Service is a perfect way to capture and relive your adventure inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, especially with creative new offerings like the new 360° Tiny World Magic Shot!

    Available by visiting a Disney PhotoPass photographer near the Milk Stand, this unique photo puts you right in the center of Black Spire Outpost and its surrounding landscape with a single 360° image! Sometimes the world DOES revolve around you. 

    During your visit to Batuu, also be sure to check out two of our Super Zoom Magic Shots, which provide amazing angles from high above and a one-of-a-kind video. 

    The Tiny World Magic Shot is available exclusively during daytime hours in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and is available for download as part of the Memory Maker and Memory Maker One Day products. Or, you can purchase a digital download of the photo for $16.95 at Disneyworld.com/PhotoPass.  

    Don’t miss the chance to capture one of the most spectacular vantage points on the planet! 

  • Exciting Updates Coming to Star Tours — The Adventures Continue

    Exciting Updates Coming to Star Tours — The Adventures Continue

    We’re excited to announce that starting December 20th ‘Star Tours – The Adventures Continue’ is getting another update to include scenes from The Rise of Skywalker!

    Fans of the saga will recognize the ocean moon Kef Bir, which we got glimpses of in the trailers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It seems that this is where parts of the Death Star fell after it’s destruction, and where a major showdown between Rey and Kylo Ren will take place.

    Disney has partnered with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic to update the attraction with new and exciting destinations in the past. The last update for this ride was November 2017, when the mineral planet Crait and the Resistance outpost on Batuu were added.
    Passengers who board the Starspeeder 1000 never know where in the galaxy their pilot C-3PO will take them, and the addition of new scenes will add to the already 384 ride combinations!

    This update will include ‘Star Tours – The Adventures Continue’ at Disneyland® Resort, Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disney Resort. Starspeeders will be heading to Kef Bir, and possibly other secret locations, soon! Which Star Wars characters are you excited to see along the way?

    With Galaxy’s Edge opening and all the new Star Wars stuff coming to Disney, now is to perfect time to contact me at Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Kimberly and start planning your next Star Wars adventure!

  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Officially Opens at Walt Disney World Resort

    Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Officially Opens at Walt Disney World Resort

    This will be a day long remembered at Disney World, as the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is finally here!

    Fireworks exploded overhead during the land’s dedication ceremony on Wednesday morning as Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, was flanked by the mighty Chewbacca and other Star Wars characters and today it’s officially open to the public..

    “With the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we’ve set a new standard for the most immersive storytelling in the galaxy,” said Chapek. “Every experience in Batuu – from piloting the Millennium Falcon to building your own droid – puts guests deeper into their own Star Wars story.”

    Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened at Disneyland Park in California on May 31, 2019, is the largest and most technologically advanced single-themed land expansion ever in a Disney park. The 14-acre land transports guests to the remote planet of Batuu, full of unique sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

    Guests become part of their own Star Warsstories as they experience galactic food and beverages, such as iconic Blue Milk and Green Milk. They can craft their own lightsabers or build their own droids in immersive, interactive retail experiences. They can explore an intriguing collection of merchant shops and may even come across iconic Star Wars characters.

    In one of the land’s signature attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests take the controls of the most famous ship in the galaxy as pilots, gunners or flight engineers in an exhilarating experience that responds in real time to the actions they take. A second anchor attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will debut Dec. 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Jan. 17, 2020, at Disneyland. In the most ambitious, immersive and advanced attraction ever imagined, guests will become part of the action during a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance in an experience that will blur the lines between fantasy and reality.

    The new land builds off decades of collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd., a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production, including the Star Wars franchise. The work on Star Wars between these two creative powerhouses dates back to 1987, when the groundbreaking Star Tours attraction opened at Disneyland Park in California.

  • Darth Vader Replacing Kylo Ren Meet-and-Greet at Hollywood Studios This Fall

    Darth Vader Replacing Kylo Ren Meet-and-Greet at Hollywood Studios This Fall

    For those who though that Darth Vader wouldn’t be returning to his meet & greet location in Hollywood Studios, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Today, Disney announced Vader will indeed begin meeting guests again in the Launch Bay beginning this fall.

    Starting August 29 at Star Wars Launch Bay, you can even have a personal face-to-face encounter with Darth Vader himself.

    Kylo Ren replaced Darth Vader back in 2016 and has been meeting guests ever since, but his grandfather has decided it’s time to reclaim his rightful place in the park. In the words of Vader, “The circle is now complete.”

    Star Wars Launch Bay is a multi-sensory space for Star Wars fans of all ages with the “Meet the Makers” short film, galleries featuring treasured memorabilia and authentic replicas of Star Warsartifacts, special Star Warsmerchandise and also other character opportunities where you can meet favorite Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and BB-8. 

  • Disney Announces Passholder Preview for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World

    Disney Announces Passholder Preview for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World

    With the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge just over a couple months away Disney confirmed today that it will hold special passholder previews for Disney World’s new out of this galaxy land.

    Platinum, Platinum Plus and Premier Annual Passholders will be among the first to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with complimentary special preview opportunities planned before the land’s opening on Aug. 29.

    Galaxy’s Edge, the 14-acre expansion, will feature two attractions — Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — as well as several shops and restaurants. Smugglers Run is the only attraction that will open with the land; Rise of the Resistance is scheduled to open later this year.

    Capacity is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. More information and registration details for previews will be shared at a later date.

    If you need help booking your magical vacation, contact Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Vikki for help. My services are completely free and I will always find you the lowest rates. Let me do all the work so you don’t have to!

  • New Details Revealed For Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

    New Details Revealed For Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

    As we previously reported, “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is opening in 2020 and today Disney has revealed several exciting new details!

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway makes for the first ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction. The new attraction will totally immerse guests in a cartoon world and will feature a new catchy theme song created especially for the attraction. They say it’s an ear worm for sure!

    We got a preview of the the ride marquee, as you can see in the pic above, which will hang on the Chinese Theatre when the attraction opens. Then we got a chance to see what the ride vehicles will look like as you can see below. On the left in normal lighting and on the right in black lighting.

    One you make it inside past the marquee, the pre-show are will feature a brand new Mickey Mouse animated short called “Perfect Picnic.”

    Goofy will be driving the train once you make it on the ride and one of the most interesting take aways from todays press event is that the whistle that will be heard in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will be the actual whistle used from 1928’s “Steamboat Willie.”

    On Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, you’ll step through the movie screen and join Mickey and his friends like never before. The attraction will put you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse Cartoon Short where you’re the star and anything can happen. This zany out-of-control adventure features surprising twists and turns, dazzling visual effects and mind-boggling transformations that happen before your very eyes.

    The teams helping create the attraction are currently working with partners at Disney Television Animation—the people who create the popular and award-winning Mickey Shorts – to keep the characters and story authentic and to make sure you’re able to step through the movie screen and join Mickey and his friends like never before.