Disney Star Wars attractions

[Tycho]

I read JediTricks' post about Hasbro's build-your-own-lightsaber classes at Disneyworld Florida.

I just celebrated my birthday at Disneyland California. Besides riding Star Tours for probably my 30th time or whatever, they had a Jedi Training Academy with Jedi Masters instructing the kids (likely age 9 and under). It was so cute. They put the kids in little Jedi robes and handed them each the lowest price point Hasbro toy lightsabers while the Force music blared out of the speakers and the well-dressed Jedi Masters taught the kids some moves.

Then the entire stage rose out of the ground! I was not expecting this at all. Inside was Darth Vader's meditation chamber and a very tall Vader and Imperial Stormtroopers spilled out with Palpatine's voice-over "Commander: Execute Order 66!" and Vader calling, "There will be no one to stop us this time!"

The Jedi Masters just about had all the younglings under control when Darth Maul lept out of the Sith's pit and demonstrated some very accomplished prowess with the Master Replicas double-bladed saber! This one little girl "youngling" started crying!

One by one, the Jedi Masters took their pupils to combat the Dark Side! It was precious.

Many of you who have gone to Star Wars Celebrations have seen this show - but with the stage and Disney's sound system and smoke / steam displays, it was really something to see.

I was quite sure I posted about this, but I maybe mistaken.

In any case, while Disney does great things with Star Wars, I'd love to see what a total Star Wars theme park with restaurants and roller coasters could do. I started some sketches of how I'd set up the different planets just like Disney sets up Frontierland, Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land, etc.

I'd have plenty of things for all ages there and a full size AT-AT with snowspeeder rollercoasters circling it and going through Wampa / TaunTaun ice caves in the center of the park! Additionally, I'd install LaserTag blasters on each coaster car (snowspeeder and what-not) and have the receptors on the targets like vulnerable spots on the AT-AT and you get a shooting score when you disembark at the end of the ride.

These Jedi Training Academies could find another home in the Star Wars park for the kids, as well as things like spinning Senate Cars in place of the tea cups, and AAT bumper cars that let you run over cardboard Gungans and fire Nerf balls, etc. The Ewok Tree House would be a must.

In place of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride or the Haunted House, a tour through Jabba's Palace on Tatooine Skiff cars would work.

And oh, the speederbike ride! The Podrace! The Death Star Trench run!

We've talked about this before. How come there isn't a Star Wars theme park? I'd say build it in Arizona. The Southwest's weather is the best. California has too many theme parks. Nevada has Las Vegas. Arizona would subsidize something like this to get it started and put it on the center of the map for tourist attractions.

Even if it could be open, let Disney keep what they have - it's good advertising.

[figrin bran]

i watched the Jedi Academy 1 and a half times the last time i was at DL. they didn't have the "order 66" clip yet though.

[JediTricks]

I hadn't heard the jedi training thing was that elaborate. Using the non-electronic basic sabers for kids is a good idea, they're safer to hit things with and don't require batteries, they're actually awesome for duelling because you can really go to town hitting stuff without worrying of breakage.

Ugh, do you know how Arizona gets in the spring, summer, and fall? It's ridiculous! It's so hot there, many businesses have built-in sprinkler systems misting their customers outside the building. People die in heat like that just standing still, imagine waiting in a line surrounded by people or walking a quarter mile to the ride on the other side of the park.

[figrin bran]

it actually rains quite a lot at times during summers in Flagstaff and surrounding areas of AZ.

[JediTricks]

Yeah, I was only referring to the temperate areas of Arizona, the southern half with Phoenix and such because Tycho referred to the state as climate and that's the part that is climate. California is the same way, it's like 1200 miles long and the weather varies greatly from rainy to sunny to snowy - heck, over a third of the year you can see snowcapped mountains from Los Angeles.

[Tycho]

So where would be a good location for such a large, Disney-sized, Star Wars amusement park?

We're looking for the best year-round weather, but also not an over-saturation of amusement facilities.

California has (all near Los Angeles):

Universal Studios - most movie themed, least roller coaster type rides
Six Flags Magic Mountain - best rollercoasters, highly WB themed
Knotts' Berry Farm - old west theme, decent roller coasters
Disneyland - fantasy themed, very light touch of Star Wars, an unrelated property, mild roller coaster style rides

Not too far from there is SeaWorld San Diego, with very slight rollercoaster style rides, but mostly an oceanography zoo.

Water parks dot the state as well, with:

Raging Waters - San Dimas
Wild Rivers - Irvine
Soak City - San Diego
(and Six Flags has their own water park within Magic Mountain).

The latter is important, as I'd turn the air filtration slides Luke fell through in Cloud City into one heck of a water ride.

"Sit down with your legs crossed, cut off your right hand, and wait until the lifeguard says "go!" Then have a nice ride!"

- But seriously, extending Luke's fall through Cloud City could make a great water park ride. Additional elements from Naboo or Kamino, or a "Lava ride" from Mustafar could expand the water park side of things with good weather to keep the attraction operating. Perhaps a Kamino Clone Trooper Training Course with obstacles, water slides, rope to climb, and water cannons to lay siege to - perhaps all while wearing some light foam Clone Trooper head pieces, chest pads, and arm and knee pads, with a costumed Jango Fett as your coach?

[figrin bran]

They could build the park next to Skywalker Ranch

[Slicker]

I didn't read your entire post but why couldn't the theme park be built in the midwest? It's more centralized and, contrary to popular belief, it's nice most of the year and the bad months are actually good for maintanence and what not.

[2-1B]

I think Slicker is a great attraction.

Plop that thing in Chicago or something, so it's only a < 3 hour drive for me.

[bobafrett]

I think Slicker is a great attraction.

Plop that thing in Chicago or something, so it's only a < 3 hour drive for me.

Even closer for me! But then we have the six flags in Gurnee, and they used to have a park somewhere near by called "Old Chicago" if I remember right, and it was a real cool park with a shopping mall around it. The place must have failed, cause it doesn't exsist (sp?) anymore.

I found some info on the place, neat idea, but it only lasted 6 years.

http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/IL...oldchicago.htm