When Star Wars Land was officially unveiled earlier this year, we were very excited about the prospect of a galaxy far far away coming to life inside Walt Disney World. However, as the dust settles from the D23 Expo and more information has come to light about what steps are being taken to bring this experience to life, it has become clear that there is a lot being lost as Star Wars prepares to steamroll Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And while some of these losses were telegraphed far in advance, it doesn’t mean that we won’t mourn some of these losses, including one that was just confirmed recently:
1. Star Wars Weekends has been cancelled
In a blog post detailing the opening of the Star Wars Launch Bay Disney casually mentioned that since this attraction gave fans a way to celebrate Star Wars every day, the long-running Star Wars Weekends event was found to be superfluous and was officially cancelled.
Of course, many fans were upset by this decision, and for good reason. Though the opening of the Star Wars Launch Bay does indeed provide guests with a way to experience Star Wars every day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so does Star Tours, and that attraction’s existence was never used to try and cancel this massive event.
However, speaking more broadly, Star Wars Weekends was more than just a simple celebration or a way to experience Star Wars at Walt Disney World. This annual event brought celebrity guests (including huge stars like Mark Hamill and Frank Oz) to the parks, featured informative panels that took guests behind the scenes, and also had unique shows where kids could get Sith training from Ray Park or reenact Warwick Davis’ early years with the man himself.
Though the character meet and greets and special merchandise that were a part of this annual tradition will certainly be duplicated at the Star Wars Launch Bay, this event’s loss is definitely a big one, and is being keenly felt by fans who were hoping it would return in spring 2016. But unfortunately, Disney has pulled the plug on Star Wars Weekends, and now we can only hope that Star Wars: Season of the Force will live up to the long shadow cast by Star Wars Weekends.
2. Classic Disney’s Hollywood Studios Attractions are also being lost
Image: Disney
Though the cancellation of Star Wars Weekends was a tough blow for Star Wars fans, those who enjoy other parts of Disney’s Hollywood Studios are also losing a lot while the parks bring Star Wars Land to life as well. Earlier this year it was announced that construction of Star Wars Land was responsible for knocking out the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and we know that the clock is ticking on stunt show Lights Motors Action, which is also expected not to survive the transformation into Star Wars Land.
Also in danger? Pretty much every restaurant and attraction near Echo Lake, as well as MuppetVision 4-D, the Cars Meet and Greet as well as the Phineas and Ferb character experience. Though it could be argued that none of those attractions are really headliners, the fact is that Disney’s Hollywood Studios stands to lose a lot in the Star Wars Land construction process. Which brings us to our next point…
3. Star Wars Land may not actually fix Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Image: Disney
Disney brass seemed to realize in the past 18 months what most guests have known for quite a few years: Disney’s Hollywood Studios is in trouble. And though it sounds great on paper to simply swoop in and drop Star Wars Land on this park like a thermal detonator, the fact is that this park may not actually benefit all that much from the addition of Star Wars Land.
Based on early, unofficial estimates, Star Wars Land will be taking over a huge part of the park, and will ultimately be adding two attractions and at least one restaurant. While the argument could be made that Diagon Alley (which has done some amazing business for Universal Orlando Resort) is just a single ride, some shops and a single restaurant, the fact is that Disney’s Hollywood Studios needs attractions more than Universal Studios Florida did prior to Diagon Alley’s opening, and Star Wars Land may not actually add that much, which won’t do much to get rid of the “half day park” stigma that surrounds this park.
Image: Disney
Consider the following: Assuming Toy Story Land is open before Star Wars Land, a total of 4 new rides will be open by the time Star Wars Land launches (5 if you include the incoming Star Wars Launch Bay) However, by contrast, nearly a dozen attraction closures will have also taken place during this transformation (assuming the heavily rumored One Man’s Dream, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the aforementioned Echo Lake/Streets of America closures actually take place). The math here doesn’t make sense, as Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still on the losing side of the equation when it comes to attraction count.
While the quality of Star Wars Land will undoubtedly be top notch (the jury’s still out on toy Story Land), introducing two E-ticket style attractions with little else seems counterproductive and will likely create huge lines for these few attractions without providing a real incentive for guests to stick around at the park after they’ve experienced the two Star Wars rides
While there’s no clear way for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to reinvent itself the same way Disney’s Animal Kingdom has (love it or hate it, Pandora: The World of Avatar has given this park a new purpose, and the addition of evening entertainment looks like it will pay massive dividends), Star Wars Land (and to a lesser extent Toy Story Land) will just increase crowds without giving this park the new purpose it so desperately needs.
Image: Disney
There’s no debating that Star Wars Land will be absolutely amazing when it debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney is clearly going to the next level in terms of theming and immersion, and there’s no doubt that guests will be absolutely transported to another world when they enter this land.
However, with this progress comes the sobering reality that a lot is being lost to prepare for this new land. Events like Star Wars Weekends and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (which ran for 15 and 20 years, respectively) before being unceremoniously steamrolled by Star Wars Land, and if current rumors and information is correct, these are only the first of many casualties. Only time will tell if the sacrifices were worth it.
