Innovation & Tech Today – May 2019

48 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY|SUMMER 2019

Bringing Star Wars to Life

ScottMallwitz,executivecreativedirector of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, details Disney’s latest,

andmostimmersive, park experience.

By John Gaudiosi

WhenDisneyacquiredGeorgeLucas’Star

Warsempirein 2012 for$4.05billion,its

AnaheimandOrlandothemeparksalreadyhada

popular“StarTours”attractionsetina galaxyfar,

faraway.Butthissummer,guestswillbetheones

takinga real-lifetouroftheStarWarsuniverse

withGalaxy’sEdge, Disney’s latest park

expansion.

Disneyhasbuilta pairofidentical14-acreparks

atitsDisneyland(whichopenedMay31)and

DisneyWorldresorts(openingAugust29).Ata

costof$1billioneach,it’sthelargestsingle

expansionDisneyParks&Resortshasever

createdforoneofitsthemeparks(andinthis

case,theydesigned a pair of lands simultaneously

ontwocoasts).

Whilethemovies,TVshows,andvideogames

haveofferedfirstlooksatbrandnewplanets

withintheuniverse,thismarksthefirsttimea

themeparkis debutinga StarWarsplanet.

Galaxy’sEdgefocusesontheBlackSpire Outpost

village on the rocky planet Batuu.

Theonethingthesephotosdon’tillustrateis

themassivesizeofthesethemedworlds.Even

thoughthereareonlytwoofficialrideswithin

eachpark(MillenniumFalcon:Smuggler’sRun,

opennow,andStarWars:RiseoftheResistance,

openinglaterin2019),eachlandis populated

withcastmembersplayingtherolesofsmugglers,

spies,rebels,andFirstOrdertroopers.Popular

characterslikeChewbacca may even pop up from

timetotime.

Therearealsoaliens,droids,andalltypesof

hiddenEasterEggsspreadthroughouttheareas.

Forexample,you’llfindLukeSkywalker’sX-34

landspeederparkedjustoutsidethecentralplaza.

There’sevena full-sizedDianogamonsterfrom

theoriginalfilm’sDeathStartrashcompactor

sequence,whichyou’llfindlivinginthesewer

systembythedrinkingfountainsandrestrooms.

ScottMallwitz,executivecreativedirectorof

StarWars:Galaxy’sEdgeatWaltDisney

Imagineering,is themanbehindthismassive

multi-yearundertaking.Duringa privatetourof

the still-under-construction land at Disney’s

HollywoodStudiosinOrlando,hesaidthegoal

wastoputguests in a place they’ve never been

before.

“Butmoreimportantlytobringthemtoa place

wheretheycaninventtheirownstory,”Mallwitz

added.“We’renotfollowingthestoryofLuke,

Leia,orHan.We’reactuallyallowinggueststo

experiencepartoftheoftheStarWarsuniverse

thatthey’veneverseen,butit’spartoftheculture

andpartoftheichnographyofStarWars.It’sgreat

toseetheimmersionthatwe’recreatinghere.”

Theselandsalsomarkthefirsttimea full-scale

replicaoftheMillenniumFalconhasbeen

createdoutsideofa closedmovieset.Guests will

evenbeabletogoonboardandplaythe

hologramchessgamethatwasfeaturedinthe

originalfilm.And,ofcourse,you’llbeabletoflyit

ona missionofOhnakaTransportSolutions.

“Guestswillbegroupedintopilot,co-pilot,a

pairofgunners,anda pairofengineers,”Mallwitz

said.“You’lltaketheCorellianfreighterona

secret mission for pirate Hondo Ohnaka [from