22 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2019
31The opening of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s
Edge attraction at California’s Disneyland
this month marks the biggest move Disney
has made to enhance its global theme-park
business. The company, which posted a
$4.5 billion operating profit last year for its
parks and resorts division, is expanding its
six resort complexes, upgrading older at-
tractions, and capitalizing on the valuable
intellectual property of its movie franchises.
“We’re using everything from robotics and
machine learning to augmented reality and
autonomous vehicles to create the next gen-
eration of immersive, experiential storytell-
ing,” says Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney
Parks, Experiences, and Products. Below, a
look at Disney’s plans to keep us amused.
New Galaxies
In addition to this
month’s opening of
a 14-acre Star Wars:
Galaxy’s Edge area
in Disneyland, a Star
Wars area of the
same size will arrive
this fall at Orlando’s
Disney World (al-
ready the size of San
Francisco). Marvel-
themed areas are
planned for Disney-
land (in 2020), fol-
lowed by Disneyland
Paris and Hong Kong
Disneyland (1).
Flights of Fancy
To create new thrills,
Disney is marrying
physical and virtual
experiences. For the
two-year-old Avatar
Flight of Passage ride
(2), at Disney World,
viewers sit on a seat
that subtly swerves to
simulate the feeling of
flying on a breathing
“banshee” creature
from the movie.
Riders watch a big-
screen video that is
supplemented with
physical tricks: Wind
blows on viewers’
faces; various scents
accompany them
through a forest. At
Shanghai Disneyland,
the newest iteration
of the Pirates of the
Caribbean attraction
(3) incorporates im-2NEXT
N Building BlocksIT’S A BIG
WORLD
AFTER ALL
DISNEY IS TAPPING INTO STAR
WARS, MARVEL, AND MORE
TO UPGRADE ITS THEME PARKS.
BY YASMIN GAGNE
9