Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Video: Take A 3D Look At The Upcoming Star Wars Attraction At Disneyland

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today . 

The handlers at Disney know how to build up suspense. As such, they've been releasing info on the upcoming Star Wars Land (to be built in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World) in piecemeal fashion, doling out morsels to keep us attentive.

On Thursday, they did it again by releasing a video of a 50-foot wide, model-scale Star Wars Land that will serve as the blueprint for both the Anaheim and Orlando attractions. The camera swoops into this pint-sized world to give us a 3D look at what it might be (of course, John Williams' score is used for dramatic effect).

Here are more shots of the model, which is being presented at the D23 expo in Anaheim this weekend:

Support for LAist comes from

What do we learn? Not much that's new. As noted at the Disney Parks Blog, there'll be two signature attractions: one that lets guests pilot the Millennium Falcon (you'll find it about 15 seconds into the video), and one that tosses you into a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.

The model (in accordance with past images we've received of the land) shows a rugged landscape that is replete with craggy rock formations and looming metal structures (there's a cantina in there somewhere, we're sure). The land is supposed to be modeled after a kind of trade port where intergalactic travelers of all stripes converge. “This is the most ambitious land we’ve built to date,” Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney’s parks division, said Thursday at the D23 Expo, according to Bloomberg.

The lands in Anaheim and Orlando, which are expected to cost $1 billion each, are slated to open in 2019.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist