As Disney continues to enjoy its resurgence of the Star Wars franchise (did it ever really go away), it seems we’re not only going to experience the galaxy far far away on the big screen, but IRL too.
The new theme park, called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, is set across 14 acres in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando. It’s slated to open on August 29, while a near-identical park will open at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on May 31.
The development has reportedly cost $1 billion, and with four months until it opens its gates to the public, new aerial shots of the park have got some people very excited.
The aerial shots may not look like much as first, but on closer inspection the vast scale of the new theme park emerges, while the detail going into the new rides and attractions is clear.
This one photo tries to encapsulate the entire lot:
While other photos focus on specific areas, such as the Rise of the Resistance area, the Black Spire Outpost, and – most importantly – the Millennium Falcon.
The Black Spire Outpost is said to be a new village in the Star Wars world, an extension of the locations we’ve come to know and love from the films.
The team behind the park’s development say they were inspired by Middle Eastern architecture, from cities like Istanbul and Jerusalem, when designing the Star Wars theme park, MailOnline reports.
Anyone want to make the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs?
Of course you can’t because a parsec is a unit of length, although The Millennium Falcon is said to be a to-scale replica of the famous craft from the films.
As well as the attractions and rides, there’ll be – of course – a number of restaurants and cafes, including Ronto Roasters and Oga’s Cantina (presumably playing the one same song on repeat all day?).
A visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge doesn’t come cheap though, as the studios put up their prices in January this year. A one-day, one-park ticket will set you back $104 on a ‘low-demand’ day, while regular and prime-time visits, on holidays and weekends for example, will cost $149 a day.
Still, with this highly-anticipated film coming soon, I’m sure fans will be flocking there:
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will mostly be based on the planet Batuu, and will be a ‘fully immersive’ experience, as staff will be the planet’s residents, dressed as smugglers, bounty hunter and adventurers.
As the website states:
On the edge of the galaxy, between the Unknown Regions and Wild Space, there is a long-forgotten planet named Batuu. Now you are invited to visit this beautiful and treacherous village of secrets, built upon secrets.
Sounds exciting.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.