Let me state an important fact up front: I am not a Star Wars fan, but I am a huge fan of Disney Imagineering. It's not that the movies aren't enjoyable. They are just not important to me nor have I seen more than two or three of them. There's no right or wrong way to approach the series from my perspective, just give me a satisfying experience. There you go.
Maybe because of the above stated facts, I had already decided I would not visit Disneyland's version as we were headed out to Walt Disney World in late August, shortly after opening. This wasn't our plan when we booked the trip with our daughter and son-in-law and kids back in January, as Galaxy's Edge wasn't scheduled to be open. (Similarly, we had missed Toy Story Land's opening by just days last year.) Disney marketing team announced the opening date in late Spring, so we will be there to see it- an unexpected surprise. (Honestly, I was more disappointed that Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway wouldn't be open! As much as I hate its replacement of The Great Movie Ride, this looks like a classic and very fun attraction.)
One big unexpected surprise came my way a couple of weeks ago. I ended up sliding in a one day SW:GE day during a necessary family visit to California. This was not on my plan for many reasons, but it happened. Even the day my youngest son and I ended up visiting Disneyland was a surprise- a last minute decision that took place shortly before noon. I've never done that before!
Guest reviews of Disneyland's Star Wars land and previews of the same at Disney's Hollywood Studios are thoroughly a mixed bag. Those who are loyal fans of differing films of the series have their own strong opinions on what should have been built versus what was finally was. I had no opinion on that part of it at all, but one thing seems certain: It seems most everyone feels Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge should be more than it is... and I agree.
The First Order dominates the area.
By the time we finally entered the park, it was about 12:30pm. Main Street was pleasantly empty and the newly refreshed castle looked great. The roof sparkled almost white as the sunlight hit it. Since Rise of the Resistance wasn't open, we decided to enter the area through Frontierland, using the entrance you first find after walking past Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I chuckled to myself seeing the special sign stating that the land was open without restrictions.
Rounding the bend, we walked into the tunnel. The geeky Imagineer wanna be in me noticed the great transition in rock work and lighting between the two areas. Very nice beginning! My son surprised me by commenting on that. For better or worse, I seem to have rubbed off on him- although I will freely admit that he refers to Universal Orlando as "his parks" (vs. Disney Parks being mine). This led us into inevitable comparisons with Harry Potter themed lands and the whole issue of immersion. One day, I'll visit Uni Orlando with him to see it from his perspective, and let him ramble on and on as I do about design choices, Easter eggs, and the like. I can't wait to do that. Again, not a big fan of the books and movies, but I am a big fan of theme park design.
Disney Imagineers are masters at rock work!
The first time visiting a new Disney park or newly designed area is a powerful experience for me. It's like the first listen of a new album by your favorite artist. You can only do that once. I happily absorbed in as much as I could, stopping for quick photos along our walking route toward Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run.
The scale and scope is unexpectedly huge- much, much, bigger than I expected. Batuu is drier, grayer, grittier, and more foreboding as well. As this is an area ruled by the First Order, the Disney Imagineers were successful in creating a sense of being unwelcome. Yes, the land feels like a place you shouldn't be there visiting, it's somewhere you may have stumbled upon. Quite unexpected as well. It's not charming. It's even a bit intimidating. This is brand new territory for a Disney theme park or its individual lands.
In this regard, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is very out of place being found within "Walt's park", and I'm sure it will be a much better fit for the movie themed park in Florida. Life and activity are lacking, however. The suits don't need to wait until Halloween to play up the drama. Perhaps they should go full bore and do something similar (but obviously with a different tone and intent) to the Muslim call to prayer you find in nations where Islam rules: Provide a steady stream of instruction or harsh warning over loud speakers. Play up the foreboding angle even more. Opt for a darker, droning, robotic "Bright Suns" by its citizens. Increase the presence of Storm Troopers. Throughout the majority of the land, there are upper walkways throughout which provide the perfect opportunity to let them overlook it all and complete the prison yard feel. Use the upper windows and even doors to allow its alien citizens to occasionally peek out, similar to the Wicked Queen at Snow White's Scary Adventures down the road. Bring out the bad guys in force- even from different eras. Don't worry about the littler kids- most of them understand (or should) that it's all make believe.
Stopped for interrogation.
The reveal of the Millennium Falcon surprised me. It packed quite the punch, even if it doesn't mean much to me. It is just that well designed! It didn't illicit a gaping mouth response as it does for the actors in the commercials, but I was very impressed and instantly reminded of entering Cars Land via the back entrance through the Pacific Wharf area at Disney California Adventure.
After snapping a few shots in front of it, it was time to fly the Falcon for ourselves. Not knowing what we would find later in the day, we opted for the single rider line with its 25 minute wait. The wait turned out to be much less, and my son and I were assigned the engineering positions and placed into the same hunk of junk.
Father and son play day.
Wished all my other sons were here too!
Not being a gamer, I wasn't disinterested in pushing buttons to make things work, but I was more focused on the ride itself and seeing if it felt fresh or really was Star Tours 3.0. The verdict? This supporting role attraction was quite fun! The system seems to react to your commands flawlessly and immediately. The small cockpit area is an intimate experience, giving it a different vibe than the original Star Wars attraction. If it were the stand alone draw for the land, I would expect more, but being it was designed to be different than Rise of the Resistance, I'm fine with it being exactly what it is.
By this time, we were pretty hungry as we'd left the house so fast we hadn't eaten. Oga's Cantina was out of the question. Even with the Disney app, we couldn't get a reservation until 11pm at night. We hesitated for one minute, it was then gone. Ronto's Roasters it was.
The tasty pita wrapped sausage and slaw / sauce combination was everything the Disney marketers and bloggers had made it out to be. Very flavorful and a fairly good portion for the price. We each ordered different drinks. Both were good if a bit pricey. It was hard to find a place to sit, so we opted to stand up next to the droid turning the meat.
Where are the alien citizens of Batuu?
Although there would be no $200 light saber for us, the exploration of the marketplace was worth the time we spent. It seems the Imagineers paid close attention to the fact that guests love exploring the back streets of Disneyland's New Orleans Square, Epcot's World Showcase nations, and the winding paths of Animal Kingdom. In this area, there were no encounters with the locals. Not even a moving droid to be found.
In wide open spaces, it was different but still lacking. Aside from a slight show starring Kylo Ren, some woman with blue hair, (proof I really don't know the films at all), and a total of three Stormtroopers, there were no interactions in this section of the land. Only one cast member we encountered tried to stay in character, making the overall experience awkward at best.
He's alive!
The Den of Antiqities perhaps showcased the intent of the land even better than the opening day attraction. It was oddly beautiful, and I could have explored it all for much longer than I would have first thought. In fact, I spent a chunk of time up close to the shop's alien proprietor watching his every move. Even the patrons felt more alert and invested here. The vibrant space and the interactive response were much more like what I expected from the park's new expansion.
Although I found the First Order section of the land very well done, the Resistance area was puzzling to me. The space felt as incomplete as it was and entirely misimagineered. Full size vehicle models with no one around them created a dead, lifeless area. The "forest" was lacking in every way possible, including a scant number of trees (much like the Fantasyland Forest in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World). Although the sounds of the area were interesting and certainly well done, they did not compensate for the absence of the film's heroes. We did see a quite lovely Rey, who caught the eye of my single son, but she seemed to hurry by. Must have been break time. I'm sure the intent was to divide the land into "Heroes" and "Villains", but as it stands, it is a missed opportunity and a waste of a very large amount of acreage.
The whole land needs its mega ticket to open.
We left the area and caught some of our favorite adventures: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indy, the Jungle Cruise (Where is the water in the world famous Schweitzer Falls?), two rides on Space Mountain, one on the Matterhorn Bobsleds (Too rough! Too old!), three on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and we even rode with Mr. Toad and took off to Pleasure Island with Pinocchio. Midway, we took a short break at the overrated and overhyped Tropical Hideaway.
Yes, we really did like the Blue Milk!
Returning in the early evening, we decided to take the standby line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run so that we could see the preshow as well as walk through the queue. It was 40 minutes, but with the hot late afternoon sun and a view of the Falcon from up above it, this was a good decision to be in the shade. The Hondo Audio-Animatronic ranks up there as one of Disney's best! The movement is fluid and clean, and use of it during the preshow adds to the overall attraction experience. We need some of these robotics in Pandora to complete the Na'vi experience.
For this ride, we were flying with three very young pilots and their father. I'd say 4, 5, and 6 years old. They were clearly out of touch with the buttons and warnings and the whole idea of participation. Their youthful excitement and inexperience created a random, haphazard flight path as we bounced and shook from one interaction to the next. It was easily the most fun ride of the three we took! Don't be worried if you are partnered with younger riders- we saw an entirely different show and had a great time laughing through the whole flight. Isn't that the real measure of a ride's success?
Batuu at night feels like a different planet.
By this point in time, we were pretty tired, but my son wanted to make a last minute stop to build a droid. The whole process was much faster than it should have been for the price. No matter, he enjoyed it. Choosing a black and silver color scheme, he named it R2FU. (Figure it out. I love his warped sense of humor!)
We departed Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge via Critter Country and hopped aboard the Disneyland Railroad to Main Street U.S.A. before departing. He offered to ride It's A Small World with me- one of my guilty pleasures- but I passed as it was time to go home.
How can I sum it all up? There's so much potential there! I hope the Disney's Hollywood Studio's version- which I will see soon- takes advantage of the much more humid climate and being farther away from where fireworks are shot to add more plants and greenery. It would add much more of a welcome feel to the area. I also hope they learn from Disneyland's mistakes and bring as many Star Wars experiences into the land as possible. March of the First Order is a good beginning, but there are still too many spaces where smaller stages were obviously built but left unused.
Perhaps Disney Imagineering has more tricks up its sleeves when its star attraction finally opens. Robert Iger has admitted the area has been less of a success than they hoped. Maybe Disney's ego has finally shown its fruit. Time to go back to the drawing board and the board room to make a very good expansion even better.
(Photos copyright Mark Taft.)
