"Taking over the aging, seasonal attraction Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey, Jedi Training Academy would continue training young padawans, but in a much more elaborate set themed to the Dagobah swamp from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The highlight would be an advanced, interactive Yoda audio-animatronic -- complete with Lightsaber -- who would play an integral part in seriously exciting new show in Hollywood Studios......
With Yoda, we’ve heard WDI is kicking around how he would be able to make an entrance, move around the stage, and interact with the padawans and show pieces. Unlike the plastic “training” Lightsabers used by the current Jedi trainers and padawans, Yoda would be able hold a realistic-looking Lightsaber thanks to laser and lighting effects. We’ve heard him compared to the Wall-E Living Character Initiative animatronic, as well as the first free-roving audio-animatronic from WDI, Lucky the Dinosaur. We also hear something about Yoda’s facial features/talking controls being like the Remy Experience in Epcot. While the Yoda animatronic seems to be very early in the process, we believe skeleton mock-ups have been made and are being tested in WDI’s labs.
In addition to adding Yoda, we hear WDI is considering lots of changes to the show building currently holding Sounds Dangerous. Inside, the Dagobah set would possibly include “multi-level temple ruins,” updated projection technology, and special lighting/laser elements. Seats from Sounds Dangerous would be removed and the stage extended for the training action to take place. By bringing the Academy experience indoors, Imagineers will presumably have the ability to pull off some great effects and produce a much higher quality show. Other than a grand entrance by Darth Vader, the current Academy only solely on the Jedi and padawans for entertainment."