Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disneyland)

[shiekra38]

I'll bet Universal is watching this and will consider the lack of love for Batuu when putting together their Potter World for FW.

I'm sure they wont announce that the land will be packed as hell to everyone

 

[SailwiththeTide]

I don't think you get what Im saying either. With an IP like Star Wars, one of the biggest box offices hits ever, you don't compromise with an original land to please people who want that. Frankly not enough of their customer base cares that much about that to be honest. If they opened HP first without Hogwarts or Hogsmeade but just had references throughout it'd be fun, but ultimately doesn't pack the full punch and would feel like a missed opportunity. When you have classic locations like they do for Star Wars, I think going with an original location is a major risk frankly. It doesn't look bad at all and thats not my argument, but I think in the future when there are debates about the best theme park lands this one takes a major hit for that component, theres just no connection to the land. And again with Star Wars, arguably their biggest IP, you need to create a location that fans are familiar with so they will go to it. Extremely early, but the hype for this seems to be waring off a little bit rather quick.

Including Jar Jar Binks? Not all Star Wars IP is like the other.

 

[shiekra38]

Including Jar Jar Binks? Not all Star Wars IP is like the other.

Jar Jar needs an omnimover dark ride and you know it

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Including Jar Jar Binks? Not all Star Wars IP is like the other.

Never said it was, but the most popular characters from Star Wars are not in the park at all it seems which I do find odd. Obviously the actors are older now I understand that, but still, not much really is all I'm saying. My entire point was that not all Star Wars IP is the same but going with an original land and the new (and controversial) trilogy I think was certainly something that could end up proving to be a mistake.

 

[nanothegotchi]

I dunno, Chewbacca is in Galaxy’s Edge and Darth Vadar is still meeting in Tomorrowland. You can also still buy plenty of ridiculous merchandise based on the prequels and original trilogy. If anything I’d say that the sequel trilogy depends too much on nostalgia for the originals.

 

[Evan]

A lot of Star Wars media, including Star Tours (Which was Star Wars first ENTRY into the theme park world.) is based around the side of the universe that isn’t explored in films. All Star Tours had in terms of original characters from the films was R2 and C3PO. So it kinda makes sense that the theme park world in itself would be world building.

I really don’t see anyway they’d be able to make a original trilogy themed land with the established characters (which seems to be what you are talking about.) the best I can see is recreated worlds (Which, outside of.. I dunno, Cloud City) would similarly look dreary.

This this this. The location in Star Wars really does not matter. They zoom around between multiple places, constantly. This land is quality, it feels star wars, it has references.. It is totally fine. Now missing the main ride, or complaints on the current ride are another discussion, but land itself is totally fine and quite amazing.

People are just going off because they need some way to justify how it didn't have a Wizarding World type opening... when the answer is very simple and staring them in the face.

 

[Honor_Knight]

This this this. The location in Star Wars really does not matter. They zoom around between multiple places, constantly. This land is quality, it feels star wars, it has references.. It is totally fine. Now missing the main ride, or complaints on the current ride are another discussion, but land itself is totally fine and quite amazing.

People are just going off because they need some way to justify how it didn't have a Wizarding World type opening... when the answer is very simple and staring them in the face.

No Jar Jar?

 

[TommyJK]

Personally I'm not buying the "location" of being any kind of significant factor to the current low attendance. Sure some may have preferred that it was themed on a previously seen location from the films, but I don't see any self professed SW fan saying "I'm not going because it's not themed to a specific location that I know from the movies".

There are so many other more obvious factors as to the current low turnout IMO:

1. Amount of people with APs who had been blocked out from initially attending
2. People's fears of overcrowding during the opening months so they did not plan a trip for it
3. The land is not finished (no RotR yet) so people holding off on planning a trip until it's there
4. Interest in SW waning in general due to the poor reception of the most recent films

I bet the above accounts for majority of why people aren't going in droves (yet). I'm a huge SW fan and I wasn't planning on going anytime soon because of #s 2 and 3 above. It's a bloody expensive trip for met to do either DL or WDW so while I'm super stoked to eventually go, I'm not shelling out huge money until everything is open and crowds have cooled.

 

[Blaw923]

Personally I'm not buying the "location" of being any kind of significant factor to the current low attendance. Sure some may have preferred that it was themed on a previously seen location from the films, but I don't see any self professed SW fan saying "I'm not going because it's not themed to a specific location that I know from the movies".

There are so many other more obvious factors as to the current low turnout IMO:

1. Amount of people with APs who had been blocked out from initially attending
2. People's fears of overcrowding during the opening months so they did not plan a trip for it
3. The land is not finished (no RotR yet) so people holding off on planning a trip until it's there
4. Interest in SW waning in general due to the poor reception of the most recent films

I bet the above accounts for majority of why people aren't going in droves (yet). I'm a huge SW fan and I wasn't planning on going anytime soon because of #s 2 and 3 above. It's a bloody expensive trip for met to do either DL or WDW so while I'm super stoked to eventually go, I'm not shelling out huge money until everything is open and crowds have cooled.

Agreed on all points

 

[OrlLover]

I don't buy. To have grown up at that time to have an attachment to those characters, you have to be at least 50+.

Well evidently a lot of people feel like those characters are iconic enough to span generations.

 

[rhino4evr]

Oh the iconic location talk is so tired.

What difference does it make at this point?

Also..I’d be willing to wager it would make little to no difference if this was based on the OG trilogy...if you remember we already had a ride based on the OG trilogy.

The real issue is they over anticipated the demand for a Star Wars land in Disney land without its local core audience, and opening it without the “star” attraction didn’t help things either.

If the land “fails” in Disney Hollywood studios then ill eat my words, but I have no concerns the reason Disney land is less crowded as expected has anything to do with the location chosen.

The millennium falcon alone should be bringing in the nostalgia hounds.

The rest of the land is themed very similar to other iconic locations in the trilogy. Batuu is NOT the problem.

I’d be more agreeable to “Star Wars fatigue” causing issues over their lack of Mos Eisley spaceport.

 

[smoaT]

Is a good chunk of the Falcon queue not air conditioned?

One more reason FL and CA aren't the same

Mmmm it depends. Not a good chunk because I would say only the extended queue is not air conditioned. Like a good 30 or 40 min are air conditioned

Sorry (but not sorry) to bring it up again, but when a new land is struggling, its very valid to bring up criticisms like their not being anything from the original trilogy. Heck, its a bit of a turn off for me. The Last Jedi ruined Star Wars for some people, opening a land based solely on this new trilogy was a major risk, along with this being a location not in the films, and with the early no attendance, and it is early, but it may be showing that this risk isn't going to pay off in the long run like they had hoped for. Lets see how this does once Rise opens but id be freaking out if I were Disney atm.

They are freaking out. One of my theories is that yes, Disney truly killed Star Wars with The Last Jedi

This land will be nuts when it opens at DHS and I predict everyone here saying Disney should be scared won't correct themselves. Disneyland and the west coast is just a different beast, and with all APs blocked out... this was bound to happen. Summers have trended quieter the last few years because of block outs, with Saturdays being some of the lowest attendance usually. This year they blocked out even more then usual... In a locals market, with a crazy AP base.

Galaxy's Edge is fine. If people didn't like it, they wouldn't go in the land, and Disneyland / DCA would still be busy.

While I agree that GE at Disney World will be fine (I mean, Toy Story Land is packed and it's half baked) it is not true that it is not a failure. All evidence shows that Disneyland is struggling because the parks are empty (empty meaning low crowd levels that we haven't seen since, well years ago). The land is pretty empty and I have visited in two separate days.

I don't always trust Micechat, especially when it's very easy to take photos to manipulate a narrative. I've seen lots of other images/video that shows the land hopping still. Sure, it's not jam packed... but it's not an area void of all humans.

And I again believe, even if GE is considered a failure (which I think is a narrative being pushed by a vocal but small minority), Disneyland itself would still be busy. But at least everyone I know up here in Canada, that know about GE, all were under the impression the summer would be INSANE and are avoiding the parks. Disney fans up here that I know also went before opening to avoid the madness.

Anecdotal I know, but I imagine many are doing the same. I thought about a trip but decided, no thanks. Wish I had booked one now... the waits are glorious.

All evidence points to a failure. We talk of failure because of the freeze put on hiring new CMs and cancelling some entertainment. The parks are not busy at all. It's atypical for off season, more so for peak season. I have been there lately and I haven't seen the parks so empty in years. It's not a vocal minority pushing the narrative, it's the overwhelming evidence of panic at the Disneyland resort. Yes, awareness is high for GE, that's what publicity is for, but that doesn't mean people are lining up to go there. GE is pretty empty and it shouldn't be. Hell, they even made a "boarding group" system to avoid the land being packed, but it wasn't even used because people are not showing up. At least for Disneyland is shaping to be a huge misfire.

Any of the doomsayers willing to take an avatar bet that DHS will have the same crowd issues as DLC does?

I think Disney World is safe from the problems at Disneyland because it's a park with different issues. I mean Toy Story Land is packed, and it's just an average expansion.


My two cents on the old trilogy, new land debate. I think that the problem with GE doesn't stem from the "It doesn't include the old trilogy" or the "it's a new land detached from all nostalgia". The problem stems from design. The land feels dead. Too much space with nothing to do or see. Yes, you enter the first time and you are impressed but once you go a second time, it's just a huge freaking space with one ride and a lot of shops. I think the land was designed with Disney's worst impulses in mind: cashgrab.
I am a huge Star Wars fan and I was excited on the idea that we would get a new place with a weak connection to the original trilogy. I am all in for originality and such, but the execution was poorly made. The land looks a bit generic and there is a connection to the old trilogy, Smuggler's Run, but the execution on that ride is average. My main problem is that there is no immersion as it was promised (like cast members roaming the land) because without that, the place is huge with nothing else to do. Think of it as a well themed Costco: lots of space to shop. Once you do all the premium experiences, there is nothing else to it. I hope Rise of the Resistance is indeed an amazing ride, but I don't think the land is a failure because it was a new planet with no connection to the original trilogy. It's just that it was poorly executed and it doesn't feel Star Wars. No one can really put a finger on why exactly the land feels off, but it's not exciting. Though having more characters roaming from the old trilogy wouldn't hurt

 

[Evan]

Mmmm it depends. Not a good chunk because I would say only the extended queue is not air conditioned. Like a good 30 or 40 min are air conditioned


They are freaking out. One of my theories is that yes, Disney truly killed Star Wars with The Last Jedi


While I agree that GE at Disney World will be fine (I mean, Toy Story Land is packed and it's half baked) it is not true that it is not a failure. All evidence shows that Disneyland is struggling because the parks are empty (empty meaning low crowd levels that we haven't seen since, well years ago). The land is pretty empty and I have visited in two separate days.


All evidence points to a failure. We talk of failure because of the freeze put on hiring new CMs and cancelling some entertainment. The parks are not busy at all. It's atypical for off season, more so for peak season. I have been there lately and I haven't seen the parks so empty in years. It's not a vocal minority pushing the narrative, it's the overwhelming evidence of panic at the Disneyland resort. Yes, awareness is high for GE, that's what publicity is for, but that doesn't mean people are lining up to go there. GE is pretty empty and it shouldn't be. Hell, they even made a "boarding group" system to avoid the land being packed, but it wasn't even used because people are not showing up. At least for Disneyland is shaping to be a huge misfire.


I think Disney World is safe from the problems at Disneyland because it's a park with different issues. I mean Toy Story Land is packed, and it's just an average expansion.


My two cents on the old trilogy, new land debate. I think that the problem with GE doesn't stem from the "It doesn't include the old trilogy" or the "it's a new land detached from all nostalgia". The problem stems from design. The land feels dead. Too much space with nothing to do or see. Yes, you enter the first time and you are impressed but once you go a second time, it's just a huge freaking space with one ride and a lot of shops. I think the land was designed with Disney's worst impulses in mind: cashgrab.
I am a huge Star Wars fan and I was excited on the idea that we would get a new place with a weak connection to the original trilogy. I am all in for originality and such, but the execution was poorly made. The land looks a bit generic and there is a connection to the old trilogy, Smuggler's Run, but the execution on that ride is average. My main problem is that there is no immersion as it was promised (like cast members roaming the land) because without that, the place is huge with nothing else to do. Think of it as a well themed Costco: lots of space to shop. Once you do all the premium experiences, there is nothing else to it. I hope Rise of the Resistance is indeed an amazing ride, but I don't think the land is a failure because it was a new planet with no connection to the original trilogy. It's just that it was poorly executed and it doesn't feel Star Wars. No one can really put a finger on why exactly the land feels off, but it's not exciting. Though having more characters roaming from the old trilogy wouldn't hurt

Your issues with the lands design or lack of life is not the reason Disneyland is suddenly less busy. And you know it.

You have your preferences, sure. You may have made different choices in the design, you may not have cut things, but not of that matters; trips are planned in advance, and the land debuting with some deciding it has no life or didn't have the right choices made did not filter down that quickly to the park going public who all declared to abandon Disneyland and not go on their planned trips.

The tourists will go to DHS as they always would, the locals will wait to be unblocked or tickets aren't at peak price.

The end.

 

[nanothegotchi]

Disney killed Star Wars with a mediocre movie, versus Lucas killing Star Wars with three below average prequels. Mmm.

Not only that, but isn’t ROTJ also considered mediocre to some fans? Ahhh, Star Wars fandom. Lovely.

 

[bob albert]

I think some people just want to point to low crowds as a way to validate their opinion on things they didn't like about the franchise recently. I bet a lot of them complain then buy tickets and merch anyway. Now Disney thinking fans were dumb enough to pack the parks buying one day passes on top of AP prices is another thing.

 

[fryoj]

Your average thousands of Disney families that don't care about SW have up and decided to not go to DL this Summer because Disney killed SW?

I swear I don't know how some of you muster the mental capacity to log on to this board.

Jar Jar needs an omnimover dark ride and you know it

Musical stage show.

 

[bob albert]

They could even do a special show for the Holidays!

 

[OrlLover]

I will say this thread is lightweight compared WDWMagic DL forum where is just full on hysteria and hate on the land.

 

[bob albert]

I will say this thread is lightweight compared WDWMagic DL forum where is just full on hysteria and hate on the land.

But like the land itself is really good. It just needs the other ride opened. I mean even if you aren't in a the planet they chose it's still legit a nice land. Maybe more of the super fan hate to validate opinion thing? I could see a lot of hate from a bunch of people who can't deal with being priced out in general, but that should be about pointing out corporate greed vs hating on the land itself.

 

[Mad Dog]

I will say this thread is lightweight compared WDWMagic DL forum where is just full on hysteria and hate on the land.

Wow. You're right about that. I was surprised how strongly negative the responses have been on Magic. In retrospect, the posters on IU have been much more fair and even handed in their views on the quality of the land itself, regardless of the reasons being bandied about for the attendance issues.