Star Wars attractions at Disney parks will be based on the new films

By Rick Marshall December 11, 2014

star wars attractions disney parks will based new films tours — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s been expected for a while now that Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm would result in a bigger presence for the sci-fi franchise in its theme parks, and now we have a better idea of what form that presence will take, thanks to Disney CEO Bob Iger.

“There will be a much larger Star Wars presence in our parks globally,” said Iger during a Q&A event hosted by Variety. “But we want to do this big, which takes time, and to do it right.”

Fans of the original Star Wars trilogy might want to brace themselves for some disappointment, though.

According to Iger, Disney halted development of attractions based on the original Star Wars trilogy and prequels in favor of producing amusements that focused on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens and future sequels and standalone films. This will leave the long-running “Star Tours” attraction as the only one to feature the franchise prior to The Force Awakens.

“I didn’t want someone to say, ‘I just saw the movie and there’s nothing in that movie in this (attraction),'” explained Iger. “[So] we waited to see what this film would have in it.”

Still, Iger teased that Star Wars fans can expect to see a lot more of the franchise in not just Disney’s theme parks, but in the company’s resorts and other projects, too.

“We bought the thing. We can do that now,” said Iger.

Fans are expected to get the first look at what Disney has planned for Star Wars in its theme parks next year, closer to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

One year ago, Andor changed Star Wars forever

Cassian Andor looks forward with purpose in Andor episode 3.

When Andor premiered one year ago this week, the general response to its first three episodes, which all dropped on Disney+ at the same time, was … interesting. While everyone seemed to welcome the Rogue One prequel with open arms and positive reviews, some were quick to express their concerns over the show’s pace. On the one hand, it’s not hard to see why. Andor's first three installments essentially serve as both the series' inciting incident and its prologue.

The show’s opening chapters split their time between flashbacks to Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) traumatic childhood on the war-torn planet of Kenari and the present-day fallout of his impulsive decision to kill a pair of Imperial-adjacent officials. It isn’t until the end of Andor’s third episode that his backstory has been fully fleshed out and he’s actually left his adoptive planet of Ferrix with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), the rebel leader who will jumpstart Cassian’s own radicalization. On paper, that might make it seem very little happens across Andor’s first three episodes.

Entertainment

The best Star Wars shows on Disney+

Rosario Dawson in Ahsoka.

Disney+ began with a promise that the much-hyped Disney streaming service meant that multiple Star Wars live-action series could finally be made. It took a few years after the 2019 premiere of The Mandalorian, but we're finally at a point where we can make an actual list of the best Star Wars shows on Disney+. In fact, the live-action series are almost as numerous as the animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels that kept the franchise going between the films.

Ahsoka is the latest Star Wars series to join Disney+, and it serves as a bridge between the animated programs and the live-action shows that may carry the franchise back to the big screen. Ahsoka is not as gritty or political as Andor, but there's a lot to like. If you're new to the franchise or a Star Wars veteran who just wants to know where to catch up on your favorite space opera, we've put together this guide to the best Star Wars shows on Disney+. May the Force be with you when streaming!

Entertainment

Did Andor ruin Ahsoka, and maybe the entire Star Wars franchise, by being too good?

Ahsoka Tano holds one of her lightsabers in Ahsoka episode 4.

Disney+’s Ahsoka is a lot of things: A quasi-sequel to Star Wars Rebels, a spinoff of The Mandalorian, a rollicking space adventure. Above all else, though, Ahsoka is a show made by and for Star Wars fans. Created by George Lucas’ chosen protégé, Dave Filoni, the series is overflowing with details, Easter eggs, and characters from past Star Wars films and TV shows — namely, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels. These various references have all been collected in a story that seems designed to serve as the bridge between the Rebels finale and Filoni’s now-announced Star Wars crossover film, which will purportedly close out the New Republic story first introduced in The Mandalorian.

At the center of said story is the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and the Imperial Remnant’s quest to bring him back into the fold. That mission is the driving narrative force of Ahsoka, which pits the show’s heroes against those who wish to find Thrawn and rescue him from his years-long exile in a foreign galaxy. The series is, in other words, a lot less about Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and her personal journey than its title would lead you to believe. In fact, of all of its concerns, Ahsoka’s characters feel increasingly less like its top priority.