Star Tours Articles
Disneyland Gives 2,400 Chance To Ride Star Tours Early
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Fans can register for the chance to ride Star Tours before the upgraded ride officially opens in Disneyland. Disneyland announced Friday (today) that the park will allow a about 2,400 fans to get on the ride May 20 during a preview event, according to the official Disney Parks blog. The attendees will be the first people who will get to see the new attraction. The ride officially debuts June 3 ...
Star Tours Disneyland Relaunch T-Minus Three Weeks
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To say that Disneyland's old Star Tours ride (which originally opened in the park in 1987) was a little dated doesn't even begin to do it justice. Sure, some of the park's attractions are brought back with an admitted sense of nostalgia attached to them. Occasionally, enough time has passed for them to become kitschy and "cool again." Other times, all it takes is the unexpected death of a pop icon to ...
Star Tours 2.0 Journey Started 14 Years Ago At Skywalker Ranch
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After 14 years in the making, the long-rumored and oft-delayed remake of the Star Tours attraction at Disneyland is about to become a reality. Walt Disney Imagineering's Tom Fitzgerald has been there since the beginning, writing the attraction's original story line back in 1987 and shepherding Star Tours 2.0 since 1997. On June 3, the rebooted simulator ride makes its official debut at the Anaheim ...
Star Tours Jumps To Lightspeed
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Hang on, we're making the jump to lightspeed. Tomorrow the all-new Star ToursThe Adventures Continue, a reimagining of the classic Star Wars-themed ride, makes its highly anticipated debut at Walt Disney World (at Disneyland, June 3), and unless you have a T-14 hyperdrive, it's about as close as you're going to get to that Galaxy Far, Far Away. The entire attraction has been upgradedfrom the ...
Disneyland's New Star Tours Ride Is Light-Years Better Than The Original
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The new Star Tours attraction that will soon debut at Disneyland adds several layers of 3-D realism to the 1980s-era simulator ride, making the experience less like watching a movie and more like being in the middle of the action. I took a few preview rides Friday at Disneyland on the updated attraction, which offers 54 possible storylines, and I found myself wanting to jump back in line after each ...
Vigilance A Full-Time Job On Indiana Jones Ride
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An army keeps one of Disneyland's most elaborate and popular rides safe. Indiana Jones Adventure was among the most innovative attractions ever created when it opened in 1995: It was the first to put an independently moving platform that holds the passengers, like the Star Tours' simulator, on top of a vehicle that runs along a track. Today, the Jeep-journey ride ranks as the second-most ...
George Lucas's New Star Wars Disneyland Ride
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The new 3-D version of the Disney theme park ride Star Tours is a quantum leap above the original. Riders will face the unexpected - thousands of different permutations in the story line. The ride's repeat business should be superb. The original 1987 Star Tours ride "was relatively simplistic," says Star Wars creator George Lucas. "It went through basically an asteroid field and then we ...
Looking To The Stars
Hello Friends! Steven here with my latest take on anything Disneyness. I have been taking a break from writing for the last couple of months due to selling my house, buying a new one, and moving closer to town. I really had forgotten how much junk a person can collect being at the same house for 20 something years. I almost thought of calling myself a hoarder when I saw all the boxes we had packed ...
Lightsabers At Disneyland Are Fan Favorite
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Fans of the movie Star Wars now have two places to build their own lightsaber when they exit Star Tours at Disneyland. Before Star Tours re-opened in June, guests leaving the ride were funneled into the Star Trader merchandise shop. The guests would pass by a station where they could purchase and build their own lightsaber in eight or nine easy steps, depending on what kind of lightsaber they built. ...
Disney To Build Avatar-Themed Lands
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The Happiest Place on Earth is going to Pandora and beyond. But not to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, at least right now. The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that it had formed a partnership with Academy Award-winning director James Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox to develop themed lands based on the blockbuster movie "Avatar" in Disney parks. At a press conference at ...
Disneyland Resort Offers Plenty Of New Attractions
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The self-proclaimed "happiest place on Earth" is about to become a whole lot happier. When Disneyland Resort's new 12-acre Cars Land opens in time for next summer's tourist blitz, it will represent the latest achievement in the world of "imagineering" a word that was coined to emphasize the imagination of Disney engineers. Presently under construction in the Disney California Adventure park, ...
Disneyland Plans To Hold 24-Hour Party
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Disneyland will hold a 24-hour party on Leap Day next year as part of a promotion, Disney announced Saturday. Disneyland will be open for 24 hours starting 6 a.m. Feb. 29, according to a Disney website. Disney made the announcement on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" show on Saturday. Magic Kingdom in Florida also will have a 24-hour party. As part of the One More Disney ...
Disneyland Prepares For 24-Hour Party
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Disneyland is making preparations to stay open for a 24-hour party, including special foods that will only be available overnight. The company is having a promotion for Leap Day, called One More Disney Day, in which both Disneyland in Anaheim and Magic Kingdom in Florida will operate for 24 hours -- the first time resorts on both coasts will be open for that long at the same time. The parks will open ...
New Star Tours Is More Transporting Than Expected
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Disney did more than just update the ride to make the ride brand-new again I am not what you would call a Disney nerd. At least, not compared to the truly hardcore. However, I think it's safe to say that Disney's various parks have always been part of my life. I grew up in Florida, and many of my formative memories come from time spent at Walt Disney World. I remember spending the ...
Return Of A New Hope As Star Tours Strikes Back
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Ever since it opened at both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort in 1987 and 1989 respectively, the attraction "Star Tours" had remained a perennial favorite among guests at both resorts. However, much like the "Star Wars" films, all good things must come to an end and so "Star Tours" closed up shop at both parks in 2010. Flash forward about a year and the new "Star Tours" attraction, ...
Disney Adventure Without The Kids
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When I told a New York friend I was heading to Disneyland to explore its appeal for adults, his immediate retort was that it would be a very brief visit. And when our group, not a person under 35, walked through the gates of Disneyland on a warm Saturday and contemplated the crush of elbow-high humanity before us, I wondered if perhaps he was right. Yet seven hours and eight attractions into my first ...
Insiders Guide To Disneyland
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If I could live anywhere, I would live in The Haunted Mansion, like all year long," director Guillermo del Toro said last year at Comic-Con while discussing his upcoming film featuring Disneyland's iconic haunted house. And he's not alone. Hollywood is full of filmmakers and talent who are addicted to Disneyland, which opened in 1955 and now averages 40,000 visitors a day. Zachary Levi, Gwen Stefani, ...
Disneyland For Adults Only
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When I told a friend I was heading to Disneyland to explore its appeal for adults, his immediate retort was that it would be a very brief visit. And when our group, not a person under 35, walked through the gates of Disneyland on a warm Saturday and contemplated the crush of elbow-high humanity before us, I wondered if perhaps he was right. Yet seven hours and eight attractions into my first day, a ...
Disney Buys Lucasfilm For $4.05 Billion
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For more than two decades, Jedi Knights and Darth Vader have wielded their lightsabers at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. On Tuesday, they officially became part of the family when The Walt Disney Co. acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. from founder George Lucas for $4.05 billion. Disney is paying approximately half in cash and issuing 40 million stock shares at the deal's closing, the company said. "This ...
Disneyland vs. Knott's
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People who are traveling in the southern California area always wonder should I go to Knott's Berry Farm or got to Disneyland. Personally I think they are both great places to visit and have a good time with family and friends. The both have great attractions to ride and play at. For example, Disneyland is the perfect place for small children because it has a variety of rides for the children to ride ...
Is Tomorrowland Movie Tied To Disneyland Area
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An upcoming George Clooney movie is called "Tomorrowland" but is it tied to that famous, futuristic area of Disneyland? Walt Disney Studios announced Monday that it was producing the live-action movie in which Clooney will star; the film was written by Damon Lindelof of "Lost" and Brad Bird of "The Incredibles." While the studio is secretive about the details, Walt Disney himself is at the ...
Top Disneyland Ride Creator Steps Down
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Tony Baxter began scooping ice cream at Disneyland in 1965 as a college job and rose up to spearhead the creation of some of the park's biggest rides, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Star Tours. Now, 47 years later, Baxter is stepping down from overseeing Disneyland attractions. Baxter, who lives in Anaheim Hills, announced Friday that he was leaving his job as senior vice president ...
Disneyland Resort Courts Local Residents After Holidays
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Southern California residents can "show their Disney side" in 2014 as the Disneyland Resort once again presents a ticket offer especially for them, with options for two or three days of fun and adventure at the parks -- all at special prices. To explore all there is to do at Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park, Southern California residents may purchase a 2-day ticket with their choice of ...
Failed Ugly 90s Ride That Still Looms Over Guests
Disneyland is a kingdom of illusions. Forced perspective makes small buildings appear grander. Special paint colors hide eyesores in plain sight. Disney Imagineers company lingo for theme park creatives are the best in the business at keeping reality from creeping into guests ' consciousness.
But there is a glaring exception: a ride, dead now for nearly 25 years, that still looms large ...
What Would Disney Build At Disneyland With $1 Billion
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A Millennium Falcon ride? Going for a spin in an Iron Man suit? Disney executives have announced plans to spend $1 billion on new attractions in Disneyland and/or Disney California Adventure. Here are some options: 'Star Wars' More Yoda? Natural, it would be. The Star Tours ride has been running since 1987, and the stories and characters from "Star Wars" could generate even more rides, ...
In Defense Of Disneyland Why Its Worth Revisiting As A Jaded Adult
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I went to Disneyland for the first time when I was 10-years old. My parents, aunt, and grandma loaded my sisters, two cousins, and me into two Oldsmobile Cutlass wagons and we caravanned from Portland (OR) to Anaheim (CA) in a sprawling, Vacation-esque road trip. We visited the Redwoods, Universal Studios, and San Diego. Wonderful places, all. And yet I only have three or four fleeting memories from ...
Book Written By Two Disneyland Janitors Dives Into Dirty Details Of Cleaning The Magic Kingdom
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What's the cleanup needed after a "Code V?" What about a "Code H?" Those terms and many other secrets of keeping Disneyland clean are revealed in a book by two former members of the park's custodial staff, titled "Cleaning the Kingdom: Insider Tales of Keeping Walt's Dream Spotless." The book, by Ken Pellman and Lynn Barron, takes readers on a detailed tour of what it takes to be a "jani" (a ...
How Star Wars Land Will Give Tomorrowland A Chance To Return To Its Roots
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Now that we've had some time to recover from the R2D2-style head-spins we all did after the announcement that a Star Wars-themed land will be coming to Disneyland, we've honed in on why the news is so good. Not only will the 14-acre Star Wars Land introduce a much-needed new experience (the last major addition to Disneyland park was Mickey's Toontown, opened in 1993), it will also create space, pun ...
Why Star Wars Land Is Being Added To Disneyland
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Star Wars Land won't open at Disneyland for several years, but construction will start bringing changes to the park soon after the New Year. The changes Star Wars Land is bringing to Disneyland reflect much more than the addition of a wildly popular entertainment franchise to a wildly popular theme park; they represent a cultural shift that is affecting theme parks across the country. When ...
Star Tours Takes The Force Awakens Detour With Season Of The Force Retool
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As usual, the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 bicker as Star Tours opens, with the speeder in hyperdrive heading to a desert planet. But the destination is not Luke Skywalker's Tattooine - it's Jakku, the home of Rey, one of the main characters of the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The popular Star Tours ride, closed since early November, has been updated to include a scene from the seventh ...
Dangerous Disneyland Mental Fatigue Part 1
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Disneyland gets sued for injuries and deaths all of the time. Believe me, I get that accidents happen, but most of these tourists are simply victims of their own stupidity. Mild disclaimer: a few of these I've read about on only one site, so I'm not entirely sure they happened. Now, let's get down to business. Matterhorn, Space, and Thunder Mountains are not most dangerous in that respect, ...
