As you’ve probably heard, the Star Tours ride at Disneyland was recently overhauled in a big way. If you missed the original ride, or are just feeling nostalgic, animator Gregory Noacco spend months putting together a CG recreation that you can view after the break in both 2D and 3D versions.
Check ‘em out while you can—just in case Lucasfilm decides to pull the plug.
Disneyland’s Star Tours opened last Friday, June 3, after the almost year long closure to perform upgrades. Actually, it’s better than upgrades. The ride got a complete makeover and a new name. It’s now known as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. The original ride opened in 1987, and it took passengers on a tour to the forest moon of Endor. It was overdue for touch-ups. The technology wasn’t in step with the rest of the park, and the Star Wars universe has expanded since 1987. The new ride takes place in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. To say that fans were eager to hop aboard the new Starspeeders is an understatement.
You might know this, but allow me to reinforce it – Star Wars fans are dedicated. Combine that with Disney fans, and you have a force that cannot be stopped. Many people lined up outside the park on June 3 before the gates even opened. Darth Vader and Stormtroopers greeted them upon entering the park. Some people waited in line for four or five hours.
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So, Darth Vader goes to Disneyland to try out the new Star Tours ride with a bunch of Stormtroopers, but leaves his kids at home. Wow, he is a terrible father.
Check out the video after the break.
The revamped Star Tours ride at Walt Disney World is now open for business, and here’s a little taste of what visitors can expect:
The second room of the queue is now a security check area, similar to a TSA checkpoint. The two G-series droids are still there, G2-9T scanning luggage and G2-4T scanning passengers. For those attraction junkies, you’ll remember that the G-series droids are so named because in the original Disneyland Park version of the ride, they were created by removing the “skins” from two of the goose animatronics from the soon-to-close America Sings attraction (Goose = “G” series). While we won’t tell you why, you’ll enjoy paying a lot of attention to what the scans of the luggage show is inside. When it’s your turn to go through the passenger scan (a thermal body scan), you may be verbally accosted by a security droid. Also, keep an eye out in the queue for an earlier version of RX-24 (“Captain Rex”) from the original Star Tours; he’s labeled “defective” and has some familiar dialogue.
(Mouse Planet via BoingBoing/Image via DPB)
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The new, 3D version of Star Tours is opening on May 20th at Walt Disney World and at Disneyland on June 2nd. As you might expect, there will be plenty of new products to commemorate the event.
Check out the first ad for the ride after the break.
The opening date for Star Tours 2.0 is creeping closer.* The Star Wars ride at Disney parks closed last fall for more than just renovations. It’s getting a complete makeover. I’m sure there will be familiar parts, but it will almost be like the Death Star destroyed the first version. I’m excited to see all the new characters, and I can’t wait to visit new worlds. One of the coolest (and genius) aspects of the new ride is that it has variables. You can practically have a new experience every time you ride.
This Disney and Star Wars fan also approves of the Starspeeder upgrade. The Starspeeder is the vehicle in which you travel the galaxy. To generate excitement for the re-opening of Star Tours, Disney Family posted papercrafts of the Starspeeder fleet. Just print them, fold according to the instructions, and you’re ready to adventure into the unknown. I hope you have a solid droid to guide you.
*Visit Star Tours 2 Live for the most up to date information. The site claims they will be on the ground every day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios until the May 20 opening of the revamped ride! Disneyland’s attendees have to wait a little longer; their attraction opens on June 2.
Not surprisingly, Disney is going to have plenty of Star Wars-related merchandise ready for collectors and fans when the Star Tours ride relaunches on May 20th. They haven’t unveiled the complete collection, but we do have a sneak peek at some of the products you can expect to see after the break.
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