I was delighted to see the logo for Star Wars Weekends 2013 as shared by my fellow author Gary Buchanan. He said the artwork gives a nod to the 30th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.” I vividly recall seeing the film in theaters with my parents in May 1983. I was completely obsessed with Star Wars at the time, so I love this poster as it reminds me of my childhood. Disney Design Group artist Tyler Dumas said they had some different poster concepts, like Mickey Mouse in the Rancor pit, before selecting an iconic scene from the Battle of Endor.

Here is a look at some new items with this year’s logo coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 17, 2013.

The logo is featured on numerous items including a Disney pin, a coffee mug, a photo frame and more. Disney Design Group also created a unique Star Wars Weekends “title crawl” image for merchandise, which reminds me of the opening title sequences from the Star Wars motion pictures.

We are trying a few new things this year, like an oversized calendar with 13 previous Star Wars Weekends posters. Each poster measures 12-inches by 18-inches, and can be removed from the calendar for framing. We are also introducing a deluxe autograph and photograph book (I’m adding that to the “long overdue” column). The popular Star Tours nametags using Aurebesh will be returning. This year, we will have a new black name tag for Annual Passholders only!

I’m particularly excited about some new toys this year. Jedi Mickey’s Starfighter is amazing (insta-buy)! We will also have new Muppets action figures and new die-cast cars of Disney•Pixar “Cars” characters portraying Star Wars characters. I think the oversized Salacious B. Crumb latex character and the thermal detonator “hot potato” game are perfect for this year’s theme.

Finally, we will have new Vinylmation at this year’s event including a limited release mystery series; a Vinylmation, Jr. series with droids; and two limited edition figures – a removable, 3-inch figure of Han Solo in Carbonite, and a 9-inch Jabba the Hutt figure with a 1.5-inch Salacious B. Crumb figure.

Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog, StarWars.com and DisneyWorld.com/StarWarsWeekends for future updates. I can’t wait for May!

Join the conversation online by using the hash tag #StarWarsWeekends on Twitter.

Star Wars: © 2013 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM.

Tagged: DHS, Gallery, Star Wars, WDW

Filed: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

One of Mickey Mouse’s favorite things about Star Wars Weekends is that he gets to dress in his Jedi best and join the galactic fun. Each year, Mickey seems to take on a different role in the official “Star Wars” Weekends logo. This year, his imagination takes him to the Forest Moon of Endor, where he is seen zipping away from scout troopers with Chip and Dale. Mickey’s wild speeder bike ride on this year’s artwork has historical significance, as 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi” — the film that featured the Battle of Endor.

In addition to unveiling the logo for this year’s event, we’re excited to announce a pair of celebrity appearances for Star Wars Weekends 2013 at Walt Disney World Resort, with two legends from the saga doubling the fun in two consecutive weekends.

Action star Ray Park, who portrayed the Sith warrior Darth Maul on the silver screen, will be one of the celebrity guests in Weekends I and II. Actor Warwick Davis, known to Star Wars fans as everyone’s favorite Ewok, Wicket W. Warrick, will be one of the guests during Weekends II and III.

More Star Wars celebrities will be announced soon, so be sure to program your droids to scan the Disney Parks Blog and StarWars.com, as well as DisneyWorld.com/StarWarsWeekends for updates.

Star Wars Weekends takes place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 17-June 9, 2013. Most event activities are included in regular park admission.

Join the conversation online by using the hash tag #StarWarsWeekends on Twitter.

Star Wars: © 2013 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM.

Tagged: DHS, Star Wars, WDW

Filed: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

Today marks the 26th anniversary of the opening of the original Star Tours at Disneyland park, so I thought it would be the perfect time to show you one of my favorite crafts from Spoonful.com – the Star Tours Starspeeder Fleet!

You can build your own Star Tours Starspeeder 1000, Air Alderaan Starspeeder 1000, Bespin Direct Starspeeder 1000 and more with these printables. If you loved the Starspeeder 1000 Spaceliner Collection that Steven Miller told us about here on the Disney Parks Blog, you’ll love this project. Just click here and May the Force be with You!

Tagged: DL, DLR, Star Wars

Filed: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

“Luke, We’re gonna have company!” — Han Solo

If your starship can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs (I’m still trying to figure out how fast that is), set your hyperdrive for the Disney’s Hollywood Studios sector for May and early June, for the 2013 edition of Star Wars Weekends.

This year’s Force-filled fun will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 17 – June 9, 2013.

While details are still being planned, we’re excited to announce that James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein are returning as celebrity hosts for the annual special event. James, the voice behind many of the most famous animated characters in film, television and commercials, is known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. Ashley, who started her show business career as a parade dancer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is the voice of Anakin’s ambitious Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

James is the Official Celebrity Host of Star Wars Weekends 2013, and Ashley is Celebrity Host of “Behind the Force,” a live show that takes fans behind-the-scenes in the Star Wars universe.

Be sure to program your scanning droids to check here for the latest updates from the Galactic Senate about Star Wars Weekends 2013.

For guests who may be considering a visit to Walt Disney World Resort for their very first Star Wars Weekends, here’s a short overview video with our own galactic reporter, “Jedi John” (please note his very stylish “mic saber”). While the celebrity appearances for this year have not been announced (stay tuned for those names in an upcoming post), John talks to some Star Wars celebrities from past events to get their thoughts.

Tagged: DHS, Star Wars, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort

Since its release in January 2011, the first series of Vinylmation figures featuring Star Wars characters has become the most popular Vinylmation series of all time. Created by Disney Design Group artist Mike Sullivan, the first series celebrated the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. For series two, the Vinylmation team turned their attention to the original 1977 classic film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. This allowed the team to regroup and plan a strategy for future releases, as explained by Thomas Scott, one of the lead Vinylmation artists.

“The first series was created at a different time in Vinylmation history,” explained Thomas. “When we began developing series two, we considered several factors for future growth. We again worked closely with Lucasfilm when selecting the characters for the new series. We also thought about how those characters could appear in future series.”

Series Two is a limited-release, mystery series, which means there are 11 known figures and one “mystery chaser” figure. Each figure is packaged in a box, so you won’t know which one you will get until you open it.

To design the figures, Thomas enlisted the help of artists Casey Jones and Maria Clapsis. Casey created concept sketches of each figure, while Maria turned those sketches into full-color images. I spoke with Casey about one unique design element I love on these figures – the ears.

“I like using the ears as a way to further enhance the story,” explained Casey. “When designing these figures, I looked for something iconic to add to the ears, such as the ‘binary sunset’ on the Tusken Raider or Obi-Wan Kenobi figures. Adding design elements from the film help set the stage for each character.”

The new series will debut on Thursday, August 23 at Celebration VI, a Star Wars fan event being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Florida.

We will then launch the series at D Street in Downtown Disney West Side in Florida on Friday, August 24. Fans can meet Casey and Maria from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Casey will travel to the Disneyland Resort on Saturday, August 25, for the release of this series at D Street in the Downtown Disney District. Fans can meet him from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Check out these posts for more news about Vinylmation at Disney Parks:

• Disney Parks Merchandise to Attend Star Wars Celebration VI Event in August 2012
• First Look at 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Merchandise
• A Closer Look at Vinylmation Coming to Mickey’s Circus Trading Event at Epcot

Tagged: DLR, Star Wars, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Disney Parks has a long history with Star Wars that dates back to 1987 with the opening of Star Tours at Disneyland park. Since that time, we have offered a variety of collectibles including action figures, pins, shirts and more. I’m happy to report that Disney Theme Park Merchandise will be attending Star Wars Celebration VI, a Star Wars fan event coming to the Orange County Convention Center from August 23-26, 2012. This year, we have created some items that fans will only find at this event.

One of those event exclusive items is a 3-inch Vinylmation figure of Princess Leia as a hologram. This figure has an edition size of 2,500, and is considered the variant figure to the Leia figure found in Vinylmation – Star Wars #2 series (which will also debut at the event on August 23 and will later be sold at Disney Parks).

Another Celebration VI exclusive item will be the 25th Anniversary Starspeeder die-cast set. This set features both the Starspeeder 3000 (for the first time ever) and the Starspeeder 1000 from Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Fans attending the event will also find two event tee-shirts with Disney characters playing the roles of Star Wars characters. We are also introducing an Aurebesh nametag with a few additional destinations not found during Star Wars Weekends 2012.

For those guests who missed being “frozen” in carbonite, the Carbon-Freeze Me experience will return for a limited, four-day engagement during the event. Using state-of-the-art imaging technology, this experience casts your likeness as a three-dimensional, eight-inch figurine (as seen in this video by my fellow Disney Parks Blog author Gary Buchanan and Star Wars: The Clone Wars star Ashley Eckstein). Retail is $99.95 (plus shipping), and event guests can participate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Speaking of printing, we are introducing “D-Tech On-Demand,” a new option where guests can select from 12 different iPhone 4/4S case designs and watch as they are printed onsite. The four cases in the top row will premiere at this event, while the bottom row features some designs that can be printed.

Finally, we will offer a first purchase opportunity for the next waves of Disney and Muppet character action figures (which are coming to Disney Parks later).

If you are attending the galactic celebration, please stop by booths #331 and #341 to say hello.

Tagged: DLR, Star Wars, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Ever since the limited-time “Carbon-Freeze Me” Experience debuted on May 18, guests have been entering the freezing chamber at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to have their faces digitally captured from multiple angles and then magically transformed into carbonite figurines.

Fellow Disney Parks Blog author Steven Miller previewed this homage to Han Solo in this post and gave an idea of what you could expect when the eight inch, three-dimensional piece arrives at your home.

Wanting to show the process to you, I asked special guest Ashley Eckstein to join me for some freezing fun before she began her day at Star Wars Weekends as the Celebrity Host of the “Behind the Force” presentation. After all, Ashley’s character on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano, has a little experience around carbonite. So I was definitely in good company.

Ashley and I met up with Disney Parks Merchandise Product Developer Brad Schoeneberg for a tour of the Carbon-Freezing Chamber. In fact, I think Brad is the only person I have ever thanked for helping me catch a little cold. The level of detail in the figurine’s face is simply amazing. (Now I just have to decide where in my house it will go.)

This limited-time Carbon-Freeze Me Experience is currently open every day — not just on Star Wars Weekends event days — and will continue to operate through June 16, 2012. Star Wars Weekends ends this year on June 10, so you even have some additional days after the event to get frozen.

If you head out to Star Wars Weekends before the 2012 event ends, be sure to ask Ashley to recreate the “Han Solo Face” she made during her own Carbon-Freeze Me experience. She had a wonderful time and was a really great sport to get frozen with me.

To make advance reservations for Carbon-Freeze Me, call 407-WDW-TECH (407-939-8324). Walk-ins can be accommodated based on availability.

You can read more of the latest news from Star Wars Weekends in the posts below:

• Happy 35th Anniversary, Star Wars, from Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
• You Asked, the Galactic Senate Listened: Larger Star Wars Weekends Images Now Available
• The Sequel: Debuting More Behind the Scenes Videos, Photos for Star Wars Weekends 2012 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Tagged: DHS, Star Wars, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort