Today at the D23 EXPO 2015, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced to an audience of more than 7,500 fans that Star Wars-themed lands will be coming to Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif., and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., allowing Star Wars fans to step into the stories from a galaxy far, far away.
Ambitious plans to bring Star Wars to life in the two parks include creating Disney’s largest single-themed land expansions ever at 14-acres each, transporting guests to a never-before-seen planet, a remote trading port and one of the last stops before wild space where Star Wars characters and their stories come to life.
“I am thrilled to announce the next chapter in the long and exciting history between Disney Parks and Star Wars,” said Iger. “We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”
These authentic lands will have two signature attractions, including the ability to take the controls of one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, on a customized secret mission, and an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle.
Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog for more news coming out of D23 EXPO 2015 this afternoon from the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts presentation.
Comments
I was born in 1971 and am a huge Star Wars fan and Disney fan. I love that this is happening! My only minor input would be I hope they don’t stress the new movies TOO much over the classics (episode IV, V, and VI) which will always be the core of Star Wars lore.
This is the location and date according to BuzzFeed: “A rep for the company told BuzzFeed News that the current plan is to break ground on Disneyland’s Star Wars land by the end of 2017. That land will reside where the Big Thunder Ranch is currently located within Disneyland, as well as some areas within the park that are currently off limits to the public.”
Very exciting! I wouldn’t be upset to see this attraction move into Mickey’s Toontown.
I hope they can figure out what to do with the thousands of additional people who will be in the parks when SW opens. Summer is just about at capacity now. How to keep these people from heading to Disneyland proper for parades, fireworks, etc.
How are they gonna make it work and still make it a pleasureable experience?
CANNOT WAIT! My husband is a HUGE Star Wars fan(but he doesn’t go too overboard). This is a dream come true for him and we will be able to share it with our daughter, who is just an infant now. Last year, at Hollywood Studios, we bought our daughter(not yet born at the time) her FIRST SW toy, a plush Wicket doll!
WOOHOO! Thank You Disney!! I wish the world would get a cars land too though. It would be a dream come true for me an’ mine!
We Disneyland fans are dying to know the location details and what this may mean to any of the attractions that we already love. Any chance you can offer this info to set our minds at ease? Thanks!
At Disneyland park, the land will be located in the Big Thunder Ranch area, inclusive of some backstage locations.
PLEASE DISNEY REMEMBER THE OLDER POPULATION WERE THE YOUNG ONES WHEN DISNEY WOELD OPENED, WE CANNOT GO ON A LOT OF THE RIDES THAT WE LOVED, IS THERE A WAY TO REMEMBER US AS YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR NEW STARS WARS AREA, WE CANNOT TIDE FAST ROLLARCOSTERS BUT WOULD LIKE SOMEWAY WE CAN SEE WAT HAPPENS IN THESE AREAS. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE AT DISNEYWORLD THE FIRST WEEKEND IT WAS OPENED AND STILL LOVE DISNEY REMEMBER THIS IN ALL PARKS THANKS PAT AND GREG. PS WE NEED TO RIDE ON SCOOTERS BUT CAN WALK SHORT DISTANSES HUSBAND ON O2 WHEN HE WALKS. WOULD BE NEAT FOR SOMEONE LIKE US TO BE IN WITH THE PLANS I AM SURE SOMEONE IN THE DISNEY FAMILY MEETS THIS CRITERIA
When….When is it coming! So cool.
We’re excited, too! We’ll share an opening date when we can.
I want a Disney Resort Hotel to have all electric doors and look like the inside of a Millennium Falcon! Or maybe a little nicer like Princess Leia’s! I am so PSYCHED!
Sounds awesome. I just hope they finish it before we are too old to enjoy it.
So I guess the question now is, Will we lose existing rides? (Looking at Stuff like Toontown, where this was rumored to be headed)
While I’m not sorry to see ToonTown go (Mickey still needs a good home, but Roger Rabbit was SO over by the end of the Millennium), this is a good example of why Genuine Disney-Approved Imagineers will always come up with better ideas than the Armchair-Imagineer fans. 🙂
Ever since Radiator Springs, the fans always imagine “New lands” instead of single new attractions, and the minute the execs mentioned “We’ve got Star Wars ideas”, the fans immediately thought of recreating movie scenes–“Let’s build the desert, the cantina and Yoda’s swamp!”
But the Trading Port and Millennium Falcon ideas sound much more integrated into a single area, than “taking over” DLR and the Studios. I wasn’t happy about the “Star Wars Land” idea just for sounding too fanboy-ish, but gotta admit, you made it work!
great do they a proposed opening date yet? an annual passholders early admission or preview would be wonderful.
We don’t have an opening date to share at this time.
Why is it being called a never-before-seen planet? Both the artwork and the given description match Rishi.
Complete speculation, of course, but if Toontown stays, then it looks like Big Thunder Ranch will become the access point. At least that would allow access paths from both Frontierland and Fantasyland.
I think the question that everyone is asking first is… Where are the Vegan/Organic Options?
Love all the great announcements and the love for Hollywood Studios. I would like to see Disney close the studios for a year instead of putting up walls and move dirt and get these things built. Seems like it takes Disney so long to complete a project and they always run late in completion.
Awesome news that Star Wars land Is coming to Disney World! And I can’t wait and Love it!
I’ve read they are getting rid of ToonTown and the Star Wars land will use the Big Thunder Ranch area.
Super Cool! Of course this will only work as long as it is somehow connected to Tomorrowland and or segwayed so we cannot see it if it is near any other lands. I’m sure Disney would address this and not let it be visible unless it was somehow connected to tomorrowland. Anything else would seem extremely strange and out of place. Still seems weird that they are devoting so much space to one venue, especially when all of Tomorrowland and other parts of Disneyland itself needs so much help! Oh well! Saw an article on The skipper canteen restaurant going into Walt Disney World! Almost got excited for a minute then realized… Waaaa waaaaa…! It’s not for Disneyland but once again, somewhere else! That could replace Aladdin’s Oasis( since were not getting the Tahitian Terrace back!) An example of something that could be done besides the Star Wars project. But yet still neato for all you SW fans. Let’s just give our original land some TLC too!
From what I’ve been told by my girlfriend’s sister who is a cast member, the 700 building behind Toon Town (where future cast memebers get interviewed and the like) is being relocated along with all the backstage stuff behind Toon Town and Star Wars Land will be behind Toon Town. Still not sure how people will access it, maybe by the Roger Rabbit ride where the trolley used to go backstage?
This is very exciting news for Disneyland Resort! The thought of what we might be losing for this major expansion to come to life is bittersweet, but change and evolution must happen.
I was too young to appreciate the “new land” at Disneyland — Bear Country — back in 1972. By the time Toontown appeared in 1993, the thought of a new land was incredibly exciting. It was exhilarating to explore previously uncharted territory and revel in all of the wonderful Disney details present in that land. Of course, the arrival of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street in 2012 surpassed my expectations, and again filled me with great joy as I set out to discover the treasures and nuances of each land.
That said, I think a Star Wars Land will be massively popular and exciting, and I can’t wait to see what Disney does with it!
And a Star Wars Resort too?
Tyler – “where will it be at Disneyland? I can’t even picture an area with that much space to expand other then the Toy Story lot” I recently read that Disney had purchased something like 14.5 acres across the street from California Adventure. I would imagine that is where this new land will be in Anaheim, but I’m not sure where “across the street” could be exactly, because that’s all hotels and the Anaheim convention center. Will be interesting to see where they put it.
DHS news (generic ‘parks’) should be out in about an hour and 40 minutes-3PM PAC(I have friends there who are keeping me updated on all this stuff).
Woohoooo! So excited!
What time frame?
We don’t have that information just yet, Scott, but we’ll let you know when we do.
typo – it should be “Disneyland Park”
Has an opening date been mentioned for either park? I didn’t see it.
We don’t have an opening date to share at this time, but we’ll update you when we do!
when when when????
Someone was asking where they are going to put it. A couple of weeks ago there was an article that said Disney had bought 2 properties adjacent to Disneyland, but that the footprint of the park wouldn’t change. I thought then that they would move some of the support buildings to those properties, and put a new land in where the support buildings were. Here’s to hoping!
oh I hope that they have some areas for those of us that can’t do thrill rides….that’s one of the main reasons for my enjoyment of Disney, they have “experiences” 🙂
I am excited for this, although now I have to wonder, where will this new land be located in the Disneyland park? Will Star Tours stay in it’s current location, or will it be relocated into this new land? If it is relocated, what new attraction will fill in that space? And when will we see an expansion of Fantasyland like WDW?
I know that Disney just completed a purchase of a hotel and two office buildings near the Puumba parking lot at Disneyland and presume a lot of the backstage stuff behind Toon Town will be relocated there. I wonder if Toon Town will be a casualty even though SW land would fit better near Tomorrowland. The only other options I see are revamping the Captain EO 3D theater (though it’s not that large a venue), replacing the Innoventions Pavilion (which seemed to have been undergoing a Marvel transformation) or taking out Autopia, which has it’s own logistical issues with the Monorail track. I’m excited, I just wonder where it’s going to go.
I also look forward to the rebirth of Disney Hollywood Studios. It has potential that hasn’t yet been realized.
Cannot wait. If you are a Disney fan this is the prime time. This could be the game changer. Love it!!!!
I APPROVE 110%!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is in dire need of ANYTHING and I am so glad for a SW!
Still hoping HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS gets a CARS LAND with Radiator Racers!
YES!!!!!! The day has finally come!!! Need to know more!!!
Oh. My. Goodness.
I knew this was coming, but I didn’t expect to get so emotional!
YES!!! Cant wait!!!
Feel the love for the Studios!!!! I love it and am so looking forward to great new adventures in one of my favorite parks!!! Please hurry!!!
YES. YES YES YES YES!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!! I can not wait!! Bless You Mickey Mouse!
Are they going to talk about more details in the parks presentation?
where will it be at Disneyland? I can’t even picture an area with that much space to expand other then the Toy Story lot
At Disneyland park, the land will be located in the Big Thunder Ranch area, inclusive of some backstage locations.
Looks beautiful ! Hope it’ll have the Dex’s Diner from EPII !
FINALLY!!!
This is Rishi, right?
THIS WILL BE A DAY LONG DAY REMEMBER. IT’LL BE THE BEGINNING OF SW at Disneyland and SOON WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF SW at WaltDisneyWorld!!!
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