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Barron’s recently spent an afternoon touring Galaxy’s Edge—a first for the press this late in construction—with executives from construction, operations, and “imagineering,” or creative design, along with a Star Wars expert in a holiday R2-D2 sweater. Here are some scattered notes from that visit, including previously unreported details, some of which might be subject to change. For more on how such park expansions fit into a broader transformation of corporate parent Walt Disney, see our cover story, “Working More Magic at Disney.”
Background and First Impressions
Visitors will enter Galaxy’s Edge through one of three entrances near the park’s Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Critter Country themed areas, with the expansion turning what are now dead ends into a circuitous route. Short, enclosed passageways between lands are designed to compress and then expand the view of visitors, like a movie fading out and then back in, to ensure that the first sight of Galaxy’s Edge is a carefully framed, cinematic view.
A rendering of the Star Wars-themed lands coming to Disney’s theme parks. Courtesy of Disney Parks
The land brings to life Black Spire Outpost on planet Batuu, near the outer limits of the Star Wars universe. It is mentioned in passing in the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story, and featured more prominently in a 2018 novel from the Star Wars canon, Thrawn: Alliances, but it won’t be familiar to casual fans. This is by design, giving visitors a way into the storytelling regardless of their experience with the films.
Background and First Impressions
Visitors will enter Galaxy’s Edge through one of three entrances near the park’s Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Critter Country themed areas, with the expansion turning what are now dead ends into a circuitous route. Short, enclosed passageways between lands are designed to compress and then expand the view of visitors, like a movie fading out and then back in, to ensure that the first sight of Galaxy’s Edge is a carefully framed, cinematic view.
A rendering of the Star Wars-themed lands coming to Disney’s theme parks. Courtesy of Disney Parks
The land brings to life Black Spire Outpost on planet Batuu, near the outer limits of the Star Wars universe. It is mentioned in passing in the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story, and featured more prominently in a 2018 novel from the Star Wars canon, Thrawn: Alliances, but it won’t be familiar to casual fans. This is by design, giving visitors a way into the storytelling regardless of their experience with the films.