No Plan For Roaming Droids in Galaxy’s Edge

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

So far on Batuu, we’ve seen build-your-own droids, Coke Droids, and plenty of droids on stand-by for photo ops, but one glaring omission still remains months after the land’s opening on both coasts: the roaming, interactive droids that were promised when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was first announced.

For the first few months of the land’s opening, heavy crowds were cited as the reason to not roll out these autonomous droid characters, but in a recent piece by the Orange County Register asking when the elusive droids would be debuting at Galaxy’s Edge, it appears Imagineering has no plans to use autonomous character technology in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Disney has tested these autonomous droids several times at Disneyland Park and even at the last D23 Expo. The most famous of these is Jake, or J4-K3, which has more sensors than a self-driving car, according to Walt Disney Imagineering research and development manager Ashley Girdich.

In the Register piece, Imagineering went on to explain that the Jake project was merely exploratory and independent from anything that was being developed for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and no decisions have been made on where or when the droid will be used again.

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Cast of “The Rise of Skywalker” Experiences Rise of the Resistance

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20 as the newest Star Wars film. If you’re anything like us, you already have your ticket purchased and are counting down the days! The cast for Rise of the Skywalker have surely been busy as they prepare for the premiere. They did however find time to check out the the long awaited attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! The attraction opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on December 5 while Disneyland is still waiting for their January 17 opening. Check out the details and reactions caught by DisneyParksBlog here:

“This past week, the highly anticipated attraction Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Meanwhile, the cast of the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, got a first look at the attraction at Disneyland park in California before it opens to the public on Jan. 17. We caught up with the stars in Galaxy’s Edge just as they wrapped interviews promoting the new movie.

Director J.J. Abrams and film stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell and Kelly Marie Tran were wowed at the sight of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most ambitious, advanced and immersive experiences ever undertaken by Walt Disney Imagineering, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality on a scale never seen before in a Disney attraction.

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New “Rise of The Resistance” Merchandise

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

The debut of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World also means that there will be new merchandise that is offered! Guests can expect to see items like clothing, baseball caps, pins a tumbler, etc. Check out some of the great options below:

The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction pin is at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park now. The other pin that displays the icon for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is also available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then at Disneyland park on January 17th, 2020.

Guests can purchase a collectible toy inspired by the attraction vehicle. The item is available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and will be available at Disneyland park on January 17th, 2020.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland Annual Passholders will have a special shirt option available for purchase, plus Passholders can use their 20% discount on all merchandise.

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Disney To LiveStream Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Dedication Ceremony on December 4th

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE — Disney guests will traverse the corridors of a Star Destroyer and join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren – when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in California. At 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever. (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)

Thursday, December 5th marks the official grand opening of the Rise of the Resistance attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Select members of the media are invited to a special preview event tomorrow, December 4th, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to miss out. Disney Parks will be live streaming the attraction’s dedication ceremony on YouTube for all to see.

In it, guests will join the Resistance and depart from Batuu in a transport ship to meet General Leia Organa at a secret rendezvous point. However, on their way to the hidden base, guests are intercepted and taken prisoner by the First Order as their ship is drawn into the hangar bay of a Star Destroyer. The action then ramps up as guests seek to escape the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order.

The dedication ceremony for the attraction is set to take place at 6:55 PM (EST).

It is during this dedication ceremony that we expect to see the highly-anticipated X-wing drones (and possibly more) fly over the land as part of the grand opening spectacular. Cast Member parking lot closures tied to the X-wing drone project are scheduled to take place on the 5th and 6th of December as well, indicating that these may fly a second or third time throughout the attraction’s opening week.

To watch the live stream, simply visit the Disney Parks Blog on December 4  p.m. 

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