Disney’s big D23 Expo is getting ready to get underway which means they’ll be a lot of news for all things Disney, Marvel, and LucasFilm coming over the next few days. There also may be some pretty major news regarding updates to Disneyland. It looks like the long-rumored Star Wars expansion may be bigger than previously expected.
A couple of weeks ago it was revealed that Disney had purchased two tracts of land in Anaheim, not far from the theme parks. The word at the time was that the land would be used for new park office space, for offices currently on the park property itself. This would, at least theoretically, open up space on the park property for more attractions. Now, MiceChat, has a breakdown of what some of that new space might look like and word is the Imagineers are already working on ride ideas. The centerpiece of the Star Wars Land is reported to be:
A mega E Ticket using a trackless vehicle that will break the mold when it comes to how theme park visitors interact with a ride environment.
While the original rumor regarding increasing Star Wars presence in the park was some alterations to Tomorrowland, it now look like the galaxy far, far, away may be getting its own land inside Disneyland. The proposed area would be along the north end of the park, in the area currently occupied by Mickey’s Toontown and the Circle D ranch, as well as some of the office space that will be moving to other Disney property.
This is all long term work though. There’s still plenty being planned for Star Wars in the short term as well. Rumor is, they’re looking at providing a special preview of Episode VIII in the Tomorrowland Theater, which was originally constructed for Michael Jackson’s Captain EO short film. This makes sense as that theater has been used to preview several Disney and Marvel films in recent years. In addition the Innoventions building, which has been undergoing renovation since March, will reportedly house the Star Wars Launch Bay interactive museum when it reopens. The Innovention structure has been slowly given over to Marvel in recent years but if this is true they’ll now be sharing space with Star Wars. While the film preview is expected to be temporary until The Force Awakens is released, the Launch Bay is expected to be more permanent. Both of these attractions are looking to open by November of this year according to the report.
Disney Theme Parks are ever-evolving beasts and a lot of what’s planned never sees the light of day. Still, we would be surprised to not hear something about the future of Disney Parks this weekend. The movie preview and Innoventions remodel look to be likely announcements, while the rest, if true, will probably still wait until plans are a little more concrete. Are you already looking to make plans for a trip to the Mouse House? We’ll see you in line.
