So much news from D23 this weekend! Big announcements involving Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and Tron! Check out the news below!
Got a suggestion for a good story? Shoot an email to weekingeek@retrozap.com.
The Last Jedi
Wow! A brand new behind the scenes reel of Star Wars The Last Jedi! AND posters! The sizzle reel for the new film is super exciting! It features Rey training, Chewie and the Falcon, Captain Phasma and more. But the best parts are the interactions of the actors off-camera. It’s so heartwarming to see the love and friendship between all of the cast and the director. It truly will bring this film to a new level.
And the new posters–beautiful! They feature a red theme, with each character gazing in a different direction. None of their faces are completely visible either. The posters are powerful and intriguing at the same time. Is this a foreshadowing of the type of film The Last Jedi will be? Will it be dark and unexpected? Only time will tell–just a few more months until December!
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
The galaxy far, far away will be coming to Earth very soon! Disney announced the name of the new Star Wars lands that are poised to open in both U.S. Disney parks in the summer of 2019–Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The lands are set on a new planet positioned in the Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions of the Star Wars universe. There will be plenty of well-known characters featured, including Chewbacca, BB-8, Kylo Ren, and Hondo Ohnaka. Details guests will be involved in include a Millennium Falcon ride and a stormtrooper fight. Check out the awesome video fly-through presented by Disney here.
Star Wars Hotel
Pretty much every Star Wars fan has wanted to live in the Star Wars universe. Well, Disney has plans to make that as real as possible. Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Bob Chapek, announced a fully immersive Star Wars hotel coming to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Think of it as Westworld meets Star Wars. Guests will be treated to a 100% in-universe immersion. The hotel would include costumes for guests (want to be a Jedi? Sith? Smuggler? You got it!) and multi-day adventures. Says Chapek, “From the second you arrive, you will become a part of a Star Wars story. You’ll immediately become a citizen of the galaxy and experience all that entails, including dressing up in the proper attire. Once you leave Earth, you will discover a starship alive with characters, stories, and adventures that unfold all around you.”
Marvel
Big changes are coming to Epcot! A new Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction is planned; guests will go on an “out of this world adventure” with the Guardians. Not much more has been said of the new attraction, but Bob Chapek did clue fans in on a secret–that Peter Quill once visted Epcot as a kid.
Also announced is a new Marvel superhero universe coming to Disney’s California Adventure. Not many details have been provided yet, but the new universe will be immersive, and focus around the popular Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout ride (which will have Spider-man and the Avengers joining it soon).
Tron
A brand new roller coaster will be coming to Magic Kingdom! A Tron coaster will debut, based on the TRON Lightcycle Power Run based in Shanghai Disneyland. The Shanghai attraction has riders board two trains that are like Lightcycles for a roller coaster ride. The U.S. attraction will be similar to this. Disney aims to have it open in 2021.
Pixar
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting (construction has already begun in fact) a Toy Story land, set to open in 2018. A new attraction was announced for Disney California Adventure–Pixar Pier. It will be taking over the park’s pier, but with more Pixar-themed areas. It will also host the Pixar Fest, which will include a parade and fireworks show.
Courtney Martin is a graduate of Indiana University and works in publishing. She’s an avid Star Wars fan and wrote the recipe blog Courtney Cooks Star Wars on suvudu.com. When not enveloped a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is watching television with her husband and son, doing crossword puzzles, or playing with her Shih Tzu, Burt.