WDW Daily News

Disney revealed a sneak peek at some of the new collections and limited-edition sets attendees can get their hands on during D23 Expo 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center from Aug 23–25. During the show, fans can scoop up never-before-seen collections across the three Disney-operated retail shops on the Expo floor: shopDisney.com | Disney store, The Dream Store, and Mickey’s of Glendale.

D23 Expo 2019 attendees will be introduced to new collections that celebrate milestone anniversaries and fan-favorite characters across Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel along with must-have official D23 Expo 2019 gear and accessories, nostalgic Disney Parks-inspired items, and limited-edition collectibles celebrating Walt Disney Imagineering’s heritage.

Below are highlights of some of the exciting merchandise fans will be able to purchase at the show. For images and pricing of the below items, click here. To purchase tickets to the Expo, visit D23Expo.com.

ShopDisney.com | Disney store – Home to the widest assortment of Disney merchandise for everyone in the family, D23 Expo 2019 merchandise will give fans a wide variety of specially curated collections and limited-edition (LE) series with a behind-the-scenes twist. Honoring some of Disney’s biggest legacies, here is a snapshot of what fans will see:

Read more

Platinum, Platinum Plus and Premier Annual Passholders will be among the first to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with complimentary special preview opportunities planned before the land’s opening on Aug. 29. Capacity is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. More information and registration details for previews will be shared at a later date.

By: Disney DestinationsJune 17, 2019

Disney Cruise Line is expanding its collection of luxury shopping experiences with the addition of a Tiffany & Co. store aboard the Disney Dream.

Your clients can now experience this premier jewelry and iconic American luxury brand inside a glamorous boutique located on deck four near the ship’s grand atrium. The new Tiffany & Co. location aboard the Disney Dream offers the same sophisticated shopping experience as the brand’s store on the Disney Fantasy, including impeccable service and legendary style. 

From timeless collections of jewelry to luxury accessories, including the effortlessly elegant Tiffany T and Tiffany Paper Flowers collections, the renowned Tiffany & Co. diamonds are aplenty in these shipboard stores. Plus, the one-of-a-kind sterling silver necklace developed exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests is only available at Tiffany & Co.aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Whether your clients are shopping for an engagement, anniversary or simply to treat themselves, a visit to Tiffany & Co. while sailing at sea is a special excursion they won’t want to miss. 

Disney parks are opening new on-site resorts and theme areas, and with these new developments come new foods to eat at new restaurants! With the expansion of the Coronado Springs Resort and the grand opening of the Riveria Resort in Disney World, you’ll be tempted to book a room at these busy hotels for the stellar restaurants alone.

Full Story

In Star Wars films, exotic locales function almost like characters unto themselves, setting the tone for the adventures to come. In the same way, exploring the 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be an attraction experience all its own when the epic new land opens May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California and Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.*

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will come alive for guests as they play roles in their own Star Wars stories. Whether using the Play Disney Parks mobile app, encountering some Star Wars characters, or interacting with Disney cast members, guests can engage with this new land in ways never experienced before in a Disney park.

Play Disney Parks App Deepens Guest Engagement with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the first land in a Disney park designed from the ground up to fully integrate with the Play Disney Parks mobile app.**
• When guests enter the land, they will be able to transform the Play Disney Parks app into their very own Star Wars: Datapad on their mobile devices. As guests earn galactic credits for things they do in the land using their Datapad, the credits will show in their Datapad profile.
• The app will provide four primary functions to unlock a deeper level of storytelling within the land:
  • Hack – Interact with certain droids, blinking door panels and other scenic elements
  • Scan – Explore the contents of cargo crates and other containers and collect virtual items
  • Translate – Understand written languages from the Star Wars galaxy
  • Tune – Tap into the signals from satellite dishes and antenna arrays to eavesdrop on characters’ conversations
• Guests can use the app to play a multiplayer game throughout the land, “Outpost Control,” that occurs several times daily:
  • The First Order wants to install surveillance devices in door panels to spy on the Resistance, while the Resistance is trying to remove them
  • Guests can choose to support either side by hacking the panels for the Resistance or the First Order
  • The game concludes when one side successfully hacks a majority of the available panels
• While waiting to board Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests may take on a job for Hondo Ohnaka, proving through this in-queue game that they are ready to pilot the Millennium Falcon.
• Certain functions performed with the app may trigger physical effects within the land.

Star Wars Characters Bring Batuu to Life at Disneyland Resort

• Guests may encounter several different Star Wars characters while visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
• Rey, a hero of the Resistance, may be seen near the ancient ruins outside Black Spire Outpost. She is recruiting Batuuan locals and visitors alike to the Resistance cause.
• Several times daily, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren may appear at the First Order encampment at Docking Bay 9. With Stormtroopers in his wake, Kylo Ren will then march through Black Spire Outpost in search of the Resistance.
• Guests may stumble upon Resistance spy Vi Moradi in Black Spire Outpost as she keeps tabs on the First Order. Vi may pass on some tricks of her trade and ensure those she encounters know the Resistance is gaining strength.
• The mighty Chewbacca may be spotted in Black Spire Outpost or just outside the Resistance encampment in the ancient ruins of Batuu, rounding up recruits.
• First Order Stormtroopers patrol Black Spire Outpost under the command of Kylo Ren. They may snap the occasional order at guests or question them about the presence of the Resistance on Batuu.

Interactions with Disney Cast Members Take Story Immersion to a New Level

• Disney cast members working in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge can become part of the story, as local citizens of Batuu. They are encouraged to develop their own identities and personas within the stories of their roles, and to interact with guests.
• Walt Disney Imagineering spent three years developing the costumes that cast members wear in the land.
• Costumes are modular, so cast members can pick and choose from a variety of options to create looks that best fit the personalities they want to portray while working in the land. They can choose from tunics, wraps, vests and more, and then augment their base costume with accessories such as necklaces, scarves and hats.
• Cast members who work in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge wear nametags customized specifically for the land, with names translated into Aurebesh, the written language in the Star Wars galaxy.

In addition to singing, dancing, and getting into a cosmic groove, you can celebrate with a few AWESOME eats and sips created just for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy – Awesome Mix Live’.

At Liberty Inn, your clients can grab a Space Sandwich or an Awesome Mix Plate. The Space Sandwich features barbecue pulled pork topped with crispy onions and served on a Kaiser bun with french fries, while the Awesome Mix Plate includes french fries topped with barbecue pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, bacon, and lettuce. Or if your clients are looking for something on the sweeter side, then the Cosmic Cake is just the thing. This chocolate cake is filled with vanilla buttercream and SPACE SPRINKLES! Whatever your clients choose, they can wash it down with Rocket Fuel – a frozen Coca-Cola slushy with grenadine. 

Over at Fife & Drum, your clients can snack on a Mix Tart strawberry-filled shortbread cookie or sip on one of our stellar beverages. The Awesome Mix Slushy is a frozen blue raspberry, strawberry, and lemonade slushy and it’s served with a fun glow cube. Or your clients can find their inner-plant with the I Am Root float, featuring Barq’s Root Beer with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and mint leaves. There’s also the Destroyer Punch with orange, pineapple, and lime juices and grenadine. Adults can even enjoy an alcoholic version, Galaxy Juice, which includes cherry bourbon.

Come on out to Epcot from June 14 through August 18, 2019 to experience “Guardians of the Galaxy – Awesome Mix Live!” This intergalactic concert takes place five times daily and brings to life some of your clients’ favorite hits from Awesome Mix Volumes 1 & 2 and they may even catch a glimpse of Little Groot!

In 1995, after signing a production deal with Disney, Pixar premiered the first computer-animated feature-length film with the release of Toy Story. Many years and movies later, Pixar continues to be one of the leaders in animated movies. As their films constantly break records and change the way that animators are able to create and tell stories, fans of all ages fall in love with the new characters and worlds that they keep creating. 

Full Story

With more than four decades of films, television series, novels, comic books, video games and more, Star Wars has a deep history that has inspired generations of devoted fans. In creating Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Walt Disney Imagineers and Lucasfilm were driven to fulfill the dreams of anyone who ever imagined visiting this galaxy far, far away by telling new stories that feel authentically Star Wars.

When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California and Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida,* guests will find these lands filled with rich details meticulously researched and crafted by Imagineers and Lucasfilm. Though the planet Batuu and its Black Spire Outpost may be new to fans, this setting offers a genuine Star Wars experience for all who enter as they discover a plethora of hidden gems and other details drawn from across the galaxy.

Hidden Gems to Look for in the Land

• While Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is set during the current trilogy of Star Wars films, the land features elements representing many different eras of the Star Wars Examples include:
  • Several creatures seen throughout the land will be familiar to some fans, such as the dianoga from the Death Star trash compactor in “Star Wars: A New Hope” found in a tank above a Black Spire Outpost drinking fountain, or the taxidermic wampa from the ice planet Hoth in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.
  • A podracing engine in the Ronto Roasters market stall calls back to “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” while the former smelter droid turning the spit of meats is similar to a droid seen in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”
  • A mural on the wall of Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities depicts an ancient battle between the light and dark sides of the Force. The original bas-relief of this mural was seen in Chancellor Palpatine’s office in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
  • Hondo Ohnaka, best known from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated television series, gives guests their mission in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
• Batuu’s landscape is dotted with tall petrified tree trunks, and Black Spire Outpost takes its name from a trunk in the center of the village that is darker than all the others.
• Imagineers took rubbings from the feet of the R2-D2 droid used in “Star Wars: A New Hope” and turned those into a set of three-dimensional wheels. Then they built a trolley with those wheels and rolled it through the land before the concrete pathways fully dried to leave behind authentic droid tracks that guests might spot as they explore the outpost.

It’s All About the Story

• One reason Imagineers set Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on a planet never before seen in the Star Wars universe was to give everyone a chance to step into the story at their own levels – whether a guest is a lifelong Star Wars fan or has never watched a Star Wars film, everyone will be seeing Batuu for the first time.
• Batuu and its residents are starting to appear in and inspire other Star Wars stories:
  • Both Black Spire Outpost and Dok-Ondar were referenced in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
  • In the Timothy Zahn novel “Thrawn: Alliances,” characters visit Oga’s Cantina (long before the timeframe of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge)
  • “Star Wars: Pirate’s Price,” a young-adult novel by Lou Anders, details a previous trip Hondo Ohnaka made to Batuu.
  • A five-issue Marvel comics series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, debuted in April and delves into some of the famous antiquities found in Dok-Ondar’s shop on Batuu.
  • “Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire,” a novel by Delilah S. Dawson set for release in August, will tell the story of Vi Moradi, Leia Organa’s top spy who chooses Batuu for the Resistance’s secret command post (guests may encounter Vi as they explore Black Spire Outpost at Disneyland Resort).
  • Also due in August, “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – A Crash of Fate” by Zoraida Cordova is a young-adult novel about two childhood friends from Batuu who are reunited later in life and have a series of adventures.
• During Star Wars Celebration 2019, April 11-15 in Chicago, many attendees who visited the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge booth recorded video testimonials sharing their personal Star Wars These videos were embedded into a Jedi holocron that will be placed inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Attention to Detail 

• The land was designed with sightlines that evoke cinematic angles. Guests begin with views of wide vistas, then as they explore deeper into the land, their field of vision narrows into tighter spaces – like zooming in for a close-up.
• In developing props and other décor for the land, Imagineers tried whenever possible to use pre-1980 materials to best capture the look and feel of the props in the first Star Wars films (“Star Wars: A New Hope” was released in 1977).
• To create the look of an older Hondo Ohnaka and properly capture the pirate’s personality for his Audio-Animatronics figure in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Walt Disney Imagineering consulted the character’s creator, Dave Filoni.

Inspiration and Authenticity

• In search of aesthetic inspiration for the land, Walt Disney Imagineers visited George Lucas’ private archives in California to study original Star Wars concept artwork created by Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who helped Lucas shape the look of the Star Wars They also traveled to Morocco and Turkey to experience ancient open-air markets. These sources provided Black Spire Outpost’s authentically earthy, yet otherworldly environment.
• To ensure authenticity in their designs for the land, Imagineers also visited active Star Wars film sets in the United Kingdom. There they studied everything from ships to costumes to props to help inform their work on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
• In developing merchandise for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Imagineers were granted access to the Lucasfilm archives to study original props and costumes. In many cases, a special scanning tool was used to take 360-degree digital pictures of these artifacts, then 3D prints were made of new models for items sold in the lands.
• To re-create Princess Leia Organa’s iconic necklace worn at the end of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” Disney reached out to the original European designer, who still had the piece’s mold from four decades ago. That mold was then used to create the new item, available now at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.
• The soldier’s ration kit offered in Resistance Supply is based off Luke Skywalker’s kit from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” Disney asked actor Mark Hamill (who played Luke Skywalker in the film) what he remembered was in his original kit and re-created some of those items in the version for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
• The Jedi robes and tunics available for purchase in Black Spire Outfitters are modeled after the costumes for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
• The interactive experience in the Droid Depot is inspired, in part, by young Anakin Skywalker tinkering with C-3PO in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.”
• The guest experience inside Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers draws some of its inspiration from episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” where Jedi younglings learn how to build their own lightsabers.

Merchandise available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge plays a vital role in the overall storytelling within the land. The Disney Parks product development team was integrated with the overall project team throughout the creation of the land to ensure the retail program delivers an immersive, authentic and connected Star Wars experience.

Unique merchandise expands the fun of playing in this land, allowing guests to live their own Star Warsadventures through new story-driven retail experiences, role-play products and environments. Retail comes to life for guests as they construct a lightsaber or build a droid in authentic environments. The products deliver a level of authenticity, realism and storytelling that can only be achieved at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California and Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.* Merchandise available in this groundbreaking new land includes:

Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers**

• Guests can customize their own legendary lightsabers as they choose their paths in this immersive retail experience.
• A group known as the Gatherers ushers guests into a covert workshop packed with unusual parts and whimsical pieces collected from the far reaches of the galaxy. Under the Gatherers’ guidance, guests construct one-of-a-kind lightsabers and bring them to life through the power of kyber crystals.
• Guests select from the following lightsaber themes:
  • Peace and Justice – Utilize salvaged scraps of fallen Jedi temples and crashed starships in Republic-era lightsaber designs that honor the galaxy’s former guardians.
  • Power and Control – Originally forged by warriors from the dark side, objects used in this lightsaber style are rumored remnants from the Sith home world and abandoned temples.
  • Elemental Nature – Craft a lightsaber from special components born from the Force, such as Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones or Rancor teeth.
  • Protection and Defense – Incorporate hilt materials bearing mysterious motifs and inscriptions that reconnect a lightsaber’s wielder with the ancient wellspring of the Force.

Droid Depot**

• Building their very own droid is a guest experience offered at the Droid Depot. For this custom astromech adventure, guests enter a workshop stocked with stacks of parts, chips and manuals to construct their own droid, one of the galaxy’s most indispensable sidekicks.
• In this immersive retail experience, guests construct either the BB-series or R-series astromech.
• Droid parts come and go on conveyor belts as guests make choices to construct their own units.
• Once built, guests place their droids in an activation station to bring them to life, allowing the droids to be operated via remote control.***
• Droids can be further customized with personality-affiliation chips, color panels and other accessories.
• Once activated, droids may interact with other astromech droids and with certain other Bluetooth-enabled elements and devices throughout Black Spire Outpost.***
• In addition, Droid Depot offers prebuilt droids, housewares and apparel, all inspired by the design, engineering and building of droids:
  • Premium Droid Action Figures – Featuring R2-D2, BB-8, DJ R-3X and C-3PO, these hero-scale droids are loaded with interactive functionality. DJ R-3X is both a fully functional remote-control droid and Bluetooth-enabled speaker, with classic DJ sound effects.
  • Color Changing Droids Figure Packs and Play Set – Built to classic 3 ¾ scale, these droids are ready for an undercover mission in Black Spire Outpost.
  • Droid Light-Up R2-D2 or BB-8 Headbands – No droid part goes unused, as these motion-activated dome headbands inspired by favorite Star Wars characters respond with lights and sound.
  • Droid Depot Work Shirts and Apparel – Available for droid fans of all ages.

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities

• Guests will shop for mysterious and unique galactic artifacts collected by Dok-Ondar, a legendary antiquities dealer who is as mysterious as many of the objects he collects. The Ithorian’s den is packed with racks and crates of items with their own stories to tell:
  • Legacy Lightsabers – This elegant weapon from a more civilized age is most commonly associated with the Jedi and Sith. Dok-Ondar has collected replicas of some of the most famous – or infamous – warriors in the galaxy’s history, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul.
  • Lightsaber Accessories – Lightsaber clips, carrier bags and display stands are used to carry or display a lightsaber when not in use.
  • Kyber Crystals – At the heart of every lightsaber is a kyber crystal. This crystal is attuned to the Force. Colors include blue, green, purple, red, yellow and white.
  • Holocrons – The Jedi and Sith have curated enormous amounts of information about the galaxy and the Force. Holocrons store this valuable data, which when paired with kyber crystals can be unlocked and accessed by the owner of these rare artifacts.

Creature Stall

• At this exotic market stall, guests will discover creatures and critters from across the galaxy. While Bina, the stall’s proprietor, is out traversing for more exotic creatures to bring into her stall, her assistants keep this storefront stocked with unique companions for her customers, who may want to take one home, including:
  • Kowakian Monkey-Lizard – This cackling, rambunctious creature comes in multiple colors and can sit on the shoulder.
  • Porg – This small, flat-muzzled, naturally inquisitive avian creature hails from the cliffs of secluded Ahch-To. Watch as it chirps and flaps its wings.
  • Loth-cat – A member of the tooka family and native to Lothal, this feline is a small, temperamental creature. While at times friendly, it is still a capable hunter with sharp teeth.

Black Spire Outfitters

• At this colorful apparel shop, guests can find outfits for a galactic adventure, selecting from stylish, functional clothing suitable for many occasions and worlds:
  • Robes – Inspired by those worn by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, these are available in both brown and black, and are sized for all.
  • Tunics – Often worn under robes, these are available in both neutral and black, and are sized for all.
  • Belts – Available in a variety of styles and colors and sized from youth through adult, these are the perfect accessories for wearing a lightsaber hilt.

Toydarian Toymaker

• No traveler to Black Spire Outpost will want to return home empty-handed. In this whimsical shop, guests may browse for handcrafted toys and collectibles from the busy toymaker, Zabaka the Toydarian:
  • Artisan Plush Characters – Famous icons of the galaxy are brought to life through stylized plush, including Yoda, Chewbacca, Ewoks and many more.
  • Games – With fun for all ages, shoppers can choose from Cards of Sabacc, Dejarik, Chance Cubes and more.
  • Vehicles – Famous vessels of the galaxy are crafted in materials such as wood and metal.

Jewels of Bith

• A must-stop destination for local goods and tiny treasures, this shop offers a wide variety of souvenirs and gifts for tourists wishing to commemorate a visit to Batuu:
  • Batuuan Cooling Fan – Stay cool on hot days with this hand-held fan inspired by the moisture vaporators of Tatooine.
  • Gifts of Batuu and Black Spire Outpost – Apparel and drinkware featuring the sights and graphics of this remote planet and its most heavily populated village.

First Order Cargo

• The First Order recently arrived in Black Spire Outpost and established a post to win the hearts and minds of locals and tourists alike. Guests can show their support by purchasing clothing, gear and other accessories:
  • Accessories – First Order-branded caps, pins, patches and other gear.
  • Toys and Vehicles – Models and metal replicas of the First Order.

Resistance Supply

• Members of the Resistance set up a secret makeshift post where guests can join the cause to defeat the First Order by stocking up on essential gear and supplies to prepare for their next mission:
  • Accessories – Resistance-branded caps, pins, patches and other gear.
  • Toys and Vehicles – Models and metal replicas of the Resistance fleet.
  • Resistance MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) – On-the-go snacks for Resistance fighters.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is an anchor attraction inside the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, opening May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California and Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.* It combines immersive storytelling with interactive gameplay to make guests the protagonists of their own Star Wars adventures in a way never before undertaken by Disney Parks.

Lovingly described at various times as a “piece of junk” or “bucket of bolts,” the Millennium Falcon is the most famous of all Star Wars starships. On Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests 38 inches or taller climb aboard the Falcon in all her ramshackle glory and settle into the cockpit to operate “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” They could just discover the ship has a few surprises left in her, because the Millennium Falcon may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.

Following the events of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Chewbacca brought the Falcon to Black Spire Outpost for repairs at this spaceport on the edge of the galaxy. In exchange for some much-needed replacement parts, Chewie is loaning the Falcon to Hondo Ohnaka, a smuggler who is now making good use of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. It is at this point guests enter the story of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Who Is Hondo Ohnaka and What Does He Want?

• A fan-favorite miscreant from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated television series, Hondo is a Weequay pirate always looking for the next big score.
• Hondo is running a “legitimate business” out of the spaceport, called Ohnaka Transport Solutions. When guests meet Hondo in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, he tells them he has more cargo than he can handle and needs extra flight crews to make some runs for him – especially crews that won’t ask too many questions about the cargo or how Hondo acquired it!

Step Aboard the Falcon

• When guests accept Hondo’s offer, they enter the Falcon via an access hatch on the ship’s starboard airlock. Once aboard, they spend some time in the ship’s main hold and lounge, where they can sit at the famous Dejarik (chess) table or poke around at other equipment in the room.

Three Roles to Play – One Goal

• When it’s time for the mission to begin, guests strap themselves into the Falcon cockpit in groups of six. Each person is assigned one of three critical roles to complete their mission, and guests know it’s their turn to act when buttons light up in the cockpit:
  • Pilots (2) – Work together to steer the ship – the left pilot controls horizontal motion, the right pilot controls vertical motion – avoiding obstacles that could cause damage
  • Gunners (2) – Use blasters and missiles to defend the Falcon and its precious cargo (switching to manual targeting creates an even greater challenge!)
  • Flight Engineers (2) – Keep the Falcon from falling apart on its mission by managing the ship’s systems, repairing any damage the ship encounters and take control of the “special modifications” Hondo installed for these unusual missions

Interactive Gameplay

• Industrial Light & Magic (the visual effects division of Lucasfilm) collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to create the gaming platform and interactive media for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
• Guests begin their adventure by powering up the Falcon and making the jump to lightspeed. From there, Hondo Ohnaka (with occasional input from Chewbacca) helps guide guests along their mission.
• If the Falcon sustains damage – such as smashing into obstacles or taking enemy fire – and is not properly repaired, the ship’s handling is affected.
• At the end of the mission, Hondo informs guests how well they accomplished their objectives.

Authenticity in the Details

• Walt Disney Imagineers worked with Lucasfilm to ensure authenticity in every detail of the Millennium Falcon – down to the hoses, pipes, switches and even the stickers on the exterior hull. Imagineers visited Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom to study Falcon film sets and pored over archival Lucasfilm photographs of the ship.
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run marks the first time Hondo Ohnaka has been seen in any form other than an animated on-screen character. Walt Disney Imagineering consulted Hondo’s creator, Dave Filoni, in designing the smuggler’s physical look, ensuring the essence of his character was authentically captured in his Audio-Animatronics figure inside the attraction.
• Over time, the Millennium Falcon has undergone many modifications. For this mission, Hondo altered the control sticks for the pilot and co-pilot and supplemented the Falcon’s arsenal with a harpoon, among other tweaks.
• If guests’ mission aboard the Falcon doesn’t go quite as well as planned, the ship’s hallways will show damage as they leave the attraction.