Mouse Extra

We have all been spending what seems like a lifetime discussing the possible new remake of the Star Tours attraction at Disney’s theme parks.  For years, rumors and speculation have permeated the Disney internet community.  And the rumors have only intensified over the past few months, as we seem to get closer and closer to an official announcement of what exactly is going to happen to this popular attraction.

We all are fairly certainly that some kind of change is in the works, but what has made us full of nervous excitement is what this new version will be about.  Late last week Theme Park Insider upped the level of excitement one more notch with a rumor of what exactly we may see.

As rumored, the rehab is about to start. And you know why? Because Tokyo Disney (Oriental Land Company) wanted their own version so they poured in some money. And George Lucas has been VERY involved. The new version sounds REALLY cool. Apparently, the original Star Tours was supposed to be updated every three years or so with a new film (ha!). So now, they’re creating a new 3-D film (yes, everyone will have to wear 3-D glasses). The new film will be set in the time between Star Wars Films 3 and 4 (so, after Queen Amidala’s death but before Luke finds Obi Wan and blows up the Death Star). But here’s the cool part — they’re saying that the ride will now have hundreds of versions, so guests will never know what they’re getting into….they’re going to film about 25 openings, about 25 middles, and then 25 endings, so your ride will never be the same…this is one way to make sure it stays fresh for MUCH longer. I can’t wait to see this.

Let me begin by saying that I can not verify this report, and have not seen anything similar to this anywhere else.  So this is an outlier, but what a great outlier it is!  Even if it is just an idea, it is certainly worth discussing.

The timeline of when in the Star Wars universe this new version would take place was the source of most of the nervousness on the part of fans, myself included.  I did not want to see a ride based on the prequels, and I don’t think anyone else did either.  But the possibility of Lucas using the attraction to further the popularity of the prequels was certainly a real one.  But this idea seems to bridge the two together.  A nice compromise if you ask me. 

And I can’t imagine anyone doesn’t like the random sequencing proposal either.  Re-rideability is at the root of what makes Disney rides so great.  This idea would be a revolutionary way of bringing that idea to a new level.  Who wouldn’t go back over and over again to see what else there is to experience?  If this is not true, Imagineering should take a look at this rumor and consider it for future projects anyway.