During Star Wars: Galactic Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Guests were treated to a special panel with those creating Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for Disney Parks. The panel provides insight into creating the new themed lands, as well as new details on what guests will find inside. Enjoy:
Our latest photo report brings us back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest progress on this park in transition.
The new sections of parking lot were completed some time ago, removing greenery and palm trees in favor of more parking spaces that will be needed sorely come 2019.
This expansion of the lot took place on both sides.
Work continues on the Disney Skyliner station for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which you can see the concept art for here.
More stuff was thrown onto the left projection tower in the Center Stage area as Disney tries to make this thing look like it belongs there.
It’s certainly better than it was, but these things still look completely out of place.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration now features Olaf and music from the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure short. They might want to change the sign that says it is playing in theaters with Coco.
Guests can now sit and eat in the former AOTAS Hall of Fame area, while Disney hopes the vines around the former sign grow in at some point…
Signage at Star Tours was changed to reflect the recent additions to the ride.
Nearby, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is taking shape. For a better look at this, be sure to check out our latest Disney’s Hollywood Studios Expansion Update video:
Some palm trees were planted off to the side of the tunnel.
The “Muppet Babies” section of Stage 1 Company Store has been closed for a while now, and sadly looks like it will not return. Why must Grand Avenue take everything Muppets away from us?
Not only is it sealed off from inside, but there is a fairly permanent looking Cast Member access door now visible.
A brick wall now separates Muppets Courtyard, I mean Grand Park from Star Tours. This will make for the most terrible crowd flow when Galaxy’s Edge opens.
A new backstage gate has been constructed near the exit of MuppetVision 3-D. This was once a path through the Backlot, but now it will be a dead end.
Work continues on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Work continues on the entrance to Toy Story Land, set to open next Summer.
The corner of the Toy Story Mania building (where the catwalk was ripped off) is now being patched up.
Both of the billboards behind the Chinese Theater are for The Last Jedi. I guess this movie needs to be advertised heavily…
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge looms in the distance from PIXAR Place.
The highest point in the land was topped off with a flag and a tree.
To help guests visiting Toy Story Mania, Disney added these rope signs. This is somewhat helpful as the average guest never seems to know where to go.
iPhone X cases are now available from D-Tech on Demand at the Star Wars Launch Bay Cargo Bay store.
The store was also shaken up quite a bit, removing the onstage counter where the D-Tech devices were made. Now they are just made offstage and brought to the checkout counters when they are done.
Guests can now partake in the Droid Factory here as well.
More 2018 pins have hit shelves at the parks.
Despite debuting over a month ago, they are still not finished building the projection booth for Sunset Seasons Greetings…
As construction continues on the two new themed lands for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Stage 1 Company Store is shrinking for some reason, the tallest point of Galaxy’s Edge has been topped, and the future entrance to Toy Story Land is taking shape. We check in again in our latest video update…
Our latest photo report brings us to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest happenings at the park.
Walking over to Hollywood Studios from the Boardwalk, we see 5 cranes dominating the skyline.
Parking lot enhancements and preparations for the Disney Skyliner continue outside of the park.
Guests walk through a maze of work fences to get to the park.
The Skyliner station for the park is under construction, with land near the bus loop currently being prepared.
Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away has returned with the new mobile, rollaway staging.
The stage actually looks a little nicer than the one they had used before, even though that one didn’t get removed nightly.
Following the last show of the day, the process of packing up the stages begins.
The stage features two “green rooms” where the characters can emerge from during the show, hiding until it is their turn on stage.
Below, we have video of the stages rolling away at 7PM. Disney has made a little show of it, which reminds me of the Backlot Studio Tour quite a bit. An announcer says it is time for a scene change, followed by Gus the crew chief making the order for the stages to roll…
It is nice to see this process turned into a small show that fits the (current? past?) theme of the park. We’ll see if this sticks around once Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge open.
Work continues on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. There is now this set of expanded construction walls near the old Great Movie Ride exit.
There are now more work walls up by Grand Avenue, now crossing the path towards Red Carpet Dreams.
The path from Star Tours to MuppetVision 3-D no longer exists, guests now having to walk down Grand Avenue to get there.
A planter and a wall will fill in this former path.
Work continues on Echo Lake.
Scaffolding has come down on Min and Bill’s, marking that the painting is finished.
Gertie looks shiny.
The Holiday 2017 Droid Factory figure has been released.
We return to what’s left of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for our latest photo report, checking out the latest progress on all of the upcoming projects…
Work continues on the expansion and reconfiguration of the parking lot.
Meanwhile, land has been cleared and work has begun on the Disney Skyliner station that will be located just outside of the park.
The stage for Star Wars: A Galaxy Far Far Away is down while they work on the mobile stage for the show.
Celebrity 5 & 10 on Hollywood Boulevard is already a full-blown Christmas shop as of Friday the 13th. Makes sense…
The new line of Little Mermaid home goods has made its way to Florida. Check out the entire line here.
These awesome new Chip and Dale nutcrackers are available for $54.99 each.
A lot of the items from last year which did not have boxes now come in boxes for easier transport home.
I love the new decorations in the store which have a very 30’s vibe to them.
But then we are brought back to modern day by an ornament which has Mickey taking a selfie.
The new theme park related stockings are fantastic! All but one has been released already…
The one that is missing is the Hatbox Ghost from the Haunted Mansion. They retail for $27.99 each.
For a great overview of all of the ongoing construction, please check out our latest expansion update video below:
Work continues on the entrance to Toy Story Land…
I’m still dying to know what this weird tiny chunk of building will be…
Looking towards Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction.
Here we see the building for the Battle Escape attraction.
Here, we see the building that houses the Millennium Falcon attraction getting taller.
The chicken breast strips are now also an adult meal at ABC Commissary and they’re really fantastic for what they are.
Work continues on the very unfinished left side of Grand Avenue.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge rises in the background.
Here stands the tunnel that will transport guests to another planet.
It’s a Wonderful Shop has also stocked lots of new holiday decor items.
Including a new Hanukkah collection.
The refurbishment of Echo Lake continues, with the race on to have the Christmas decor up by November 9th.
WDWNT reporter Conner Purzycki brings us back to the Disneyland Resort for a long-overdue photo report from The Happiest Place on Earth. The first pieces of sculpted metal rock-work on top of the show buildings in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have appeared. From the Mickey and Friends parking structure, the two attraction buildings fill most of the skyline. Walls have sealed in most of the “Battle Escape” attraction at this point. Despite the height, the highest points will only be visible in the park from the back of Frontierland and Toontown, both of which surprisingly blend nicely with the mountain’s tallest peaks. This is probably our last look inside “Battle Escape” at the Disneyland Resort before the whole building is enclosed. Looking past “Battle Escape” towards the Millennium Falcon attraction. Tarps are on on Tortilla Joe’s facing the Disneyland Monorail station. Work continues on Splitsville, set to open before the end of 2017. Between Sprinkles and D-Street, the VR experience “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire” will open on January 5th, 2018. I guess January 5th is technically still a day before the traditional holiday season ends… Not to be outdone by Orlando, Downtown Disney Anaheim now has the Disney Dress Shop, selling all of the very popular Disney Parks dresses released this year. Ridemakerz is operating with adjusted hours right now, for some reason. One of the former Disney information booths just outside of the esplanade is now a Haagen-Dazs location, because money. A construction crane looms behind the Sailing Ship Columbia and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. River Belle Terrace is being converted into a full-fledged table service restaurant, removing all of the leftover setup from when it was a quick service eatery. Livin’ on the Edge We now journey to the back of Frontierland and Critter Country to check out Galaxy’s Edge from the other side. Some of the rock-work will peek over, but none of it will look out of place, which is nice. The real question is where will Disneyland set up the queue to enter the land? Will it be here, or towards the center entrance behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? They have less than two years to figure it out. A peek through the walls gives us a great look at that newly installed mountain range. 2019 can’t get here soon enough…
Our latest photo report brings u back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as it prepares for a transitional Holiday season, offering up a new lineup that Disney hopes will fill the void left by the Osborne Lights over the last two years. Plenty of blown-glass ornaments for sale at Celebrity 5 & 10, including a new Monorail ornament. They’re a little pricey at $19.99 each, but they are pretty cool. Some new holiday apparel for sale. A few new Beauty and the Beast ornaments have joined the existing collection this year, including this light up rose ornament. Mickey and Minnie Mouse have both received their own action figures of sorts, exclusive to the Disney Parks. They retail for $14.99 each. The new Mickey Mouse ear baseball cap is already out. As the park prepares for the new Sunset Seasons Greetings offering, a whole lot of new infrastructure is going into place on Sunset Boulevard. The old, white lights for the palm trees have been replaced with these beauties, capable of color changing for show elements. Some extra hardware was also installed on the star lights, likely to be used to integrate them into the show. The Fantasmic billboard is likely gone for good as a new billboard that can be projected onto will go in its place. Maybe it will return in some form down the road. Behind the billboard hides the infrastructure for the projectors that will turn the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a number of holiday items during the shows. The projectors sit on the stands you can see behind these windows. People seem confused about a new Paradise Pier billboard that appeared recently at the Studios. I don’t see the confusion as both lands exist in roughly the same time period. Sadly, Paradise Pier will become PIXAR Pier, but this will be a nice nod to the past. Construction continues on Two Story Land, opening Summer 2018. The remnants of the catwalk above the soundstage waits to be sealed in. On the other side, we still have no idea what this weird, tall section of building is supposed to be. A dirt wall now seals PIXAR Place, which eventually will be no more once Toy Story Land opens and the entrance to Toy Story Midway Mania moves there. Just before this dirt wall will lie a cast access road, with PIXAR Place then becoming a backstage area. The construction walls behind Muppet Vision 3-D expanded outward, now coming into the attraction’s exit. Here we see the building for the “Battle Escape” attraction in Star War’s Galaxy’s Edge. Sunset Showcase courtyard was open, being used for extended queue for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, as well as some character meet and greets. The show building for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster was recently repainted blue to blend into Toy Story Land better. It’s too bad it now doesn’t blend with anything on this side of the park. Why is every “soundstage” building a different color? Work on Echo Lake continues, with the “logs” under the water now repainted. With the Coco preview coming soon, the final room of Walt Disney Presents is pretty barren at the moment. The stickers on the walls were taken down and only on display case remains in use.
We have seen two separate tests to date of “Jake” the droid by Disney, inside Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland and at the Parks and Resort pavilion at the D23 Expo 2017, but now the roaming character developed for the upcoming “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is going through some outdoor testing in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Guests will also encounter some signs pertaining to Jake as they roam around Tomorrowland. The test is occurring on most days, and Jake is being attended to by a undercover Imagineer who is watching over him. This is good, because by the looks of the video below, Jake is going to need some protection… The droid takes quite a beating during the short period where we watched him, getting kicked and pushed around by some children who he meets. Luckily, Jake was designed to handle such events, but one has to wonder just how much such a complicated piece of machinery can take. Well, this is why he is being tested years before his debut in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. Disney has stated that multiple droids and alien creatures will be roaming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when it opens at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Set to open in 2019, construction continues on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including the massive E-Ticket extravaganza currently only known as “Battle Escape“. Construction of this massive ride has expanded quite a bit, now very visible from the exit of Muppet-Vision 3-D, near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. It remains to be seen how this will be hidden from view once the project is complete, seeing as this area will not be an entrance to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and we’re looking at the backstage part of the building from this angle. “Battle Escape” is rumored to be a trackless attraction, featuring many audio-aniamtronics, projection effects, and more when it debuts in 2019. The models of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land will be on display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting September 8th, inside of Walt Disney Presents.
The One Man’s Dream attraction is currently being reimagined into Walt Disney Presents, which like its predecessor, will continue showcasing historic items from Walt Disney’s history, such as sketches, photos and storyboards. Walt Disney Presents will also act as a preview center where guests explore what’s next for the park. Starting in mid-September, you’ll be able to view concept art, ride vehicle maquettes and a never-before-seen model for Toy Story Land. A portion of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge model also will be on display, as well as concept art for the new Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction. The attraction will also continue to host greetings with characters like Star-Lord and baby Groot, plus special sneak previews of upcoming Disney films.
PHOTOS REPORT: Disneyland Resort 10/23/17 (Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Mountain Range Appears, Splitsville, New Dress Shop, ETC.)
Rockin’ Galaxy’s Edge
You Can Always Go… Downtown
Welcome to Disneyland
PHOTO REPORT: Disney’s Hollywood Studios 10/25/17 (Sunset Seasons Greetings, Christmas Shopping, Toy Story Land, Star Wars, ETC.)
Christmas Shopping
Sunset Seasons Greetings
Dirt Street U.S.A.
This and That
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Interactive Roaming Droid Character for Star Wars – Galaxy’s Edge Unleashed on Disneyland, and Children Unleashed Onto It
PHOTOS: Latest Construction Progress on the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge “Battle Escape” Attraction
UPDATE: Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land Models Debut September 8th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
