Monday, March 18, 2013

A Star Wars Land for Disney Hollywood Studios ?


We already know that a Star Wars land is in project for Disneyland Paris Discoveryland but according to Lance from Screamscape another one might be built at Disney Hollywood Studios. For now, there is a lot of "IF" but Lance has learned that the park’s big parade will close and that there is also a rumor "that the Parade Float building may also be removed to make room for a new future project". We're talking here about the Parade Float building located backstage behind the Backlot Express restaurant which is close to Star Tours. 

So far, there is no signs that the Backlot Express will be removed too, but as Lance explains if they remove it, then the DHS will have "a fairly large space where they could possibly build a new Star Wars themed mini-land that could include the often rumored Star Wars Cantina restaurant project proposed for Paris". 

You've understood that we are here totally in the rumor section as Disney might have others plans for the "new project" they would put where the Parade Float building is currently. But, as Lance also says, considering that Disney can't build a Marvel land at WDW - because of the Universal exclusivity deal "east of the Mississippi" - there is no doubt that Disney will want to build instead a Star Wars land at one of its WDW property. And, considering that the DHS already have Star Tours and the Star Wars weekends each year the logic would be to build a Star Wars land there. 

As we know the DHS don't have a lot of room available around Star Tours and they can't really expand the park behind it as there is one of WDW Blvd right behind. So, as Lance think, they might find some room if they remove the Parade float building and the Backlot Express and i've did for you a Google Earth view - see the circled orange space below ( click to enlarge the picture ) of the space that Lance is talking about.



But, if Disney really needs a biiiig land to build a Star Wars land which wouldn't be only a mini-land but a real big land at the height of the fans expectations, why don't they take it on the parking lot nearby - the space circled in orange below - and then expand the parking lot in the back where nothing stop them to do it - the space circled in blue on the same picture? There might be of course plenty of reasons that i don't know which would make the operation more difficult that it seems, but technically it looks possible, doesn't it?



Anyway, which park - DLP or DHS - will be the first to inaugurate its Star Wars land, the future will tell!

Picture: copyright Lucasfilm, Google Earth

4 comments:

Parcorama said...

I can't believe Disney wants to build this rumored Star Wars land in the main Disneyland Park in Paris when there is a whole park dedicated to movie franchises that needs a lot of attention just around the corner (WDSP). The upcoming revamp of WDSP is precisely the perfect occasion to bring Star Wars in this park.
The biggest movie franchise of all times belongs to a cinema themed (when there is one on property, which is the case in Paris), it fits much better there than in a Magic Kingdom-style park.

Sometimes I just don't get WDI's decisions...

Anonymous said...

Exciting stuff!

Jeff Kober said...

I think your conclusions are pretty much spot on. They won't take over the Cast Services building just to the north of the parade building. But they could go into the parking lot, provided they add additional lot moving in the direction you've circled. And I think they would do that, given that they really do need more parking. It's the smallest lot in the Disney World universe.

Another possibility is that they will just do something with the smaller space not going into the parking lot. That might be an addition that could go in starting next year with a re-model of the restaurant. Then they could still provide a bigger expansion in the form of Cars Land over on the other side of the park.

Marco Antonio Garcia said...

I've also read a rumor that they were thinking about doing a Cars Land in DHS.

So, between a copy of CA Adventure Cars Land and a brand new Star Wars land I would rather see a new SW land in Florida without a doubt.