Star Wars has been associated with Disneyland since before Star Tours opened at the Anaheim theme park on April 12, 1992, and now two years after the Walt Disney Co. bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion, the entertainment giant's chief has revealed the movie franchise will be even more greatly integrated into the Mouse House.
Well, at least part of the Star Wars franchise will be …
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The Force is Not With Captain EO as Star Wars Rides Take Over Disneyland's Tomorrowland
During a Q&A at Variety's Dealmakers Breakfast in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Bob Iger said, “There will be a much larger Star Wars presence in our parks globally.”
However, Iger was referring to the later movies in the franchise, including J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens that opens Dec. 18, 2015, and the eighth Star Wars picture that is being written and directed by the pride of San Clemente High School, Rian Johnson.
Disney believes the classic Star Wars trilogy is adequately represented at its parks' Star Tours attractions, and Iger says he stopped early Imagineering work that considered all six movies that have been released to date, fearing guests would be disappointed after seeing The Force Awakens.
“I didn't want someone to say, 'I just saw the movie and there's nothing in that movie in this (attraction).' We waited to see what this film would have in it,” said Iger, who added ride planners also now have a sense of the Star Wars 8 story to go off of as well.
Plans for the new attractions will be unveiled next year, according to Iger, who told the Variety gathering, “we want to do this big, which takes time, and to do it right.”
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