Star Tours
Status | Removed | |
---|---|---|
Cost | US$32 million | |
Opening date | January 9, 1987 | |
Closing date | July 26, 2010 | |
Replaced | Adventure Thru Inner Space | |
Replaced by | Star Tours – The Adventures Continue | |
Coordinates | 35°38′00″N 139°52′42″E / 35.6334°N 139.8783°E | |
Status | Removed | |
Opening date | July 12, 1989 | |
Closing date | April 2, 2012 | |
Replaced by | Star Tours – The Adventures Continue | |
Coordinates | 35°38′00″N 139°52′42″E / 35.6334°N 139.8783°E | |
Status | Removed | |
Opening date | December 15, 1989 | |
Closing date | September 7, 2010 | |
Replaced by | Star Tours – The Adventures Continue | |
Coordinates | 48°52′30″N 2°46′46″E / 48.8751°N 2.7794°E | |
Status | Removed | |
Opening date | April 12, 1992 | |
Closing date | March 16, 2016 | |
Replaced by | Star Tours – The Adventures Continue | |
Ride statistics | ||
Attraction type | Disney's Fastpass was available | |
Must transfer from wheelchair |
Star Tours was a
At its debut at Disneyland in 1987, it was the first attraction based originally on a non-Disney licensed intellectual property. The first incarnation of the ride appeared in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in 1987, replacing the previous attraction, Adventure Thru Inner Space. The attraction had subsequent openings at Tokyo Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland Paris.
The attraction at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios closed in 2010 to allow conversion for its successor attraction, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.[3] The latter location was completed on May 20, 2011. Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris closed their versions for conversion in 2012 and 2016,[4] marking the original ride's final run of 29 years.[5]
History
The ride that became Star Tours first saw light as a proposal for an attraction based on the 1979 Disney live-action film
Instead of completely dismissing the idea of a simulator, the company decided to make use of a partnership between
Meanwhile, Lucas and his team of special effects technicians at Industrial Light & Magic produced the first-person perspective film that would be projected inside the simulators. When both simulator and film were completed, a programmer then sat inside and used a joystick to synchronize the movement of the simulator with the apparent movement on screen.[10] On January 9, 1987, at a final cost of $32 million,[11] the ride opened to throngs of patrons, many of whom dressed up as Star Wars characters for the occasion. In celebration, Disneyland remained open for a 60-hour marathon from January 9 at 10 a.m. to January 11 at 10 p.m.[11]
Closing
On August 14, 2010,
Attraction
Advertised as "The Ultimate Star Wars Adventure!", Star Tours puts the guest in the role of a
Guests then enter a maintenance area where an apparently underproductive G2 droid performs repairs on another droid while being distracted by the observing guests, and another droid inadvertently points out all the supposed flaws of the StarSpeeder 3000 and its RX pilots. A ride attendant escorts guests to one of several loading stations where they wait for their turn to ride.[citation needed]
A television screen above the queue displays a countdown to take-off time and shows images of the StarSpeeder 3000 spacecraft being serviced. As launch time approaches, a safety video is shown featuring Star Wars aliens, Disney Imagineers, and their families. It instructs guests how to fasten their seat belts and where to place belongings. Once the doors to the starspeeder open, guests walk across bridges into one of the several starspeeder cabins. As the doors close, the bumbling
Rex lowers the cockpit shield, and the hangar crew activate the flight platform. All goes well until a slight mistake on Captain Rex's part sends the starspeeder crashing into the maintenance bay doors and plummeting into the maintenance yard. They barely crash into the control room and nearly collide with a giant mechanical arm. Once in space, Rex asks R2-D2 to make the jump to lightspeed. However, the ship accidentally passes the Endor moon and instead gets caught inside a comet cluster. The ship gets hit by several comets before getting trapped in one of the larger comets. The starspeeder weaves its way through the comet and escapes by crashing through one of the walls. Upon escaping the comet, however, the ship encounters a star destroyer of the Imperial remnant.[citation needed]
The starspeeder gets caught in its
Cast
English
- Anthony Daniels – C-3PO (voice and action)
- Ben Burtt – R2-D2
- Paul Reubens – Captain RX-24, a.k.a. Rex (voice)[15]
- Brian Cummings – Vid-Screen Announcer (planetary destinations) (voice)
- Stephanie Taylor – Safety Instructor
- Steve Gawley – cameo as Red Leader (onboard video)
- Warwick Davis – cameo as Wicket the Ewok
Japanese dub
- Yūji Mitsuya – Captain RX-24, a.k.a. Rex (voice)
French dub
- Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
- Luq Hamet – voice of Captain RX-24 (Rex)
Muren, Gawley, and Keeler were all Industrial Light & Magic computer animation staff. One year earlier, Reubens had voiced the shipboard computer in the Disney film Flight of the Navigator (credited as Paul Mall), in which his character was named Max. Reubens credited this role with his being cast for the ride.[15]
Ride system
Star Tours utilized
Successor
The successor attraction,
An episode of "The Mandalorian," a Star Wars series featured on the Disney+ streaming platform, featured a group of RX-series Droids.
Gallery
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AnMon Calamarican be seen in the control booth.
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The queue showing the Starspeeder 3000
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Loading Area
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Disney's Hollywood Studios' entrance
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Disneyland's entrance in 1998 after the Tomorrowland makeover
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Disneyland's entrance in 1996 before Tomorrowland makeover
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Tokyo Disneyland's entrance
See also
- List of former Disneyland attractions
- Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction and entertainment history
- List of amusement rides based on film franchises
References
- ^ "Music by Richard Bellis". Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ISBN 978-1595800909.
- ^ "How the 501st and Rebel Legions Became Part of Star Tours". StarWars.com. August 29, 2014.
- ^ "Star Tours to be Reintroduced in a New Version! - Star Tours: The Adventures Continue - Opening Spring 2015" (PDF). Press Release. Tokyo Disney Resort. November 16, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 25, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ DreamDisney (7 October 2014). "Star Tours 2 à Disneyland Paris pour les 25 ans". Radio Disney Club.
- ^ "Disney's Black Hole Attraction: Never Built Disneyland Part 3". 24 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "The History of Space in Disney World". World Of Walt. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
- ^ "The Secret History of Disney Rides: Star Tours". www.undercovertourist.com. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ Harness •, Jill (27 July 2011). "Neatorama Facts: Star Tours". Neatorama. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ "Looking Back on the History and Impact of the Original Star Tours 35 Years Later - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ a b "WDW Chronicles: New Star Tours Opening Ceremony". AllEars.Net. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ "Star Tours gets ready to make final flights to Endor".
- ^ "Star Wars Fans Take Last Tour to Endor Aboard Star Tours". 7 September 2010.
- ^ Trahan, Kendra (2004). Disneyland Detective: An Independent Guide to Discovering Disney's Legend, Lore, and Magic. Permagrin Publishing.
- ^ a b "Star Tours with Paul Reubens". Interview. D23 The Official Disney Fan Club. August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ Peltz, James F. (November 25, 1993). "Hughes Agrees to Sell Flight Simulator Unit". Retrieved August 24, 2014.
- ^ Trujillo, Dara (2010-07-30). "Sneak Preview: Starspeeder 1000 Collectible Exclusively at Star Wars Celebration V". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Tom (2010-10-26). "Who's Flying This Thing!?". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 2010-10-26.