.svg){kind=logo} | |
 TheMillennium Falcon in Galaxy's Edge atDisney's Hollywood Studios | |
| Theme | Star Wars |
|---|---|
| Area | 14 acres (5.7 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
| Disneyland | |
| Coordinates | 33°48′50″N117°55′12″W / 33.814°N 117.92°W /33.814; -117.92 |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31)[1] |
| Replaced | Big Thunder Ranch (Frontierland) |
| Disney's Hollywood Studios | |
| Coordinates | 28°21′14″N81°33′40″W / 28.354°N 81.561°W /28.354; -81.561 |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)[1] |
| Replaced | Streets of America |
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a themed area inspired by theStar Wars franchise inDisneyland at theDisneyland Resort inAnaheim, California, andDisney's Hollywood Studios at theWalt Disney World Resort inOrlando, Florida.[2] It encompasses 14 acres (5.7 ha) at each park,[3] and is set in the village of Black Spire Outpost, on the remotefrontier planet ofBatuu, featuring attractions, shops, restaurants and entertainment.
The lands were announced on August 15, 2015,[4] and construction at both parks began on April 14, 2016.[5] The Disneyland version opened May 31, 2019, and Disney's Hollywood Studios' version opened August 29, 2019.[1]Walt Disney Imagineering executiveScott Trowbridge supervised development and construction at both parks.[6][7]
In the early 2010s,Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) had initially developed plans for aStar Wars-themed land atDisney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.[8] Based on characters and settings fromthe original trilogy ofStar Wars films, includingTatooine andEndor, the area was to have encompassed the park'sEcho Lake area, replacing theIndiana Jones Stunt Spectacular andSounds Dangerous attractions and incorporating the existingStar Tours – The Adventures Continue.[9]
In 2014,the Walt Disney Company CEO and chairmanBob Iger slowed all of WDI's development onStar Wars-themed projects, postponing any creative development until the release ofthe sequel trilogy andanthology films. Iger explained: "I slowed it all down so what we come forward with will have a blend of the past, present, and maybe the future."[8]
On August 15, 2015, after a creative shift in design, aStar Wars-themed land for both Disney's Hollywood Studios andDisneyland was finally publicly announced by Iger at theD23 Expo. According to Iger, the unnamed land would be "occupied by many inhabitants: humanoids, aliens, anddroids ... the attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology."[2]Bob Chapek, then-chairman ofWalt Disney Parks and Resorts, stated that the land would "introduce you to aStar Wars planet you've never seen before – a gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters familiar and not so familiar."[3]
In an interview for the winter 2015 issue of the official Disney fan club publicationDisney twenty-three, senior creative leaderScott Trowbridge stated:
"[O]ur intent is to make it feel as if you just walked into one of the movies... BringingStar Wars to life in the physical world gives us the opportunity to play with a whole bunch of things we've never done before... to really engage all of the senses. What does that street feel like? What does that animal smell like? What does blue milk taste like?"[7]
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In March 2016, Iger announced that construction on both versions of the land would begin the following month, in April 2016.[10] Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016.[5]
In February 2017, Iger stated that the lands were scheduled to open in 2019 at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios.[11][12]
In July 2017, at the D23 Expo, Chapek revealed that the themed lands would be calledStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Chapek also announced that the Disneyland version would open first.[13]
In November 2017, Trowbridge announced that the planet portrayed by the land is called Batuu,[14] which appears in the 2018 novelStar Wars: Thrawn: Alliances.[15]
In May 2018, Trowbridge revealed the village in which the land is set would be called Black Spire Outpost,[16] a location briefly mentioned in the 2018 filmSolo: A Star Wars Story.[17] It was also announced that the Disneyland version of the land would open in summer 2019, followed by the Disney's Hollywood Studios version in late fall 2019.[11][12] The names of the two new attractions at each location were announced in November 2018, during the D23 Destination D event held at Walt Disney World.[18] A five-issue comic miniseries byMarvel Comics introduced the area's location in April 2019.[19] Iger announced the opening dates for both locations on March 7, 2019.[1]
The Disneyland version was dedicated on May 29, 2019. In attendance at the dedication ceremony were Iger,Star Wars creatorGeorge Lucas, and series actorsMark Hamill,Harrison Ford, andBilly Dee Williams.[20] The Disneyland version opened to the public on May 31, and because of its high popularity, avirtual queuing system was implemented on June 24.[21] The land at Disney's Hollywood Studios opened on August 29, 2019.[1]
Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) designed the project in collaboration with theLucasfilm Story Group, with ImagineerScott Trowbridge supervising the project, Asa Kalama and Chris Beatty serving as executive creative directors, Bryshere Casiano as the structural engineer, and Lucasfilm'sPablo Hidalgo and designerDoug Chiang ofIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM) involved as consultants.[22] Together, the team decided to set the lands on a new planet, located withinthe Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions.[23] Described as a "remote frontier outpost", the planet Batuu has not previously appeared in other media, although it has existed withincanon "for thousands and thousands of years."[24][23][14] The team chose to create a newly designed world instead of using an existing planet from the films, such as Tatooine orHoth, because those locations evoked a pre-existing familiarity with guests, with Trowbridge explaining, "We wanted to build newStar Wars stories, newStar Wars destinations." He says of the new planet,
This used to be a vibrant trading port back in the old sub-lightspeed days, but now with advent ofhyperspace, its prominence has kind of fallen and faded a little bit which has made it a great spot for those who didn't want to be on that kind of mainstream path. The smugglers, the bounty hunters, the rogue adventurers looking to crew up, the people who don't want to be found – basically all the interesting people.[23]
The development team drew inspiration from real-world locations, includingIstanbul,Morocco,Jerusalem andEgypt and traveled there to study the architecture, culture, and weather.[25][26] The team also citedRalph McQuarrie's concept art for the originalStar Wars trilogy as a basis forthe architecture and aesthetic look of the land.[25] The landscape of Galaxy's Edge features 135 foot (41 m)-tallspires standing among the rockwork that are intended to be thepetrified remains of massive trees of an ancient forest; Imagineers based this landscape from thePetrified Forest National Park inArizona.[27] WDI used in-housevirtual reality programs to realize where to useforced perspective and place thematic details in relation tosightlines to hide the park'sshow buildings from guest view.[28] Disney consciously modified traditional theme park attributes throughout the lands—such as having signs written in the fictionalAurebesh language rather than English, and omitting attractionmarquees andStar Wars-branded merchandise—as a way of maintaining the natural theming of the land.[29] Being located in California and Florida, both iterations of Galaxy's Edge are situated at differentlatitudes and also face in separatecardinal directions; Disneyland has an east–west orientation and Disney's Hollywood Studios has a north–south orientation.[30] This contrast in layout means both locations receive different amounts of sunlight at various angles throughout the seasonal year.[30] As a result, both locations were designed with distinct shades of paint and color palettes in mind.[30]
At the time of their openings, both locations ofStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge had one attraction:Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which allows riders to control theFalcon during a "customized secret mission".[31] This would be followed byStar Wars: Rise of the Resistance, that places guests into the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.[32][33] Concept art depicted a full-sizeMillennium Falcon situated among alien buildings built into tall cliffs.[32] Rise of the Resistance is a 28-minute long experience with more than 300 animated objects; housed within one of the largest show buildings Disney has ever built for a dark ride.[34] Film actorsDaisy Ridley,Oscar Isaac,John Boyega,Adam Driver,Domhnall Gleeson, andKipsang Rotich reprised their roles in the attraction asRey,Poe Dameron,Finn,Kylo Ren,General Hux, and the voice ofNien Nunb, respectively.[35][36][37]Frank Oz also reprised the role as the voice ofYoda, for a vocal cameo in Savi's Workshop.[38][39]
In addition, the area features Oga's Cantina,[40] which was the first location in Disneyland Park to sellalcoholic drinks to the public.[41] The cantina's music is provided by R-3X, adroid that was first seen as RX-24 (Captain Rex) inStar Tours, and is now the cantina's DJ.[42]Paul Reubens returned to voice the droid.[36]
The Black Spire Outpost marketplace contains a toy stall run by aToydarian, an alien species that was seen on Tatooine inEpisode I – The Phantom Menace.[43] There is also a creature stall.[44] A TIE Echelon, where Kylo Ren makes his daily appearance, was developed byColin Trevorrow during his work onEpisode IX before being replaced as the film's director.[45]The Coca-Cola Company providedStar Wars-themed iterations of Coke products such asCoca-Cola,Sprite,Diet Coke,Dasani,Powerade, andMinute-Maid to be served in the lands.[38]
The main story events of the land are set between the filmsEpisode VIII – The Last Jedi andEpisode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,[46] and depicts the presence of both theFirst Order andResistance.[22][24] However, guests also have the opportunity to meetStar Wars characters from other timelines such asThe Mandalorian andGrogu.Lucasfilm's Matt Martin stated that these characters are "visiting Batuu in the time that you know them from the series—or somewhere close to it—and you're getting to meet them [then and] there" and thatWalt Disney Imagineering "has a pretty good way of ensuring that those characters don't intrude on each other."[47]
LongtimeStar Wars composerJohn Williams returned to compose the mainmusical theme for Galaxy's Edge.[18] Williams' theme is interpolated and arranged diversely throughout the land asambient music, instead of in its traditional symphonic format.[48]William Ross, who conducted the symphonic recording of the theme with theLondon Symphony Orchestra (LSO) on Williams' behalf, was also responsible for arranging Williams' original composition in different musical contexts for use. Ross and the LSO recorded nearly an hour of musical material atAbbey Road Studios in November 2018.[48] Themusical score for Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance attractions feature reprisals ofpreviousStar Wars themes written by Williams, adapted and conducted by Ross. A five-minute symphonic suite was released digitally byWalt Disney Records on May 3, 2019.[49][18] The suite was first heard in its entirety at Star Wars Celebration Chicago in 2019. In addition to Williams's score, 29 original songs were commissioned to the music team for use as ambience as well.[39] On September 6, 2019,Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Oga's Cantina: R-3X's Playlist #1 was released by Walt Disney Records, featuring eighteen tracks heard at Oga's Cantina inside Galaxy's Edge.[50] Music fromStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge Oga's Cantina: R-3X's Playlist #1 was publicly played for the first time at Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019.
Williams won theGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for theStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite.[51]
AtDisneyland, Galaxy's Edge is located in the northwest portion of the park, with three entries fromFrontierland,Bayou Country (formerly Critter Country), andFantasyland.[40] As a result of the expansion, Disney closedBig Thunder Ranch and adjacent backstage areas, and purchased nearby properties to relocate the office and warehouse space that was on the land.[52]
One of the backstage areas thus closed was Circle D Ranch, a facility for training and exercising the park's horses.[53] To replace it, Disney purchased an existing ranch inNorco, California and renovated the facility into the new Circle D Ranch, which opened in June 2017.[53] Since then, the park's horses have commuted to Disneyland in special trailers in groups of four at a time.[53] Each group spends three or four days working in the park (and resting in a backstage barn), then the horses are driven back to the Norco ranch.[53]
The construction of Galaxy's Edge required a reconfigured route for theDisneyland Railroad andRivers of America. A first look at how these changes would impact the park was revealed in January 2016, when concept art was released depicting the northern bank of the river after construction was completed.[54] On January 11, 2016, several attractions in Frontierland and Critter Country were closed. Big Thunder Ranch closed permanently, including the multifunction event space, barbecue restaurant and petting zoo. Other attractions closed temporarily, including the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America.Tom Sawyer Island reopened on June 16, 2017,Fantasmic! reopened on July 17, while the Disneyland Railroad,Mark Twain Riverboat,Sailing Ship Columbia, andDavy Crockett Explorer Canoes all reopened on July 29.[55][56][57] The land opened on May 31, 2019.[1]
In October 2023, Walt Disney Imagineering conducted a play test with roamingBD-X droids in Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland.[58] In 2024, the BD-X droids began making scheduled daily appearances in Galaxy's Edge during the park's "Season of the Force" event from April 5 through June 2.[59]
For the 2024 "Season of the Force" event at Disneyland, a new nighttime show debuted titled,Fire of the Rising Moons, which uses selections from composer John Williams'Star Wars film scores for the park's fireworks shows viewed from within Galaxy's Edge.Fire of the Rising Moons remained in Galaxy's Edge after "Season of the Force" ended.[60] For the 2025 "Season of the Force" event at Disneyland, it was announced that a new nighttime projection show titledShadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga was debuted on March 28, 2025 in Galaxy's Edge.Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga remained in Galaxy's Edge after "Season of the Force" ended,[61][62] while the projection effects was added to the updated version of fireworks spectacular show.
AtDisney's Hollywood Studios, Galaxy's Edge is located in the southwest portion of the park, with two entries fromGrand Avenue andToy Story Land. Galaxy's Edge replaced the majority of the park's formerStreets of America area, including theLights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show andHoney, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure attractions, which closed on April 2, 2016, as well as the surrounding New York-San Francisco backlot facades, restaurants, and shops.[3][63][64][65][66][excessive citations]
The remaining operating portion of Streets of America, containingMuppet*Vision 3D, and a surviving block of the New York facades, was rethemed as Grand Avenue, a Los Angeles-themed street.[67][68] An earthenberm with aFigueroa Street themed-tunnel was constructed between Galaxy's Edge and Grand Avenue to divide and connect the two lands.[69] The land opened on August 29, 2019.[1]
Galaxy's Edge in Hollywood Studios was accompanied by theStar Wars: Galactic Starcruiser themed hotel, which operated between March 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.[13][70][71][72] In July 2025, it was announced that the BD-X droids would make appearances in Galaxy's Edge from July 16 to August 30, 2025.[73]
The Disneyland version was named one ofTime magazine's "World's Greatest Places 2019".[78][79] While the themed area initially drew crowds to the point of leaving the rest of Disneyland relatively empty,[80] a drop in attendance after the first few months led to the resignation ofCatherine Powell, who oversaw the U.S. themed areas.[81] However, in October 2019, some visitors reported that Disney's Hollywood Studios area was crowded during their visit.[82]
| Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge | |
|---|---|
| Original work | Theme park land based on Star Wars byGeorge Lucas |
| Owner | Disney Parks |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) | Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire |
| Novel(s) | A Crash of Fate |
| Short stories | Star Wars: Myths and Fables |
| Comics | 5 issue mini-series |
| Audio | |
| Original music | John Williams composition |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Theme park attraction(s) | |
| Theme parks (pending) | |
The Black Spire Outpost is the focus of the tie-in five-issue miniseriesStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge, published byMarvel Comics. It was written by Ethan Sacks with art byWill Sliney, and was published from April 2019 onward.[19]
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge is avirtual reality experience forOculus andPlayStation VR2 platforms.[85]
| Main Street, U.S.A. |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Adventureland | ||
| New Orleans Square | ||
| Bayou Country | ||
| Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge | ||
| Frontierland | ||
| Fantasyland |
| |
| Mickey's Toontown | ||
| Tomorrowland | ||
| Seasonal attractions | ||
| Entertainment | ||
| Nighttime entertainment | ||
| Seasonal entertainment | ||
| Other | ||
| Hollywood Boulevard |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Echo Lake | ||
| Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge | ||
| Toy Story Land | ||
| Animation Courtyard | ||
| Sunset Boulevard | ||
| Entertainment | ||
| Restaurants | ||
| Future |
| |
| Other | ||
