Inside the Magic is on the scene at D23 and recorded this interview with Disney Imagineer Jason Surrell and he had some interesting things to say about the Disney Theme Parks potential for Star Wars.
On the floor at the expo is a series of crates with hints of what might be to come, including the crate reading “Orange Harvest.” Obviously that’s a play on Blue Harvest, and both Disneyland and Disney World happen to live in the Orange County of their respective states, so anything is possible.
You can head to Inside the Magic for their full report and many more pictures of the crates.
The next bit of news comes from Micechat, a generally reliable Disney news site. They’re reporting some very enticing tidbits about the future of Star Wars at Disneyland.
From their inside (but unconfirmed) sources:
The first phase is planned to get underway this winter with the closing of Captain EO and major “placemaking” work on the existing buildings that mostly date from 1967. The 15 months of work would wrap up by early spring 2015 in time for the 60th, and leave a new Star Wars 3D movie in the old Captain EO theater, new destinations programmed into Star Tours based on the seventh Star Wars movie to be released in summer 2015, and a freshened aesthetic to the buildings surrounding Space Mountain. Once the 60th Anniversary begins to wind down, the real work begins on plans to build a Star Wars speeder bike coaster on the old PeopleMover tracks, plus more Star Wars eye candy and freshened facilities throughout the land.
My only problem with the idea of the Speeder Bike coaster on the old PeopleMover tracks is a bit of inside information I got from a Disney employee a couple of years back. When the PeopleMover was replaced by a roller coaster to begin with, they had to close the coaster after just a few years because it wasn’t safe. The infrastructure for the old PeopleMover tracks simply can’t handle the physical forces required to safely accommodate anything that moved much faster than the PeopleMover. But that’s not to say that they can’t fix all that.
But seriously, can you imagine the need of Star Wars fans to see an exclusive 20 minute Star Wars movie at Disneyland? It would increase pilgrimages exponentially.
Whatever Disney decides to do, I’ll be there. I just hope much of it is ready in time for Star Wars Celebration: Anaheim.