From the initial announcement, it does not appear that the attraction will differ from that of the recent makeover at the Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Just yesterday, the attraction redo was recognized by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and will receive a Thea Award for its refresh.

‘Star Tours’ opened at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort in July of 1989. It will close April 2, 2012 to receive the upgrade.

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Post tags: Attractions, Star Tours, Star Wars, TDL, Tomorrowland

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Zahn will be at The Writer’s Stop located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios from 1 – 3 pm. As always, theme park admission is not included and items must be purchased at the event (no personal items).

In Choices of One, eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal.

Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz’s treason and smash the Rebels for good.

But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played.

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‘Prep & Landing’ is an adorable holiday story about a high-tech team of elves who ensure homes around the world are properly prepared for their visit from Santa. After working for a tireless 227 years, an elf named Wayne (voiced by Dave Foley) is upset when he doesn’t receive an expected promotion. Instead he is partnered with an idealistic rookie elf named Lanny (voiced by Derek Richardson) to execute a special Christmas Eve mission. While on their journey, Wayne and Lanny encounter unexpected challenges that push them to their limits and ultimately threaten Christmas for children around the world. But in the end, these two elves work together to guide Santa through a raging snowstorm in order to save Christmas.

Prep & Landing, which first debuted in 2009 as ABC TV’s first animated television special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, features the voice talents of Dave Foley (Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Cars) as Wayne, Derek Richardson (TV’s ‘Men in Trees’) as Lanny, Sarah Chalke (TV’s ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Roseanne’) as Magee, Mason Vale Cotton (TV’s ‘Desperate Housewives’) as Timmy Terwelp, David DeLuise (Disney Channel’s ‘Wizards of Waverley Place’) as Dancer, Peter Jacobson (TV’s ‘House M.D.,’ Transformers) as Waterkotte, Lino DiSalvo (Disney’s Bolt) as Gristletoe Joe, William Morgan Sheppard (Transformers, The Prestige) as The Big Guy, Nathan Greno (Disney’s Bolt, Meet The Robinsons) as Dasher, Hayes MacArthur (Life As We Know It, She’s Out Of My League) as Thrasher and Kasha Kropinski (Fame, Big Fish) as Miss Holly.

Bonus

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Post tags: P&L, Prep & Landing, Prep and Landing, Star Wars, Walt Disney Animation Studios, WDAS

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Pictured, L-R: are James Arnold Taylor, voice actor from Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Dave Filoni, director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Iger; Lucas; Star Wars character C-3PO; Anthony Daniels, the actor who portrayed C-3PO in Star Wars; Ashley Eckstein, voice actor from Star Wars: The Clone Wars; and Daniel Logan, who portrayed Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Photo by Kent Phillips.

Walt Disney Co. president and CEO Bob Iger (left) “Star Wars” creator George Lucas (center) and actor Anthony Daniels, who portrayed C-3PO in Star Wars (right), pose with “Star Wars” characters May 20, 2011 inside a “Star Tours” ride vehicle at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. during grand opening ceremonies for “Star Tours — The Adventures Continue,” a new 3-D attraction based on the Star Wars films. The attraction, which features more than 50 possible random ride experiences, opened May 20, 2011 at Walt Disney World in Florida and will open June 3, 2011 at Disneyland Resort in California. Photo by David Roark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ5q1YOhqSU

Photos and video courtesy Walt Disney World Resort

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A cast of hundreds of Star Wars characters and performers – including Anthony Daniels, who has played the golden droid C-3PO since the first film debuted in 1977 – converged on Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the launch of the attraction destined to send millions of guests on virtual journeys throughout the Star Wars galaxy.

Fittingly, the launch of Star Tours anchored the opening day of Star Wars Weekends, a popular event in the park celebrating the Star Wars legacy with special shows, presentations, motorcades and memorabilia. Star Wars Weekends continue each Friday-Sunday now through June 12, 2011.

And on June 3, 2011, “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” will open at Disneyland Resort in California.

“Star Tours immerses guests into the Star Wars universe like never before,” Iger said. “The innovative technology and storytelling take guests on thrilling new adventures, bringing George Lucas’ iconic characters and locations to life in a completely new way.”

With eye-popping digital video leveraging Dolby 3-D to deliver a vivid and realistic visual experience, a dramatic musical score and motion simulator-based technology, guests are immersed in a Star Wars adventure like never before on a theme park attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering worked with Lucasfilm, Ltd. and Industrial Light & Magic – the groundbreaking visual effects division of Lucasfilm – to bring the out-of-this-world attraction to life.

Star Tours, which had thrilled Disney guests since the 1980s, was “powered down” in 2010 so Disney’s Imagineers could begin work on the new attraction.

In “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue,” there are more than 50 story combinations, so guests can find new adventures each time they experience the attraction.

Utilizing the random story combinations, the Starspeeder spacecraft embarks on a wild adventure, visiting several planets made famous in the Star Wars films. Among the locations that might provide haven from the Empire’s pursuit are the icy planet of Hoth, the lush jungles of Kashyyyk and the underwater Gungan world on Naboo.

And along the way guests may encounter Star Wars characters that offer to help (or hinder) their journey, including Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Vader and Boba Fett. “Skytroopers,” a legion of stormtroopers created just for the Star Tours attraction story, might even join in the chase.

In fact, guests will never know where the Force will take them. Flights are now departing during regular operating hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Admittedly some of these tees have been flaunted by Disney Parks already, but many are being seen here for the first time anywhere (as far as we know). They are the collection identified on their sleeve as the ‘Star Tours Launch Collection 2011′ in honor of the introduction of ‘Star Tours: The Adventures Continue’ coming to Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 20, 2011 and Disneyland on June 6, 2011.

The tees, which should be available at both resorts, are likely to also be offered online at DisneyStore.com.

[View with PicLens]

We will continue to offer our unrivaled coverage of the ‘Star Tours: The Adventures Continue’ as more information becomes available to us.

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Post tags: Clothing, Merchandise, Star Tours, Star Wars

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It begins with the costume uniform worn by cast members employees of the Star Tours organization. Are we at a Disney theme park or in a galaxy far, far away? Yes. Although new signage outside the attraction have a Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme to them and there are still indications that there is a movie set in the ‘Star Tours: The Adventures Continue’ area according to a recent photo update by StarTours2Live.com, we are assured by our spy that references to soundstages and hot sets will no longer apply in the world of the Star Tours travel company, at least once you step inside the show building terminal.

In fact, the line is being so blurred between the world of fantasy and — well, fantasy, that we are told that Walt Disney Imagineering has been instructing cast members that when posted outside the attraction, they are part of a theme park and should act with such knowledge, but once inside the attraction, there effectively is no Walt Disney World, straight down to standing orders to disregard the infamous ‘Disney Point.’

For those who don’t already know, the ‘Disney Point’ is so named because cast members are trained to never point with one finger when directing guests, lest another guest feel that they are being pointed at and consider it rude. So rather than a random guest being irritated that they have a stranger pointing a finger at them, they will be pleased that they have two fingers pointed at them. In any case, more power to the Star Tours agent who can turn it on and off at will.

Now where was I? Oh yes. Star Tours. Our spies report that, as feared, Star Tours is currently operating at half capacity with three out of six Starspeeder 1000s operating, which has fueled speculation that guests will be in for long waits when the attraction makes its debut on May 20. Unfortunately, however, our spies report that operations is only part of the issue and that the queues still require a lot of work, but only because Imagineering is set on making this a truly immersive Star Wars experience.

Upon entering the terminal, guests will see the brand spankin’ new Starspeeder 1000 in top form. A brand new rear-projection screen will showcase commercials for the Star

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Post tags: Star Tours, Star Wars

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Once again, Jedi Mickey and Princess Leia Minnie will be joined by some of the brightest stars from the saga. Celebrity Hosts for the event this year are James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Ashley (seen in the photo above with R2-MK and Jedi Mickey) will host “Clone Wars: Behind the Force,” a closer look inside the popular animated TV series. James will present another event-first: he will star in a one-man show that showcases some of the many voices he has performed throughout his career, including those from The Clone Wars.

Opening weekend will kick off the month-long event in grand fashion, as fan favorite Anthony Daniels (seen in the photo above at a filming session for the new “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” attraction), who brought C-3PO to life and is the only actor to appear in every theatrical chapter of the Star Wars saga, will make a golden return to the event. Dave Filoni, the talented artist and supervising director of The Clone Wars, also will be a special celebrity guest for Weekend I.
Star Wars Weekends II, III and IV will feature celebrities from the live-action feature films and voice artists from The Clone Wars. Here’s the complete event celebrity lineup (*talent subject to change) scheduled to appear:

MAY 20-22
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
The Clone Wars Special Guest: Dave Filoni (Supervising Director)

MAY 27-29
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
Bruce Spence (Tion Medon)
The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex)

JUNE 3-5
Ray Park (Darth Maul)
Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Matt Lanter (Anakin)

JUNE 10-12
Ray Park (Darth Maul)
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Tom Kane (Yoda)

More than 60 Star Wars characters will be roaming the theme park, posing for pictures and signing autographs.

From the special “welcome” Guests receive at the turnstile areas from the stormtroopers and Star Wars trivia contests to Jedi Training Academy and the spectacular Hyperspace Hoopla, Star Wars Weekends 2011 will have more fun than you can shake a gaffi stick at. And of course, throughout the event Star Wars Weekends Guests will have the chance to take a ride aboard “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” when the attraction

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Limited to an edition size of 2000, this Walt Disney World Annual passholder exclusive Star Tours 2 pin features a hinged door that, when closed, shows the Star Tours logo, and the Starspeeder 1000 when opened. It will retail for 15.95

The following items will be available at both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts in limited quantities. They will be available for Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 20th at Jabba’s Hutt and May 23 in Disneyland at The Star Trader.

A commemorative coin (photo not yet available) will be limited to an edition size of 2011 pieces. It will retail for $29.95.

The Star Tours 2 limited edition fine writing pen will be limited to an edition size of 1000 pieces and will retail for $49.95

Also not yet available with a photo will be a limited quantity Darth Vader tee that retails for $24.95.

Lastly, the Darth Vader tumbler will be available in limited quantities at both resorts and will retail for $14.95.

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Post tags: Collectibles, Merchandise, Star Tours, Star Wars

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Recently, Disney Parks and Resorts registered several domain names, all of which variations on STARTOURSPHOTOS.COM (STARTOURSPHOTOS.NET, STARTOURSPHOTOS.ORG, STARTOURPHOTO.COM, STARTOURPHOTOS.COM) and even the Spanish equivalent, STARTOURSFOTOS.COM (FOTOSSTARTOURS.COM, FOTOSTARTOURS.COM, STARTOURSFOTO.COM).

This strongly suggests that photos will become an option on the attraction, although exactly how, is unclear at this time. Certainly one of the key elements to a proper ride photo is a physical reaction to a moment of surprise such as sudden acceleration or drop, so that doesn’t immediately seem to lend itself to the Star Speeder vehicles we already know. Or, it may be possible that a special photo-op may be available involving some sort of special effect, only time will tell.

Time will also tell if the ride photo (should it even exist) will be part of the Disney’s PhotoPass system. Currently only two attractions between both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort use PhotoPass, and both (Test Track, Space Mountain) are at Walt Disney World. As it were, Space Mountain initially used Kodak’s system which is completely separate and even now requires an additional purchase to place it on PhotoPass. The existing contracts and play-nice-with-Kodak mentality have made it difficult to incorporate PhotoPass on additional attractions, but if photos do come to Star Tours, the fact that its content is licensed from LucasFilm may give it additional leverage to be free of Kodak’s restraints. Then again, it may not. The fact that Disney has registered domain names specifically for this apparent functionality could also suggest that PhotoPass may not be involved at all, but that photos may be purchased separately online, post-vacation.

‘Star Tours II: The Adventure Continues’ is scheduled to re-open on May 20 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World (for Star Wars Weekends) and June 3 at Disneyland.

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Post tags: PhotoPass, Star Tours, Star Wars

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The news nibble also alludes to a special annual passholder event to-be-announced tied to the re-opening of the attraction as well as links to the attraction’s official page which promises that a confrontation with the popular bounty hunter is just one of the promising opportunities in the attraction.

‘Star Tours — The Adventure Continues’ is scheduled to re-open at Disneyland on June 6.

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Post tags: Star Tours, Star Tours II, Star Wars

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Guests will check in at the main entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning at 8:30 pm and will receive their commemorative boarding pass for their trip. According to the event’s page, the event will consist of just visiting the attraction.

D23 members may reserve tickets for themselves and one guest. Tickets for the event are required (but theme park admission is not) and are free, but there will be a $5 ticket processing charge. Tickets will become available online on a limited first come, first serve basis beginning August 26 at 1 pm ET. For more information on the event and to reserve tickets when available, click here.

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Post tags: Attractions, D23, Events, Star Tours, Star Wars

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“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart poses Aug. 14, 2010 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. with Star Wars-inspired Disney characters Stormtrooper Donald Duck and Princess Leia Minnie Mouse. Stewart was in Orlando as a special host of “Star Wars Celebration V,” the official Lucasfilm fan event held this week at the Orange County Convention Center. At the convention center earlier in the day, Stewart took the stage with Star Wars creator George Lucas and interviewed him live in front of thousands of fans.

Photos by Todd Anderson, courtesy of Disney.

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Post tags: Celebrities, DHS, George Lucas, Jon Stewart, Last Tour to Endor, Star Tours, Star Wars

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Post tags: Boba Fett, Celebration V, Collectibles, Merchandise, Star Wars, Toys

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One of the event’s festivities will be a ‘mash-up’ live-action stunt show in which Indiana Jones meets Star Wars. The show is appropriately titled ‘Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom: A Fan Film of ‘Epic’ Proportions.’ The following clip from Walt Disney World provides the few details available:

So what happens when the 1940s and long time ago mesh together and Indiana Jones comes face to face with Han Solo? We may find out in another week, should the Universe manages to survive.

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Post tags: Events, Indiana Jones, Last Tour to Endor, Star Tours, Star Wars

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