It was bound to happen. Disney’s recently acquired Star Wars franchise is going to have it’s own land at Walt Disney World in Florida. This theme park is reported to be a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While this wasn’t a formal announcement, a reliable source announced today that this expansion received the green light, plus it wouldn’t be surprising at all for Disney to highlight this popular franchise at it’s amusement park. They will be looking to find all sorts of different ways to make their money back after the $1 billion acquisition from Lucasfilm last year.
This land is aiming to open in 2018, according to a report by Theme Park Insider. It will most likely replace outdated sections of Hollywood Studios, including the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids attractions and the Muppets theater (I’m sensing a new Muppets movie in the works! One that involves all of the characters getting back together to save their old theater! Oh wait… We already have that.)
These two attractions are located near the recently revamped Star Tours ride, making it simple for Disney to expand the area with Star Wars-themed rides and toys and restaurants and well, who are we kidding? Everything will become Star Wars themed!
In the Theme Park Insider’s same report, Walt Disney World will also be creating a Cars Land at Hollywood Studios. Last year on this very same day, a Cars Land opened at Disney’s California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California with an engine-roaring success.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando has raised the heat, and Disney’s retaliation will be as epic as one of the Star Wars battles (I would have a better reference, but sadly I have only ever seen the battles, as my little cousins always fast-forward to those parts. Only Yoda knows what happens during the rest of the film.) A new Avatar Land (based on the James Cameron film with blue people) was also announced in 2011for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
What do you think of Disney’s new expansions?