Posted by Eric on November 29, 2011 at 10:34 AM CST
The following is a report from The ForceCast's Jimmy Mac.
The Mac family was long-overdue for a family vacation so the time was right to return to the scene of Star Wars Celebration V - Orlando, Florida. So we all flew out to "The Happiest Place in the World" on the weekend before Thanksgiving, although this time, the purpose of my trip was not Star Wars motivated. But that didn't last for long.
As most long-time Disney devotees and CV attendees already know, there are many Star Wars tie-ins within the Magic Kingdom and the other Florida Disney parks, Star Tours notwithstanding. This fact first became obvious on day one as we rode the bus from our hotel HQ, Disney's Caribbean Resort, to The Magic Kingdom. Among the island-inspired cover tunes being piped into the bus via their PA system, was a jumpy steel-drum version of "The Cantina Theme". This helped inspire the fan in me as we entered the world-famous amusement park. Almost immediately, we noticed kid after kid running around with a wild R2-D2 souvenir called a "Light Chaser". These were being sold at what seemed like every gift shop and souvenir stand at the park. Apparently, these little bad boys have been available at Disney parks for a couple of years now. Here is a cool video of the "Light Chaser" courtesy of Dustin Roberts and www.r2d2central.com.
Wow, those things were EVERYWHERE. And, they were rather loud and obnoxious after a while. So, even though I thought about it long and hard, I passed on this, the first Disney Star Wars collectible of the trip. But, my appetite was whetted and I was looking forward to finding more Star Wars merch. As we entered Tomorrowland, we noticed a shop called "Merchant of Venus". I had a feeling there would be some sweet Star Wars stuff in this place and I was right. Not only was there a Build-It-Yourself Lightsaber station, there were many items I didn't think I would see until the Star Tours attraction (where we weren't going to until day three). So, I picked up the exclusive Star Tours action figure multi-packs and a complete set of Star Wars Racers, all 15 in a kick-butt Vader case inspired by the vintage Kenner action figure case. But before I made my purchases, I had to do some window shopping.
After wrapping up a busy first day, we decided to blow off some steam in the resort's video arcade, where Star Wars games were very well represented. Star Wars Arcade, Racer, and Starfighter were eating up our quarters at a record pace. I never played Racer before and I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE this game. It was great to sit behind the controls of a podracer and compete in races on a variety of courses and planets. Especially considering you can race as the one and only Ben Quadinaros!
Day two featured a trip to the legendary Epcot center which was an amazing experience. We visited a huge shop in Futureworld which featured a large supply of Star Wars / Disney goodies. With pin collecting and trading being such a big pastime for Disney aficionados, I decided to set myself up with some bling. This pin of R2-MK seemed like the perfect choice!
Later in the afternoon, while purchasing a beer in the Epcot version of Germany, a Disney "cast member" working the beer stand noticed the pin. (Of course, for those of the uninitiated, every Disney employee is referred to as a "cast member". And, every "cast member" I met was great!). He commented "nice pin" and told me about what a huge Star Wars fan he is. I told him to listen to The ForceCast, naturally. ("Yes, of course you can get it from iTunes!")
As we continued to work our way through Epcot, we all spotted the poster for "Captain EO" and decided to give a go. I have been wanting to see this George Lucas / Michael Jackson / Francis Ford Coppola collaboration for a long time and it was great to finally see it on a big screen with all of the 4-D effects intact. From gusts of wind hitting us in the face, to occasional strobe lights blinding us, to the actual floor itself shaking when Captain EO's starship is involved in battle, it was a good time.
With its Sci-Fi element, I found myself looking for any Star Wars connection being brought to the table by Lucas. One character in particular, the keyboard jamming "Hooter", certainly made me think of Max Rebo. And some of the sets and space sequences seemed Star Wars-y enough, I guess. Do the events in "Captain EO" happen in a Galaxy Far, Far Away? That's debatable but if you think it's canon, that's good enough for me! Check it out below and decide for yourself!
That evening, we wrapped up another busy day back at the resort dumping more quarters into all the Star Wars video games. Then it was off to bed because day three was to be Star Wars Day for the Mac clan - A full day at Disney's Hollywood Studios and the newly revamped Star Tours 3D. Here's where the fun begins...I knew I would need my rest.
Finally, the day had arrived. Ever since The ForceCast attended "The Last Tour to Endor" at Celebration V, I had been looking forward to experiencing Star Tours 3D, and experience it I did. But first, the thrill of walking between the legs of a towering AT-AT to enter the attraction never gets old!
The queue-area inside is similar to the original incarnation of Star Tours. There were some cool differences, most notably, the use of video and various signage, among some familiar looking droids.
Thanks to the ingenious Disney Fast Pass, I had little time to soak in the environment and before I knew it, we were at the front of the line, ready to board the Starspeeder 1000. The friendly Star Tours representative handed each of us our 3D glasses (which were among the most stylish 3D glasses I have ever worn), and we were treated to a fun-yet-brief pre-flight video featuring Anthony Daniels himself as C-3PO.
The ride itself? Intense. Wild. Amazing. Hard. Core. Star. Wars. Really blows the old version out of the water (or, INTO the water as was the case with our tour of Naboo). We rode Star Tours five hundred times!!! We saw all six of the planets - Naboo, Hoth, Tatooine, Coruscant, Kashyyyk, and Geonosis (with a run thru the Death Star 1 still under construction). We saw both intros and all three of the holographic messages from Princess Leia, Admiral Ackbar, and a Frank Oz voiced Yoda. I must say, the ride exceeded my expectations and lived up to the hype. Plus, a total bonus was the line management. We scored several Fast Passes but didn't even need to use them all. There were certain times of the day where the wait in the general line was 5-10 minutes tops! Look for the times of the day when the ever-cool neighboring Jedi Academy stage is not in use. At those moments, the crowd was thin and the wait was super-quick. I actually had to walk away after a few rides because my brain started to feel like a bowl of scrambled eggs! What an experience! The ride is huge enough to be Star Wars while maintaining a thrill-per-second factor that will impress any serious amusement park ride lover.
Then, from one thrill to another, we were whisked off the ride and right into the Tatooine Trader - The parks massive Star Tours gift shop. Again we found another Build-It-Yourself Lightsaber station, action figures, snow globes, unique art, t-shirts, hats, stuffed Santa Yodas...You name it! I was disappointed to find out the new Star Wars / Muppet figures, Star Tours collectible baseballs, and action figure scale Starspeeder 1000 were not yet available, but never-the-less, there was just a ton of Star Wars stuff to purchase. We made the cash registers over-work to the point of mechanical failure with our mad purchasing. And it was a great time... All within a structure that looks right out of Mos Eisley!
Star Tours was amazing and we kept going back from more. But, after 500 times, even the best of us got a little woozy, so it was time to venture out and see the rest of the park. But, not before making one more pit stop for a photo op!
Around the park, popcorn was being served in giant, plastic R2-D2 popcorn tubs with resealable dome lid. This was the perfect appetizer for our next stop - "The Great Movie Ride". Located inside a perfect replica of Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater, we were pumped up to take a tour of realistic recreations of some of the greatest scenes in film history. As with the real Chinese Theater, the courtyard featured signatures and hand / foot prints in cement. We spotted some Star Wars royalty immortalized in the pavement, including R2-D2, C-3PO, Harrison Ford, Samuel L Jackson, and the Notorious G.L. himself!
Then, it was 'on with the show'! The Great Movie Ride was amazing as we were transported from one great film scene environment to the next. From "The Searchers" to "Casablanca" to "Alien" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the ride was a nice, mellow chill-down after the wild and crazy Star Tours marathon. I was disappointed that there were no scenes from "Star Wars" but it came as no surprise. I would have heard about it by now, right? However, The 'Wars was featured in a film montage at the end of the ride, with ample scenes and music from A New Hope. A perfect way to wrap up a perfect day with Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios! Soon, it was back to the hotel to survey all the cool Star Wars loot we picked up!
Our final day in Orlando was spent at the incredible Animal Kingdom park where there were no sightings of Banthas, Tauntauns, Dewbacks, or Rontos. Then, it was back to Magic Kingdom and the end of a successful Disney adventure - with a healthy dose of Star Wars mixed in!
But, the story doesn't quite end there. On our flight back to Chicago, our pilot spoke over the PA as most pilots like to do before takeoff. He claimed his name was Luke Skywalker, and his co-pilot was Chewbacca. Did he know I was on board? Be sure to listen to The Weekly ForceCast this Friday to hear the audio of a commercial airline pilot from Tatooine! This proves, once again, "Star Wars is Everywhere" (especially Orlando and Disney World!).
