Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

 

Disneyland Hotel

 

The opening of any new ride at Disneyland is cause for celebration. But the new “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” seems to have captured the whole world’s attention—well, at least the attention of everyone who loves Star Wars. Not only is this just the second—and most highly anticipated—attraction in Disneyland’s relatively new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge “land,” it is, according to many critics, the single best ride ever created: 20 minutes of highly interactive thrills—in other words, every Star Wars fan’s dream.

To manage demand, access to “Rise of the Resistance” is handled via “boarding passes” allotted as soon as Disneyland opens. If you are not in the park right at “rope drop,” you'll miss your chance at getting a group number allowing you to board the ride later in the day. We’ve heard stories of annual-pass-holders showing up at 9AM, when the park opens, only to leave again at 9:15AM because they weren’t able to get a numbered boarding pass. Much like the villains that populate Batuu, the Galaxy’s Edge home planet, getting a boarding pass to “Rise of the Resistance” can be cutthroat.

Thus, we decided to avoid Disneyland for a while . . . that is, until last week when we canceled prior vacation plans (due to coronavirus fears) and suddenly had an open calendar. Hmmm . . . Might we have a better chance getting into “Rise of the Resistance” on a weekday in early March? And why not spend the night before at the Disney resort to ensure early arrival at the park the next morning? We quickly reserved a room at the Disneyland Hotel.

Tim already got a tutorial from a friend who knew how to snag “Resistance” boarding passes online via the Disney app (far too complicated for me!). But when we checked into our hotel, the gal at the registration desk convinced us that getting paper boarding passes in Tomorrowland was a much better way to go. Besides, as hotel guests we could get into the park an hour early (i.e., “Magic Morning”) and, therefore, be first in line at the boarding pass machines. As soon as we unpacked, we ran over to Disneyland to scope out where to go in Tomorrowland the next morning. This might just work!

 

 Tomorrowland after dark

After a night filled with Disney fun—new Disneyland parade, Food and Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure, and dancing to a free Beatles cover band in Downtown Disney—we got up early the next morning and started walking over to the park. Seems like every hotel guest had the same idea because the security lines were longer than we’ve seen them in a while. We stepped up our pace zipping through Downtown Disney, only to find even longer lines at the Disneyland gates. It was 8:15AM before we got to Tomorrowland. Breakfast would have to wait.

The park opened at 9AM, so we had 45 minutes to wait. Despite getting there early, we were  second in line at the “Resistance” boarding pass machines, behind three Japanese tourists. Disneyland cast members stood nearby to answer questions about the process. Though they encouraged everyone to use the Disney app to get the boarding pass online, people continued to queue-up behind us. The closer it got to 9AM, the bigger and more tense the crowd became. Three guys standing next to were hoping to get 15 boarding passes. I inwardly rolled my eyes and wished them luck.

 

 Waiting at the board pass machine, counting down to 9AM

At 8:55AM, the cast members directed us to line-up in front of the boarding pass machines. To get the boarding pass, we had to stick our paper Disneyland tickets into the machine. I couldn’t stand the pressure, so gave Tim my ticket. And then suddenly it was 9AM! 

 

 Crowd getting restless

People at the other machines were madly jamming their tickets into their machines, while dozens of other people tried accessing the Disney app. Those who were successful yelled in glee, while I waited for Tim to tell me our boarding numbers. We got in, but . . . though he had stuck one ticket in just a half-second after the other, I was in group 10 while he was in group 39—probably two hours difference in boarding times! We could go on the ride, but not together.

 

 Boarding passes: groups 10 and 39

Catching our breath, we hurried over to Galaxy’s Edge to see when I could board. . . only to find that the ride was down. While waiting for it to be fixed, I chatted with a nice young woman who had just started working for Disney a month before. She had come in on her day off in hopes of going on the ride herself. She encouraged me to ask if Tim could go on the ride with me, even though his boarding number was much higher. And, indeed, a few minutes later, we both went in, walking along an outdoor path which eventually led to a large cave-like room where we saw Star Wars-style screens and one of our favorite android characters, BB-8. We were wondering what was next when a hologram of Rey, the main character from the most recent Star Wars films, appeared, asking for our help. The doors then opened. 

 

 BB-8

 

Holographic Rey, asking for help

 

“Bad news,” a cast member, dressed like a resistance fighter, said. “The ride is still down.” He then gave us passes to return in two hours. We left Disneyland and had breakfast in Downtown Disney. It was now after 10AM.

At 11AM, we checked out of the hotel and took the Monorail back into Disneyland. It was noon when we returned to “Rise of the Resistance.”

The ride was still down with no foreseeable resolution. In all our plotting and scheming, we hadn’t counted on a broken ride!

So we went home and took a nap. A good excuse to go back another day.

Star wars: Galaxy's Edge

 

Batuu

 

Soon after announcing that Disneyland's new Star Wars land, Galaxy's Edge, would open this summer, Disney blocked current and retired employees from entering the parks for free. The main concern: overcrowding. But potential visitors, also fearing massive crowds, stayed away in droves. And so we were soon welcomed back with open arms. After all, employee money is better than no money at all!

We, of course, had been anticipating Galaxy's Edge since Disney's initial announcement in 2015. Though I worried that a Star Wars addition might take Disneyland far, far away from Walt's original vision, we nonetheless were anxious to see the new land and so went as soon as our passes were unblocked.

The setting of Galaxy's Edge is Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, a remote planet that has never appeared in a Star Wars movie. The evil Empire, which suspects the rebel alliance has taken hold of the outpost, is an ominous presence. Storm troopers are known to stop visitors and ask what they're doing there.

We entered Galaxy's Edge from the Fantasyland side and, after a short transition space, were immediately thrust into the world of Star Wars. The outpost is so unlike any other part of Disneyland that it's truly like being on another planet. In fact, it is impossible to see the rest of the park from Batuu. Nor is Batuu visible from the rest of the park. 

 

Our first view of Batuu (east entrance from Fantasyland)

 West entrance from Frontierland

The ambiance is similar to a Middle Eastern marketplace: extremely visual and noisy. Though you can't see them, you can hear spaceships and land speeders taking off and landing throughout. Parked in the middle of everything is the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's former ship and now home to Smuggler's Run, the outpost's only ride. (A second ride will open in January.) The Falcon is the most easily identifiable attraction in Batuu and is obviously a huge draw for fans. It looks so real, I could barely take my eyes off it!

 

In front of the Falcon

 

The Falcon: such attention to detail!

 

 Parked Falcon 

Surrounding the Falcon are mostly eateries and shops that, in some cases, seem more like Star Wars museums than stores. You can build your own version of R2D2 at Mubo's Droid Depot and your own lightsaber at Savi's secret workshop—but be discreet when asking where it is. You don't want to draw storm trooper attention.

 

Mounted animal heads at Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities

 

Tim being silly at the build-a-droid depot

 

You, too, can become a storm trooper

for $6600!

One of the most popular spots is Oga's Cantina, where you can buy light refreshments and alcoholic beverages. Modeled after the cantina in the first Star Wars movie, the space is dark, loud and mysterious. The DJ is Rex, the robot from Disneyland's Star Tours ride, spinning tunes and spouting advice to the mostly distracted crowd. The snacks and drinks aren't cheap, but at least it's cool inside. Be sure to make a reservation as soon as you arrive in Batuu!

 

The bar at Oga's—DJ Rex, voiced by a very funny Paul Reubens,

in the background

 

Drinking an exotic lemonade

You can watch Disneyland's fireworks at night from Batuu, but don't expect to see any other hints of the park or Disney characters. The point here is to be totally immersed in another world. So far so good. 

  

Black spire that gives the outpost its name

  

Batuu architecture

  

Gritty ambiance

   

Modest crowds on a sunny Tuesday

 

Docking bay

 

Heroic statue

 

Batuu at night

 

Fireworks over Black Spire 

D23 Expo 2017

 

Costume from the movie Maleficent—Disney archives exhibit

 

D23, the Disney fanclub, has held its big three-day convention in Anaheim every two years since 2009.  What began as a low-key, rather amateur event eight years ago has evolved into a mega-media extravaganza comparable to a mini-Comic-Con and not in a good way. Attendees have to wait on line for hours to see their favorite Disney celebrities and/or shop in one of several exclusive pop-up Expo stores. One young man told me he waited three hours to get into the on-site Disney Store to buy a special "convention-only" set of Mary Poppins tsums-tsums for a friend. He kept his fingers crossed the entire time, hoping they wouldn't sell-out by the time he finally got inside. (Luckily, they didn't.) I commended him on being a truly good friend.

 

 Waiting, in what I call "the holding pen," to see Pixar animators

The fifth D23 Expo was this weekend. Tim and I have attended every one and, though, I often threaten to never return, I always do because, despite the lines and the crowds, it always ends up being a memorably fun time. We even got a hotel room, this time around, making traveling back-and-forth to Orange County a lot less stressful.

 

 Photo op with pile of books

 

The first major event on Friday was the induction of this year's Disney "Legends"—a prestigious hall of fame for celebrities and other talented Disney employees who have made major work contributions to the company. This year's group included several animators, as well as Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Garry Marshall, Julie Taymor, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. The Legends ceremony is always a highlight for me, so we arrived especially early to wait on line. It took two hours to get in; but even Tim had to admit the event was wonderful once we were inside, celebrating each person's accomplishments.

 

 Waiting for the Legends ceremony. Can you find Tim?

The other highlight was seeing the huge 3-dimensional model of the new Star Wars Land, called Galaxy's Edge, currently under construction at Disneyland. Though I resent how much the recently-acquired Stars Wars franchise now overshadows the more traditional Disney universe, even I'm excited to see the park's expansion into a world far, far away. It's scheduled to open in time for the next D23 Expo in 2019.

 

 Panorama of the new Galaxy's Edge, the largest land ever

to be added to any Disney property

Galaxy's Edge detail

 

More detail

 

One of the "other-worldly" characters to

populate the new land

 

Visitors will be able to fly the Millennium Falcon

 

Besides events, exhibits, and things to buy, the Expo lets fans release their inner Disney personas through costumes and other creative means not usually allowed in the parks.  Lots of adult princesses and villains, of course, But the most amazing was a young woman dressed as Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain ride, complete with a running model train! 

 Big Thunder Mountain costume

A fan dressed as the villain Ursula 

from Little Mermaid

 

When we're lucky, we even see real-life heroes wandering around the convention hall. I was gazing lovingly at my new Groot coin-purse, when I heard Tim say, "Babe, there goes SHAG!"

Sure enough, our all-time fave artist, SHAG (i.e., Josh Agle), was walking through the exhibits, unnoticed, with his children. We followed behind, until someone stopped him for a photo. We then we leaped in. SHAG was extremely gracious while I gushed about loving his work, etc. I then asked if that was him depicted in his 50th-anniversary painting of Disneyland's Frontierland and he said, "yes," pointing to his daughter, adding that she's in the picture, too. I was beyond thrilled and completely forgot how grumpy I was, just a few hours before, about not being able to see a panel discussion on upcoming live-action Disney movies because the line was too long! Hands down, meeting SHAG was the best part of this—or any—year's Expo.

With SHAG

 

The Frontierland 50th-anniversary print that hangs above our bed

 

Since we were spending the night anyway, we decided to go to the Angels baseball game just a mile from our hotel. Our seats were good, but the team not so much. Still, we did get to take a photo with staff characters from Disney California Adventure's Guardians of the Galaxy show, one of the sponsors of that night's game.

 

 In front of the stadium

With Peter Quill and Gamora

 

The perfect ending to this year's D23 Expo experience. Back to reality tomorrow . . .

The Force Awakens

 

Han Solo movie poster

 

Like everyone else in the universe, we're counting the days till the new Star Wars movie officially opens on Friday. To hold us over, we recently made a quick trip to Disneyland, where Tomorrowland has been transformed into the "Season of the Force," complete with a Launch Bay exhibit promoting the new movie and elite collectibles (a $4000 Darth Vader costume and $12,000 life-sized Storm trooper statue—yikes!). We rode "Star Tours," which has been updated to include Force Awakens characters (excellent!), but opted not to wait 90 minutes on line for the temporarily revamped "Space Mountain" ride.

 

 Updated Storm trooper

Millennium Falcon model

 

Yoda!

 

Imperial starcruiser model

 

Bring me the head of Darth Vader . . . 

as a cotton candy container—only at

Disneyland!

 

****************
THE MOVIE:

After successfully avoiding all reviews—and after re-watching the original Star Wars movies the night before—we made our way to our local multiplex yesterday morning for the 8:30AM show. It was already the third screening of the day. The theater wasn't full, but several large groups of adults entered together—I speculated they were employees of Sony and Culver Studios, both within walking distance. As usual, the audience was mostly male.

Tim and I loved the movie. Director J.J. Abrams got it exactly right. Filled with familiar imagery, plot lines and themes, it is the perfect sequel to the original three Star Wars films. (Prequels? What prequels?) Plus it was wonderful seeing all our favorite characters and spaceships. (The Millennium Falcon got a huge round of applause.) I won't spoil the story, which is filled with surprises. Suffice it to say, fans will laugh and cry (like I did), but will be overjoyed to be back in the world they love.

GO SEE IT RIGHT NOW! 

Star Wars Celebration, 2015

Anaheim Convention Center

 

Like I've said elsewhere on this blog, I love Star Wars, but am not a rabid fan. That honor goes to Star Trek, though, of course, the two franchises are not mutually exclusive. Still, we couldn't resist attending last weekend's Star Wars Celebration, the tenth in a series of fan conventions dedicated to George Lucas's epic science fiction series. Celebration isn't held every year nor is it always held in the U.S. In fact, the last time it was held in Southern California was 2007. It's going to London next year.

With the 7th Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, opening in December, this year's Celebration promised  to be a major event, with some 100,000 people expected to attend. Well, actually only about half that number went. Nonetheless, the Anaheim Convention Center, where the event was held, was impossibly crowded. We arrived an hour early and still couldn't find parking. So we drove to Angels stadium, two miles away, and took a shuttle to the con. Once we got to the convention center, we waited on the first of many long lines just to get into the show, even though we already had tickets. Science fiction conventions certainly ain't what they used to be.

 Fans in front of us, waiting to get in

More than any other big con I can think of, Celebration is a convention for the fans by the fans. Where else can you watch grown men and women wielding lightsabers while enacting a carefully choreographed battle scene? Where, too, can you see a miniature diorama of hundreds of stormtroopers preparing to march off to war? There were celebrity autograph tables, a life-sized replica of the Millennium Falcon's interior, recreated movie scenes, a Jedi Academy for youngsters, enormous Lego displays, and lots and lots of people dressed like their favorite characters. After two hours, we had enough and went in search of lunch. We found food trucks and lots more crowds.

 A car decked-out with pink R2D2 droid in the back

Fan-made exhibit of R2D2 and land-speeder

Jawas repairing droids

Darth Maul, Jawa, rebel fighter, and Chewbacca

Raiders fan as Imperial fighter

Life-sized Boba Fett Lego

Stormtrooper diorama

A Japanese airline, ANA, will soon be flying

Dreamliners that look like R2D2! 

Mr. Potato Head as a Jedi master

Food trucks and crowds

The dark side meets the light

Waiting for someone to take their photo