The long-awaited sequel to Disney's Star Tours attraction will finally open at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in May 2011. An all-new plot, 3D special effects and new characters are set to take riders for a spin through some of sci-fi's most famous locations.
The original Star Tours pioneered the use of flight-simulator technology in theme park attractions, with the Star Wars movies providing the perfect backstory. Based on a ficticious "intergalactic tours" operator, the attraction sees guests boarding a spacecraft piloted by an android. The tour soon goes wrong - with the craft getting caught up in a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the evil Galactic Empire.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue will be located on the sites of the existing Star Tours attractions in Disneyland's Tomorrowland and Disney's Hollywood Studios' Echo Lake. Disney has promised that physical changes will be made to the original ride system, which was derived from military flight simulation technology. The current installation at Disneyland features four forty-seater cabins, while Disney's Hollywood Studios' version has six, giving it a higher capacity.
The existing simulators use a hydraulic motion base that has four degrees of freedom, with rumors suggesting that this will be increased to six for the debut of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. If true, this would enable a greater range of movements to be generated in synchronization with the ride movie.
The movie itself will be presented in high-definition, Disney Digital 3D, rather than the 2D presentation in the existing Star Tours. As with Disney's recent 3D cinema productions, riders will be required to wear special glasses in order to see the 3D effects.
Accompanying the adventures will be a brand new soundtrack. With John Williams, the composer for all six Star Wars movies to date, declining to be involved, the score will be written by Michael Giacchino.
The action in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue will take place in the period between the Star Wars prequels and the original trilogy. This actually makes it a prequel to the original attraction, which took place after the events of Return of the Jedi.
To increase the re-ride value of the attraction, it will feature no fewer than 54 different possible experiences, meaning that guests will take a different "journey" almost every time they ride it. Disney insists that George Lucas has taken the lead on developing the different scenarios, with former chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Jay Rasulo claiming: "We strive for authenticity in everything we do. This is a Lucas idea, this is Lucas storytelling, interpreted by Imagineering."
So far, Disney has kept the precise details of the plot of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue close to its chest. However, several iconic locations from the Star Wars movies have been confirmed to feature in the ride. These include Endor, Bespin and Aldeeran. Guests will also be transported to Coruscant, a planet which plays a key role in the Star Wars galaxy, forming its physical center as well as acting as the capital of the evil Galactic Empire and the New Republic at different periods in the movies' timeline.
All six Star Wars movies are packed with scenes that are almost tailor-made for a simulator attraction. It was always likely that the pod-racing sequence from The Phantom Menance would feature in the updated Star Tours attraction, and Disney confirmed this at its official announcement. The video below shows how guests will be caught up in a thrilling chase across the deserts and canyons of Tatooine:
Fans of the original Star Tours will be pleased to hear that Rex, the inept pilot who took guests on their manic journey around the galaxy, will make a cameo appearance in the new ride. Given that Rex was piloting his maiden flight in the original Star Tours, he is unlikely to take the controls during the prequel.
Article used in part from Theme Park Tourist