With nearly 63 days until the wide release of Star Wars The Force Awakens, the countdown ticking is growing louder; I can't believe it's only two months away.
Anticipation has certainly been growing, however, there hasn't been too many new things revealed lately about Star Wars in general or about the theme park additions. What's a fan to do during this time? Let's cover a few things we do know and then do some healthy speculation.
Maybe save for your movie tickets with this oddly shaped Darth Vader bank in time for Halloween. Photo by Todd King.
We did learn that in Disney's Hollywood Studios the coming Star Wars Launch Bay will take the place of the Magic of Disney Animation pavilion. We knew that attraction was closing and the rumors came true that Launch Bay would come in, but it probably won't be there forever. Once the new Star Wars land officially opens, the Launch Bay will probably be obsolete in comparison and it could make way for something new—especially since the new land probably won't be occupying the space near that area.
I hope something about Disney animation does returns to that spot. I always enjoyed visiting there, mostly in its early days when real artists and animators were there working on real Disney projects and they showed a wonderful short film with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams—they animated Williams and he voiced a young cartoon version of himself in a hilarious story well before his role in Aladdin.
You may not notice Star Wars is everywhere, but it can be inconspicuous like in this small playground ball. Photo by Todd King.
In the attraction's later years, I quite enjoyed the voice-performance kiosks where you could act and sync your own voice to characters like Ariel and Flounder. It would seem now that theses “interactive experiences” are a bit passé.
So, what do you do in a new theme park attraction about animation anyway? We all kinda know how it all works now. There are enough DVD extras to show us that… but I've digressed. Ahem, Star Wars …
Over in Disneyland, we have learned that construction for the Star Wars section will begin this coming January; Walt Disney World's construction may begin near the same time if the company wants to open both lands simultaneously. A simultaneous opening hasn't been asserted; we just know both resorts will get the same Star Wars land. How epic would that be to open them both and have it go live “coast to coast?”
Disneyland patrons will be experiencing some changes to the park when the construction begins including temporary closures to the Disneyland railroad stations, Rivers of America boats, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, and to Fantasmic, the popular nighttime show—not to mention the permanent closing of the Big Thunder Ranch complex.
In Florida's park, not so many closures have been approached. So, in California, there will be a period of transition which will hopefully not disrupt guest attendance or displace too many Cast Members.
The Seasons of the Force is coming in November to Disneyland which will certainly be an awesome way to spend the time just waiting for the movie. For those of you, like me, who won't be near California in November will just have to go on agonizing over the long wait. What do we have now to help pass the time?
As for me, perhaps this is a time to think and breathe before the race to the opening kicks in. For others, they've taken matters into their own hands such as this Disney/Star Wars trailer mashup that cleverly puts some famous Disney movie characters into bits of the two Force Awakens trailers.
This Disney/Star Wars trailer mashup cleverly puts some famous Disney movie characters into bits of the two “Force Awakens” trailers. Youtube video posted by PistolShrimps.
It's fun and interesting. The additions of the characters are not so random since we see one like Scar appearing before the army of Stormtroopers reminiscent of his appearance before his own army of hyenas. It is a neat “what if” video that may spur more videos like it—perhaps ones with Marvel characters or maybe other J. J. Abrams-related material. In any case it is simply a pseudo-distraction from this long waiting period.
Maybe getting away from it all and taking a cruise, a Disney cruise perhaps, can help fill the time. You can even experience some of Star Wars when you're out to see where the Millennium Falcon is set up on a Disney Cruise Ship. That's really not getting away from it all.
Spend time like many with a remote-controlled BB8, like this Target exclusive. Photo by Todd King.
So, let me go back to that time to “think and breathe.” I like to speculate during this time. There are plenty of things a Star Wars fan can speculate when not out seeking spoilers, which I have tried hard to avoid.
The good thing about Lucasfilm and Disney keeping the movie details tightly wrapped is that few spoilers make it into the wild. Those that do apparently get out can be met with much trepidation because I think many of them will be proven false. It often feels like walking a thin line when you're on the Web just looking for some official updates on the movie and suddenly get bombarded with those clickbait headlines about potential spoilers.
It is best sticking with official Star Wars social media and websites while being careful not to scroll to any comments section. These are like Jedi web surfing skills where you must control your fear and control your curiosity.
Don't let the excitement wear off with these Mr. Potato Head toys, nevermind the possibility that we don't know what evil acts Kylo Ren (or Frylo Ren) may do if the movie is PG-13. Photo by Todd King.
So during this time to think, I've been wondering, ever since the first trailer, what The Force Awakens will be rated. It seems that the norm for big movies nowadays is PG-13. Some would say a blockbuster can't become a blockbuster without that rating. If any franchise could not only get away with only a PG rating, but also show everyone else “how it's done” to make a modern blockbuster without the need for exceeding violence and F-bombs, it would be Star Wars.
There is a Forbes article that investigates this idea quite well. From my point of view, JJ Abrams and Lucasfilm are just focused on making the movie great and are not concerned with the MPAA's rating, whatever it may be. However, I'm sure folks in marketing would like to have the right rating for their overall plans.
The article linked above suggests that a PG rating would be more in keeping with the roots of Star Wars and its target audience being children. Cynics of today would probably raise their noses at such a rating and enter the theater with their minds made up that the new film would be too fluffy. Those same people are probably the ones like me who grew up with the original trilogy and want these new movies to go deep into its stories and characters which often brings up dark elements of reality.
In my opinion, I think the movie could be just as edgy and just as profound as the original movies before the PG-13 rating existed. However, that rating is such a default rating these days that it may simply be too difficult to avoid. Children still flocked to see The Avengers and its sequels, and the other Marvel movies that were rated PG-13.
I don't think the rating will stop them, but to younger children—say 4-year-olds (the age I was when I first saw Star Wars)—it may present a barrier when parents simply won't take them. Should Disney, founders of family-wide entertainment, be worried about these ideas? I'm sure they're discussing them and I'm sure part of their discussion may include such ideas as, “It's Star Wars, it will do well no matter the rating.” And that statement is fair enough.
But what statement would the film make with if it had a rating of PG and it blows away all attendance records and ticket sales and weekend grosses without the need for some arbitrary tropes of PG-13? The answer might depend on just how well the movie resonates with audiences after the initial excitement wears off.
Disney Infinity adds Force Awakens character figures Photo by Disney Interactive Studios.
A recent interview with J. J. Abrams by Vanity Fair had the Star Wars directly speaking candidly and kindly about Disney CEO Bob Iger. This may not be any startling revelation about Star Wars, but it continues to show the affable relationship between Lucasfilm and Disney. There is still some fear out there in the hearts of fans that Disney is going to somehow step in and demand certain changes to the movie that will either water it down or support some marketing scheme.
Abrams has said numerous times that this is not the case and this recent interview probably underscores his points best. Abrams said, simply, that, “They [Disney] let us make the movie we wanted to make.” And when it came to working with the CEO himself, he had this to say:
“[Bob Iger has] been an incredible collaborator on it and has great ideas. He mandates nothing. He doesn't come in and say, ‘Well, we at Disney…,' he'll come and look at something and say, ‘That's cool,' and he'll ask questions and he'll make some suggestions… I cannot say enough about how Bob Iger and Alan Horn have understood this thing that is now part of the Disney Company and they're not trying to ‘Disney-fy' it, they're not doing anything other than, I think, an incredibly smart thing which is letting Kathleen Kennedy—who is a remarkable person and producer—run and lead Lucasfilm to a place where I think it wants to go.”
The full interview is here, skip to 35:30 for the talk about Iger, and skip to 49:00 for the mention of Virtual Reality:
Jony Ive, J.J. Abrams, and Brian Grazer discuss the upcoming Star Wars film. Video © Vanity Fair.
The more I think about this relationship, the more I think I should not be surprised. Just look at the relationship with Pixar and with Marvel. Disney is not hands-off with these entities but is an undefinable source of support. Disney is not just one thing anymore and really hasn't been for a long time. Walt Disney himself often worked with individuals in such a way that gave them autonomy and set them up for success. His ideals of building winning teams seem to be working on a larger scale.
Another tidbit of information from the interview comes from an answer Abrams gave for a question about the future of Virtual Reality. “I will tell you there's something that is being worked on now that will involve Star Wars that when I experienced it, I had such a visceral sense memory of being on the set that it was uncanny.”
No other details were mentioned so there is some speculation to be had. Is there some Star Wars movie experience coming to the world of Virtual Reality? Will we get to experience the movies in some form of VR? Will this be developed as some app for phones and tablets? Or, as I'd like to guess, is this going to be a really big thing, as in a part of an attraction at the coming Star Wars land?
I know fans have bemoaned the idea of some new “simulator” type ride like Star Tours (which is a great attraction but we don't want just more of the same) but what are the possibilities of VR where you can feel like you're right there inside a Star Wars adventure and take a part in making the story come alive? Oh, and what kind of video games might come out of this?
And speaking of video games, let me leave you with these other time-killer ideas. You know about Disney Infinity and its Star Wars characters but on the release day of The Force Awakens, new character figures from the new movie will be available. These are Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren. Also, next month is the release of the new Star Wars Battlefront on the 17th. It is more or less a reboot of the franchise and promises to deliver an immersive experience like no other Star Wars game before. And around the time of the new movie's release, there will be some new downloadable content that includes the new planet of Jakku, featured in the movie trailers.
Let's say it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan… even if the new movie isn't out yet.
