Last Tour to Endor event will include special Star Wars touches
Thu, 05 Aug 2010Coming soon: The return of the Jedi to Disney’s Hollywood Studios – But it’s not Star Wars Weekends, Part Deux.
On August 14, the theme park will be the site of Last Tour to Endor, a one-night-only, after-hours, separate-ticket occasion tied to the Star Wars Celebration V event based primarily at the Orange County Convention Center.
Guests will have a different experience that during the parks’ annual Star Wars Weekends, but the themes will be familiar. Expect a mixing of Disney characters, the Star Wars universe and a few surprises from other films.
This show title gives a clue: “Raider of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom: A Fan Film of Epic Proportions.”
“For the first time ever, we’re combining the worlds of Star Wars and Indiana Jones at our Epic Stunt Spectacular Stage,” says Jason Surrell, senior show writer and show director for Walt Disney Creative Entertainment and Walt Disney Imagineering.
The show’s plot revolves around two filmmaker who have a competiton to make their next project on the Disney backlot. One is a Star Wars fan, the other favors Indiana Jones.
“They haven’t quite been able to agree on the story they want to tell, so they’re going to do both,” Surrell says.
The show will include cameo appearances from “actual Star Wars celebrities,” he says. The script has been blessed by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
“They’ve read it, they’ve approved it,” Surrell says. “It’s allowed us to combine these two worlds and characters for the first time in a very fun and tongue-in-cheek way.”
For the first time, Disney will present a Star Wars-themed fireworks show. It will include John Williams music, sound effects and dialogue from the films and present the whole saga in 12 minutes —not chronologically but in “broad, thematic brush strokes,” Surrell says.
“It’s a tale of heroes and villains, of love and redemption, and obviously there’s a great lightsabre duel in the middle of it,” he says.
Currently, it’s set as a one-night presentation, though it sounds like a natural for future Star Wars Weekends.
“My hope is that people will respond to it positively and that will inspire us to bring it back later,” Surrell says.
The working of Last Tour to Endor references the immenent closing (and eventual refurbishment) of the Star Tours attraction, which opened at Disney World in 1989. The special event will include an shutdown ceremony with characters in attendance.
It’s a chance to see “beloved Star Wars Characters in ways we haven’t seen them before,” Surrell says.
Hollywood Studios’ Star Tours is scheduled to close in October and reopen in 2011.
Star Wars Weekends’ popular Hyperspace Hoopla show will make an appearance, as well as specialized merchandise and Disney characters in Star Wars gear. Participants are encouraged to dress in full costume, which is a rare occurance for Disney World guests.
Tickets are $75 in advance ($89 day-of), and you don’t have to be going to Celebration V in order to attend. Go to www.starwarscelebration.com for more details or to purchase tickets.
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