Disney Aims to Stoke Star Wars Fever With Starcruiser, New Shows
Walt Disney Co. is opening a hotel that it insists isn’t a hotel.
(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co. is opening a hotel that it insists isn’t a hotel, part of its latest push to wring more money with the Star Wars franchise.
The entertainment giant unveiled plans for the “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser,” a multiday experience at Walt Disney World that will let guests feel like they’re staying inside a spaceship.
It’s not a hotel or a ride, but a “space cruise,” the company said this week at its biennial D23 Expo, a fan convention. Disney showed off a model of the ship, called the Halcyon, designed for the Orlando, Florida, resort.
The company also announced plans for a new Star Wars show based on the Obi-Wan Kenobi character. Ewan McGregor will reprise his role from the movies, appearing in a program for the new Disney+ streaming service.
And Disney released a trailer for its already-announced Star Wars show “The Mandalorian,” which also is airing on Disney+.
Disney is betting heavily on Star Wars, even as the brand shows signs of strain. The last feature film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” fizzled, renewing concerns that younger viewers haven’t warmed to the franchise.
The “not-a-hotel” concept promises to be one of the most immersive experiences yet for the company, with costumed characters assuming the role of housekeeping staff and room windows projecting scenes of outer space.
It will be connected to a Star Wars land that’s opening at Disney World on Aug. 29, following the debut of a similar attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The $1 billion lands are among the largest investments Disney has made in its resorts.
At the D23 conference, Disney also announced more plans to revamp Disney World’s Epcot. It will include a new attraction based on its animated hit “Moana.”
Disney has been adding more attractions tied to the company’s hit films to the park, the company’s second-oldest in Florida.
In recent years, Epcot has featured events for adults, such as a food-and-wine festival. The changes “will make the park more Disney, more family, more timeless and more relevant to the millions of guests who visit each year,” the company said in a blog post.
Disney also said that two previously announced superhero lands at Disneyland Paris and California Adventure in Anaheim would be called Avengers Campus. More news about attractions is coming on Sunday, the company said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Palmeri in Los Angeles at cpalmeri1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Linus Chua
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