Star Wars Galaxy's Edge represents the pinnacle of Walt Disney Imagineering, and on the planet of Batuu, one of Imagineering's greatest achievements rises to a new level to help bring the stories of Star Wars to life.
At Walt Disney Word, we first saw a new generation of Audio-Animatronic figures emerge in Frozen Ever After at Epcot and Na'vi River Journey in Pandora - The World of Avatar. The old hydraulic motors that had powered animatronic figures including the A-100 class for decades made way for new electric motors that are far more precise, fluid and quicker moving than their predecessor. The Shaman of Songs in Pandora will perhaps remain the most complicated figure ever made by Disney, but the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge figures will be right up there.
With Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, the A-1000 class of animatronic powers all of the major Audio-Animatronic characters. In this clip below, you can see the more than 6ft tall Hondo Ohnaka, who is part the Smugglers Run Millennium Falcon ride. And at Rise of the Resistance, Nien Nunb is the pilot on your ride aboard a transport ship.
Animatronic figure won't just be part of the rides - you will also find them in Oga's canteen, where captain Rex from Star Tours is now the DJ.
At Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, you will find Dok at his desk, checking his inventory, taking calls, and barking orders at his assistants.
And expect to see figures in more surprising places, like the droid shop and walk-around characters.
TechCrunch has a great article on 'How Disney Built Star Wars, in real life," and it is well worth a read for more details on the work that went into producing Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.
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