I am a huge fan of Star Wars. I couldn’t wait to go to Star Wars Launch Bay. I wasn’t disappointed. Where else can you meet Chewbacca (when available), watch how they made some of the movies, see real props taken right off the set and even choose between the Jedi’s and the Dark Side.
The Force is strong in this one…
The Force… it calls you. Photo by Cliff Wang
The Preshow
This is more of an explore-at-your-own-pace collection of displays and activities, so there’s not much of a preshow. The crowds are also not too bad (other than some of the waits for character greetings). Before you enter, you might run into a Storm Trooper patrolling the Animation Courtyard.
When you walk in, the first thing you’ll see is artwork and posters from the movies over the years. It’s really cool and nostalgic. If you’re keen, you’ll notice that signage (including garbage cans) includes writing in Aurebesh (a made-up written language used in Star Wars).
You know how the rest of this goes… Photo by Cliff Wang
The Attraction
Once you arrive inside the building, it’s kind of a choose-your-own-adventure situation with lots to explore. Do this at your own pace, and feel free to see everything or just the things that interest you, in any order you want. Here are the things you can see and do:
- Meet characters like Chewbacca, BB-8, and Kylo Ren
- Interact with the Jawas
- Pose for photo ops in a mock-cantina
- Check out lightsaber models from various films and tv shows
- See a behind the scenes film in Launch Bay Theater
- Look at concept art, models, props, and costumes from the Star Wars universe
Now this is just cool. Photo by Cliff Wang
The Postshow
Yep, even this one has an exit through the gift shop. Launch Bay Cargo is actually really neat, but it carries stuff that’s more for the adult collector of rare, expensive, limited edition things than for the kids. You can get yourself an Aurebesh Disney name tag though, so that’s cool!
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Dad’s Bottom Line
If you’re like me and really, really like Star Wars, you’ll want to spend hours at Star Wars Launch Bay. If you have no idea what Star Wars is, then this is the place to start.
