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3D TYPE BY KURT WOEPEL attractions, Disney can steal back the magic By By With its newWith its from Universal and DEVIN LEONARD DEVIN Photographs by and STEPHEN WILKES STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER PALMERICHRISTOPHER and Harry PotterHarry ?

he first thing you notice when you meet This spread: floating­ Joe Rohde is his left earlobe—the one that mountain at night. stretches down to his jawline because it’s­ Previous spread: ­carrying 12 hoops. He’s collected them in bioluminescent plants journeys to Africa, South America, and the Himalayas, and it’s gotten to the point where locals now give him unsolicited earrings, either because they like his style or want to test the limits of what Rohde refers to as his National Geographic ear. “It’s happened with Tibetan people on a trail, Thai hill people, Masai warriors,” says Rohde, a veteran executive in Co.’s Imagineering division, which designs theme parks. “They just hand me stuff.” He shrugs. The hoops jingle when Rohde moves, which he’s doing a lot on this chilly morning in March. He points with both index fingers at a seemingly innocuous manhole cover inside Pandora: The World of Avatar, an attraction scheduled to open on May 27 in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park in Orlando. Rohde bends his knees and practi- cally starts to shimmy as he explains that the manhole cover is no mere sewer lid, but part of an elaborate, immersive illu- sion. Look closely, he says. The cover is decorated with the logo of Resources Development Administration, the earth- based company that, in James ’s 2009 , descends on Pandora with a squadron of mercenaries and a scheme to extract unobtainium, a valuable mineral beneath the soil of this lush moon inhabited by the blue-skinned Na’vi race. In other words, Rohde doesn’t just want you to be dazzled by the attraction’s two rides—one of which simulates a bucking banshee expedition and the other a calmer journey through 58 the mystical Pandoran jungle, whose replicas of Avatar’s bio- 59 luminescent plants and floating mountains are being attended to by teams of brown-helmeted­ Imagineers and construction workers. Even if you’re looking down, Rohde wants you to feel as if you’re still in Alpha Centauri. “We are obsessive,” he says. A rugged-looking 62-year-old with blue eyes, close- cropped hair, and a long, stubbly face, Rohde is conducting this tour wearing a brown hard hat of his own, with a picture of on the side. His earrings chime as he con- tinues his dissertation on world creation, stepping around ­construction equipment and over hoses and power lines. “Remember, in a film, 90 percent of the time you’re just looking at an actor’s face talking about plot, right?” he says, his voice pitched as if to an auditorium rather than a few visitors stand- ing in front of him. “The detail that you’ll see in a film really only exists to underscore the direct action. It doesn’t exist in an a priori way for you to examine. But here it precisely does.” Bringing Pandora to life, he says, requires an unusual ­creative process, combining the theatricality of opera with the operational and design complexity of a nuclear power management strategy. Since opening in Anaheim, Cos. who covers Disney, predicts that by 2020, as its TV increased attendance at the park by 66 percent in its first plant. “This is an art form,” Rohde proclaims, stretching his Calif., in 1955, the company has mastered the process of trans- profit falters, operating income from the parks will climb by full year and led to a second Potter attraction, which opened hands in front of him as if plucking the right words out of the ferring film characters to television screens, retail shelves, 64 percent, to $5.4 billion. For that to take place, attractions four years later at the adjacent Universal Studios Florida, to air. “Art speaks. People respond. Technology is a cognitive, Broadway stages, and ice rinks—and of translating them into such as Pandora have to truly enchant visitors. crowds willing to wait seven hours for a ride. If that wasn’t intellectual thing. Art is visceral. Art is a body experience. It theme park attractions. “Our parks are a physical manifes- Disney’s theme park dominance went largely unchallenged confounding enough for Disney, which had competed with is universal. Remember, we make these places for everybody. tation of these stories, these mythologies, and these char- for a half-century. Competing entertainment conglomerates Universal to build a Potter-based land on its turf, the creative That means, first and foremost, this is an emotional experi- acters,” says Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney’s parks and Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. tried opening parks of team that designed the original Potter attraction for Universal ence. You could be from Papua New Guinea. You should be resorts division. To put this in Lion King-worthy terms, the their own only to exit the business. Then, in 2010, Universal was led by a former Imagineer who learned the trade from able to walk in here, and it is like the first morning of a new process is akin to a fantasy-world-investment circle of life. opened the Wizarding World of at its Islands Disney ­luminaries such as Rohde. world.” Two brown-hatted Imagineers who’ve quietly joined The parks are an increasingly important part of Disney’s of Adventure park in Orlando. The attraction, based on J.K. The Wizarding Worlds set a new standard for theme park the tour nod their heads. business. Television watchers have been canceling their cable Rowling’s enduringly popular novels and the movies they inventiveness and put Universal’s Orlando attractions in a Pandora, which one Wall Street analyst conservatively esti- subscriptions, imperiling revenue from ESPN, ABC, Disney inspired, gives visitors­ the opportunity to wander the streets position to overtake Animal Kingdom and Disney’s mates will cost $500 million to build, is Disney’s latest capital Channel, and other properties, which generate the bulk of of Hogsmeade, drink butter­beer, and soar through simulated Studios, the weakest performers among Disney World’s outlay in what might best be termed its world creation and the company’s profit. Stan Meyers, an analyst at Piper Jaffray skies behind a broomstick-­riding Harry. The Wizarding World four parks. “Things have really reversed: Disney used to 60 wife thought hewas crazy. “Nobodyreally knew what hewas trouble articulating itto consultants andbankers. Even his wheels, butwhat Disney hadinmindwas radical so hehad plenty of roadside attractions withroller coasters andFerris 1950s, the modern theme park didn’t exist. There were When Walt Disney set outto create Disneyland intheearly Harry Potter’s: Star Wars. tious universe asbigandlucrative as Orlando. onaficti Thisoneisbased two years from now inAnaheimand new attraction, to open scheduled Avatar. He’s referring to another vows. Andheisn’t just talkingabout it withitsforthcoming attractions. this businessandwillcontinue to define construction, butthat Disney created covered thevirtuesof themeparkworld that his company’s closest rival hasdis competitive it’s Hedoessay heat. nice concede that hemight befeeling any to mention Universal by name, let alone millions of ardent fans. Chapekdeclines into aPotter-order superfranchise with of $2.8 movie of alltime, withbox office receipts Avatar remains the theproperchosen vehicle inPandora. Disney’s prowess. The bigger question is whether it has to astheindustry’s reassert itself leader. Nobodydoubts response to theWizarding World andthecompany’s attempt try to top it.” they’reboth headds,“indoingso goingto companies.But, who’sa themeparkdesignerinNorthHollywood worked for lead. Now Disney’s following Universal,” says GaryGoddard, parks Disney created, The only two figures “We anew willset bar,” Chapek The themeparkindustry views Pandora asDisney’s that and are God billion, however ithasn’t grown “You look at the and they’re fully realized worlds.realized who could do Walt Disney” ­highest-grossing - - Chapek Disney’s

took histeam to Africa to sketch that would inform landscapes shoulder-length manealong withhisearringsbackthen. He animated feature.” for zoos what andtheSeven Dwarfsdidfor the Animal Kingdom, which the company promised would “do the GoldenState, inAnaheim,1996;and, three years later, in 1989; Disney Adventure Park, which­ Studios (now Disney’s Studios)at Hollywood Disney World expanded operations, openingshowbiz-themed Disney-MGM the parks were integral to thecompany’s business.Hesoon lacked Walt Disney’s creative genius,butheunderstood that 1984, of MichaelEisneraschief executive officer. Eisner and movie operations. Thingsbrightened withthehiring,in company andbreak itup, separating theparks from theTV Kingdom. Oneof them,SaulSteinberg, vowed to buythe financially. Corporate raiders begancircling theMagic opened. ofa sort permanent world’s fair, in 1982. A year after that, opening Disney World inOrlando1971 andEpcot, now Disneyor . diedin1966, buthiscompany pressed on, theExperimental Prototypecalled Communityof Tomorrow, park hehopedto construct alongsideautopian community for hereferred something to asProject X—a theme second a few years, landincentral Disney beganassembling Florida intohigh heelssank thepark’s still unsettled Within asphalt. in that forgers peddledcounterfeit tickets. Women wearing who coulddothat are Godand Walt Disney.” Triumph of Imagination theAmerican figures onlytwo . “The ized worlds,” says Neal Gabler, author of Walt Disney: The “You lookat theparks Disney created, andthey’re fullyreal oping television shows for ABC, inexchange for whichthe you couldwalk around in.” to of tryto sort cast hisfilmsin3D so it form, was amovie hecouldcomewas closest Inc. “The to that say hewas going done parkresearch for Disney andSeaWorld Entertainment Cultural Studies&Analysis, afirminPhiladelphiathat has says Margarettalking about,” King,director of theCenter for Animal Kingdom was overseen by Rohde, whosported a But even with its gleaming new parks, Disney struggled When Disneyland many debuted in1955,so peoplewanted The onlyway Disney couldbuildhisparkwas by devel the company’s shows TV aboutnature. future; andAdventureland, inspired by could ­ Riverboat; , where they ­visitors couldridetheMarkTwain in theWillows; , where pages of Peter PanandThe Wind themed world withridesfrom the lands: , astorybook- rounding MainStreet, hebuiltfour Disney’s endeavor. Intheareas sur keep watch over it. town of Marceline, Mo.—so hecould Street—which was onhishome based fashioned firehouse onits faux Main stayed inanapartment above theold- park went upinAnaheim,Disney often four later.) ABC decades chase As the of course, isthat Disney would pur to finance construction.irony, (The the park and gave him a line of credit network took an ownership stake in There was about somethingbiblical experience Disney’s visionof the celebrates - - - - - ­

FROM LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY SHUR FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK; GETTY IMAGES (3) and Tomorrowland Yesterday, Today, Little MermaidandAladdin , sputtered; thecompany’s stock had fueledaresurgence at thecompany with hitslike The with biggerproblems at Disney: Theanimation division,which says of AnimalKingdom that includeshaving ameal,”themeparkdesignerGoddard few things,andtheninaboutfour hoursyou’re done—and attractions. “Basically, you took the bustour, you went ona them “half-daycalled they parks,” didn’t because have enough crowdsthe same astheoriginalMagicKingdomsdid.Critics Kingdom’s ExpeditionEverest roller coaster ride.) Yeti. resulting (The creation menacescustomers onAnimal spiritualleadersabouthowlocal to properly depictthemythic the new park’s terrain andjourneyed to Nepalto consultwith The lackluster performance of thenewer parks coincided For parks thenew themost American part, didn’t pullin Alice inWonderland (1950) (1959)Sleeping Beauty Dumbo (1941) (1951) (1953)Sleeping Beauty Swiss Family Robinson (1960) The Hallof Presidents Tomorrowland Speedway Walt Disney’s Enchanted TikiRoom Dumbo theFlyingElephant It’s aSmallWorld ’s Flight Prince CharmingRegal Carrousel Country Jamboree Bear Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade Haunted Mansion Railroad: MainStreet, U.S.A. Animal Kingdom Hollywood Studios Hollywood Epcot 1975 1975 Tom SawyerIsland Liberty Square Riverboat Pirates of theCaribbean Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover Star Wars: Episode IV-ANew Hope 1980 1980 Star Wars: Episode V-TheEmpireStrikes Back Big ThunderMountain Railroad 1985 Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of theJedi The American AdventureThe American Living WiththeLand O Canada! Impressions deFrance 1985 original vision Take Manhattan Disney’s Star Wars: Episode I-ThePhantom Menace SeaBase

1990 1990 ▲ Disney Attractions Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of theClones Associated ▼ The Little Mermaid The Great Movie Ride

starts spending starts Star Tours: TheAdventures Continue Beauty andtheBeastBeauty Eisner Muppet Vision 3D again Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of theSith investing, even during 1995 Gran Fiesta Tour StarringtheThree Caballeros 1995 Florida theme park attractionsFlorida theme park How Disney has turned films into Disney PhineasandFerb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure

Iger ramps up

the recession The LionKing creative team that designed the Wizarding World, which ­business have outDisney-ing observed, Disney. So Universal got Potter andendedup, inthe park assome the company’sIger said parks division“didn’t like theterms.” to bid. In a2012 interview with BloombergBusinessweek, approve muchof thefinalproduct, and Disney decidednot However, thestudio Rowling andJ.K. insisted ontheright to Potter, whichWarner Bros. Entertainment Inc.controlled. and Universal competed for thethemeparkrights to Harry underperformers withnew worlds. Inthemid-aughts, Disney wanted to keep investing intheU.S. parks, strengthening the theme parkinChina.Even asaglobalrecession dawned, he Robert Iger, championedaplanto buildthecompany’s first price plunged;and,in2005,Eisnerresigned. Hisreplacement, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

The Circle of Life Paul Daurio, a former Imagineer, wound upleading the Ellen’s Energy Adventure 2000

2000 A Bug’s Life Dinosaur It’s Tough aBug! to Be Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail Muppets From Space Buzz Lightyear’s SpaceRanger Spin Under theSea:Journey of theLittle Mermaid

Toy Story 2 Maharajah JungleTrek The Many Adventures of WinniethePooh Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster StarringAerosmith Monsters, Inc. The MagicCarpets of Aladdin Lilo &Stitch Walt Disney: OneMan’s Dream TriceraTop Spin 2005 Journey Into Imagination WithFigment 2005 Reflections of China Mission: Space Mickey’s PhilharMagic Enchanted Tales WithBelle Turtle Talk WithCrush Stitch’s Great Escape! Soarin’ Disney & ShortFilmFestival Star Wars: TheForce Awakens Muppets Most Wanted Legend of theForbidden Mountain : Avatar Seven Dwarfs MineTrain Avatar The SeasWithNemo&Friends :AStar Wars Story Monsters, Inc.LaughFloor 2010 Beauty andtheBeastBeauty (2017) 2010 Toy Story Mania! Star Wars LaunchBay Alice inWonderland (2010) Ever After The Muppets Na’vi River Journey Valley of Mo’ara Planned 2015 2015 Frozen 61 62 A Pandoran forest

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PHOTOGRAPH ILLUSTRATION BY CREDIT TK SafeHouse Chicago. Butheloves talking Potter. Backwhen World and recently designed aspy-themed restaurant called added onesinLos AngelesandOsaka. work Potter on its second attraction not long after. It has also Wizarding World was successful so that Universal began were really tough. Itdrove uscrazy.’ ” However, theoriginal Williams whenwe opened,”says Globe. ‘You “Hesaid, guys a great dealof Universal. “Ihadaconversation withTom worked withtheauthor, closely confirms that they asked Globe, Warner Bros.’ former head of consumer products, who the finalcoat. “I fought battles,” allthose says he withasigh. Tom ception that helost Daurio count. says hehadto meet with times before itwas considered to befaithful to Rowling’s con along withHogwarts Castle, whichhadto bepainted many so recalls. Eventually, of course, thevillagewas completed, Nothing issquare orplumb. Everything’s wonky,’ ” Daurio are ‘These unbuildable.said, There are noright angles. designs for Hogsmeade’s surrealistic buildings.“They simply never any question that they sweaters.) would sell woolens incentral FloridainJuly. (Universal says there was utives, whodidn’t why see consumersmight want to buy Daurio says thesweater request puzzledUniversal exec merchandise, from wands to Mrs. Weasley’s knitted ­ was anenormoushurdle.” Hesays Coke eventually consented. oneCoketo sell intheWizarding World,” Daurio says. “That their product inallyour themeparks that they are not going the world throughout that hasalicense theproperty to sell parks. “Imagineyou’re telling thebiggest company soda in exclusive itsproducts dealto sell everywhere inUniversal’s want adrop poured, whichwas ithadan aproblem because its arrangement withRowling.) As for Coke, Rowling didn’t declined to elaborate onthecompany’s creative process or spokesman says there was never a dispute over food and ally eat, suchasshepherd’s pieorfishandchips.(AUniversal kind of British-inspired food that hercharacters might actu hamburgers, pizza, and Coke, but Rowling insisted on the predictably at odds.Thecompany, hesays, wanted to serve team would have to conceive themvirtuallyfrom scratch. only mentioned briefly inthebooks by name. Daurio andhis some, suchasScrivenshaft’s QuillShop, abookstore, were And Hogsmeade wassoda.) known to have many shops, but resulting creation tastes like butterscotch-flavored cream no recipe, whichmeant Universal would have to(The findone. beer, too, butwhat didittaste like? ThePotter books provided ural village of Hogsmeade. There was a plan to serve butter was to includereplicas of Hogwarts Castle andthesupernat Daurio left after Universal soon openingthe first Wizarding Rowling andWarner Bros. declinedto butBrad comment, Construction companiesscoffed whentheysaw the Rowling wanted also awidearray to sell of Potter-related At times,according to Daurio, Rowling andUniversal were Williams, CEO of Universal Parks &Resorts, to justify ‘We make magic.’ Well, guess what? Universal has the magic now” “Disney was always about, sweaters. - - - - - Imagineers’ was solution to fashion steel supportsthat mountains was that inAvatar they float inmid-air. The Matterhorn, andanEverest. ThechallengewithPandora’s Over the years, they’ve built several Splash Mountains, one machinery that would berequired. place infront of amovie screen—but to hidetheextensive let visitors imitate hisflight—though the excursion would take begin, asSully’s did,withajump off amountain, not just to tagonist, JackSully, onadragonlike banshee. Theridewould enjoy aridethat simulated theonetaken by thefilm’s pro Disney andLightstorm agreed teams also that visitors would working together to restore thedamagedenvironment. The moon’s human visitors setasidetheirhostilities andstart depicted inthemovie, enoughtimeto let theNa’vi andthe that theworld would ageneration beset after theevents Entertainment Inc.,Cameron’s production company, agreed ble to buildthis.” he thought to himself. “It’s goingto bephysically impossi computer-­ that hewould have to replicate aworld madeupentirely of Avatar would fillthat role. Theproblem, as sawRohde it, was but itwas never constructed. Now thealiencreatures of was to bedevoted originallysupposed to imaginarybeasts, object to of theideaintheory; AnimalKingdom asection design. Hisreaction to thenews was consternation. Hedidn’t end Disney resort andspainHawaii, whichhe’d helped also out while he was at a press conference for , a high- ­planning, after all,to make Avatar sequels. Disney parks. justified: His high hopes seemed Cameron was talkedtion.” Staggs also about replicating Pandora in other thought we were goingto betalkingaboutcreating anattrac to create after aland,”hesaid thedealwas announced.“I ny’s ambitions.“Disney’s to visionwhenthey mewas came interviews at thetimethat hewas ­ of creating anattraction onhisfilm.Cameron based said in breakfast withAvatar director Cameron andbroached theidea in 2011 Igerandhisthenthemeparkchief Tom Staggshad boost attendance there. Studios, at Disney California Adventure Park, whichwould completing on the films Land, based by Pixar Animation rattled. For one, theImagineerswere well ontheirway to interviewedbut those for thisstory they say were hardly Disney executives took notice of theircompetitor’s triumph, the magicnow.” ‘Weabout, make magic.’Well, guesswhat? Universal has colleagues, “Who’s Disney was got the magic now? always he was still working onWizarding Worlds, to tell his heused It would beup to Rohde to shepherd Pandora. He found Mountains are a core competency of theImagineers. From thestart, hesays, Disney andLightstorm Hoping to achieve something similarat theAnimalKingdom, generated imagery, orCGI.“You guys are nuts,” surprised bysurprised thecompa

- - - - 63 64 ers they use forers they use thespaceshuttle to get themto thesite.” piecesof steelthese were bigwe hadto so borrow the trail tion monument,” Rohde says. “Itwas gorgeous. Someof have sat anywhere intheworld and beenamajordestina was amagnificentsculpture andbeautifulmodern that could steel-supported floating“The mountains. raw steel alone to lay afoundation that couldwithstand theweight of 22 and real plants. control box. The behind Imagineers tree hid these stumps highthat eachhadtoso bepluggedinto itsown 2-foot-high light after Theplants’ sunset. electricityrequirements were connected to acentral power source ifthey were to radiate fake ferns andflycatcher-looking things—would have to be forests, they realized that eachalienplant—hundreds of ity. Earlyon,whentheImagineersmademock-ups of the They cracked that.” production partner. “All thecredit goesto theImagineers. floating mountains says would Jon Landau,Cameron’swork,” Forest Park to study itspeaks. “People didn’t thinkthat the World of Harry Potter, went to China’s National Zhangjiajie of rock of whomhadworked some carvers, ontheWizarding ers to arainforest inHawaii to study foliage, whilehisteam look like vineshangingoff themountains. sent design Rohde flora by day Waterfalls and Disney broke ground for Pandora in2014. Ittook ayear Pandora’s glowing foliage required also creativ some - - - - its scheduled opening,theattractionits scheduled isstill takingform. The just tastes like acheeseburger.’ ” like agushy white little pod.You bite into andyou it, go, ‘It tastes like chicken.’ We have thisoddlittle thingthat looks Rohdeunfamiliar?” says. “You bite into andit’s it, like, ‘Oh, it country, isputinfront something of you, anditlooks really meat-and-cheese item. “You know whenyou goto aforeign cocktailssuch asbioluminescent andamysterious-looking consider. upwithNa’vi-inspired TheImagineerscame fare inary. AndaswiththeWizarding World, there was food to of to play creatures thesounds scape, both real andimag his team placedhundreds of speakers throughout theland to borrow the trailers As Rohde wraps up the tour of Pandora, weeks before While Pandora’s mountains were being crafted, Rohde and pieces ofpieces steel were the space shuttle” “Some of“Some these so big we had they use for

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PHOTOGRAPH ILLUSTRATION BY CREDIT TK banshee rideisn’t runningyet. Thefloating mountains look Imagineers are headquartered, onemorninginlate March, at theproject’s mainoffice inGlendale, Calif., where the he perhaps the most beloved movie franchise of all time— ­company’s ­ ing Disney’s Star Wars lands,isfeeling thepressure of the If Scott Trowbridge, leader of the creative team develop could be. For thecompany that, may needStar Wars . Avatar consume thenext eight years of hislife. Inthemeantime, the make allfour at once—an“epic undertaking”that would releasesequel next thefirst year.said, Hisplan,he was to view with the Toronto Star, he dispelled talk that he would has yet to release any of them.Earlierthisyear inaninter Cameron. Thedirector still hasfour planned,buthe sequels another matter. Muchhaschangedsincethe2011 dealwith empty. helpDisney Butwhether fend itcan off Universal is Kingdom, especiallyat night befairly whentheparkcan own ecology,” hesays proudly. are already placeisdeveloping nesting onthem.“The its naked withouttheirwaterfalls. ButRohde notes that birds Pandora islikely to increase attendance at theAnimal With its spectacularsetting and illuminated drinks, isn’t betraying To it. thecontrary,he greets as visitors deal may not be the juggernaut Disney once hoped it expectations—not to mention of those fans of he’s eagerto share secrets. some of hyperspace, it kindof got left behind, be a trading But with the advent port. discover your Star Wars story. to It used that is rife with opportunitiesfor you to somewhere ontheedge of wildspace new planet, aremote frontier outpost says. “We wanted to create a brand- place that you knew from movies,” he “We12 parsecs. decidedto not build a for instance, make the Kessel Run in more adventurous residents could, light-speed era,” before the galaxy’s what Trowbridge asthe“sub- describes painted are themountains. fashion, the only parts that have been cal sculpted modelsof two virtuallyidenti a smallerworkspace features hand- it’stion, so pretty Intheback, quiet. Wars in Anaheim,where Disneyland’s Star ware people. Today, most of themare tects, designers,engineers,andsoft room isusuallyoccupiedby archi by alife-size statue. The through acathedral-like room guarded name tag.Trowbridge leadshisguests Everybody ontheteam hasasimilar ForceEnglish, “The isstrong withus.” spoken inStar Wars, andtheslogan,in spelled inAurebesh, a runictongue wears atagwithhisfirstalso name unspecified planet that flourished in jeans, andblackleather shoes.He in a black quarter-zip sweater, Trowbridge isdressed ­ The attractions are set onayet A sturdily built51-year-old, Star Wars lands.IntrueImagineers attraction isunderconstruc comfortably ------“People have to laugh andscream. It’s OKto hitthings.” out of a tunnel.We can’t allbeHanSolo. the world’s favorite spaceshipwhileattempting to steer it grimaces andshouts of afew novices whorepeatedly crash appeal. Thecockpitisrigged withcameras that record the you something aboutthefranchise’s broad demographic ranging inagefrom 3to 79 behindthecontrols, whichtells how test subjectsrespond. TheImagineers have putpilots ing, of course. Themock-up isdesignedprimarilyto see the Imperialfleet’s TIEfighters. through tunnelsandoutinto space, where they must dodge a test runinanImax-like environment, navigating theirway docking bay, ready for takeoff. From there,can go they for the Falcon’s riderstheillusionthat they’re kindof insome thumbtacks. It’s surrounded in front by ascreen that gives version foam, ofmadewithplywood, and thecockpit, of theMillenniumFalcon ride. Aladderleadsupto acrude looking structure, theImagineersare testing aprototype resembling asmallDeath Starsits.Insidethemalevolent- main spaceof thewarehouse, where around, blacksphere through the trash bins outside. Trowbridge heads into the the building;ifthere were any, fans would nodoubt besifting a nondescript warehouse. what’s Nosignssignify goingon in actually beat thecontrols,” hesays. going to give you anopportunityto not just flyonitbut to ride,second whichinvolves theMillennium Falcon. “We’re what they know,” hesays. He’s more forthcoming aboutthe through of the lenses an audience that’s arriving in 2019 and secretswhose are zealously guarded. “We’re lookingat this itwillincorporatein partbecause aspects of future films, epic battle, everything that makes Star Wars Star Wars.” attractions—one of whichisaridethat willinvolve “a very sides, and,unavoidably, wait inlinefor eitherof anchor two asked between for thelight choose orthedark specifics), favoritemeet some characters (“nonames,”hesays when of theResistance befound. can Trowbridge says visitors will spaceport andanancient forest compoundwhere members “You’reises. droids. going to see You’re beasts.” goingto see pelgängers. “You’re aliens,”Trowbridge goingto see prom ontheformsmolds based to create life-size robotic dop until they get their look just right. Then they will fashion The Imagineerswillplay figures around chiseled withthese “He’s awesome. Just ask for the special. It will beworth it.” “He’s oneof ourcooks,” Trowbridge says of thecharacter. up and wave. One is working on a large fish-headed creature. the room whoare alienprototypes. carving Theartists look characters. Trowbridge points to two sculptors in the rear of market, butdon’t asktoo many questions.” ment from allacross thegalaxy, from sometimes theblack buy fragrances andspicesclothes andtoys andequip “It’s like street asouk market filledwith stalls where canyou lar buildings. “It’s this exotic marketplace,” Trowbridge says. saga’s familiar-looking outposts, marked desert by low, circu in asurrounding berm,plunginginto fiction oneof thescience people? Thisiswhere you’re goingto findthemnow.” be inthemainstream, ourrogue’s gallery. Alltheinteresting which madeitaperfect placefor whodidn’t those want to “Ultimately, we’re inthefunbusiness,” Trowbridge says. The real ride will be much more polished and convinc Trowbridge leadshisguests for to anSUV ashorttripto Trowbridge isreluctant to say much more abouttheride, Beyond thebazaar, the attraction willfeature aFirst Order At parkguests acantina, unusual by willbeserved some Visitors willenter theStar Wars world through adoorway - - - - - ­ 65