List of Star Wars theme parks attractions facts for kids

The original Star Tours ride at Disneyland in 1996

The exciting Star Wars universe has inspired many cool attractions at Disney theme parks! This started even before Disney bought Lucasfilm, the company behind Star Wars. In 1986, George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, teamed up with Disney's Imagineering team to create a special ride.

The very first Star Wars ride, called Star Tours, opened at Disneyland in 1987. More versions of this ride opened at other Disney parks over the years. The original Star Tours rides at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios closed in 2010. The one at Tokyo Disneyland closed in 2012, and Disneyland Paris's closed in 2016. All these original rides were then updated into a new adventure called Star Tours–The Adventures Continue. This new ride mixes up different scenes, so you can have up to 54 unique adventures! The updated ride opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland in 2011, at Tokyo Disneyland in 2013, and at Disneyland Paris in 2017.

From 1997 to 2015, Disney's Hollywood Studios hosted Star Wars Weekends. This was a yearly festival that happened in May and June. Since 2007, the parks also have a live show called Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple. Here, kids get chosen to learn how to be Jedi Knights and use the Force. This show is at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at the Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland. Since November 2015, Disneyland has a special Star Wars event called Season of the Force. Disney's Hollywood Studios also has this event. An exhibit called Star Wars Launch Bay was also added, where you can see cool props and meet characters.

Disney bought the Star Wars franchise in 2012. Since then, they have planned to add even more Star Wars fun to their parks. In 2015, they announced a huge 14-acre Star Wars-themed area called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This amazing land opened at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019. It includes two brand new rides. A special Star Wars-themed hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, was also announced in 2017. It was built near Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Exploring Star Wars Park Adventures

What is Star Tours?

The first Star Wars ride, Star Tours, opened on January 9, 1987, at Disneyland. It was a motion simulator ride that made you feel like you were flying through space. In this adventure, you would go on a trip to the moon Endor. But then, you would get caught in a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire! The ride featured a funny pilot droid named Captain "Rex" RX-24, along with famous droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.

When it first opened, Star Tours was special because it was the first Disney ride based on a story that wasn't created by Disney itself. This ride later opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 1989, Disney's Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disneyland Paris in 1992. The original Star Tours rides eventually closed to make way for a new, updated version. The last original ride closed at Disneyland Paris in 2016, after 29 years of adventures!

What Were Star Wars Weekends?

From 1997 to 2015, Disney's Hollywood Studios held Star Wars Weekends. This was a yearly festival that usually happened on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for four weekends in May and June. During these weekends, you could meet actors and crew members from the Star Wars movies. Many classic Disney characters also dressed up as Star Wars characters! For example, Mickey dressed as a Jedi, Minnie as Princess Leia, Donald as a stormtrooper, and Goofy as Darth Vader. The festival stopped in 2015 because Disney was building the new Star Wars-themed land, which would bring Star Wars fun to the park every day.

What Was Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination?

On October 19, 2005, an exhibit called Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination opened at the Museum of Science in Boston. This was a traveling exhibit that showed off real props and costumes from the Star Wars films. But its main goal was to explore the real science behind the amazing ideas in Star Wars. This exhibit was created by the Museum of Science with help from Lucasfilm Ltd. It traveled to 18 cities in the United States and 2 cities in Australia. Nearly 3 million people visited it before it closed on March 23, 2014.

What is Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple?

The Jedi Training Academy first opened at Disneyland in 2006. This was a live show where kids could sign up to become Jedi Younglings. They would get training lightsabers and Jedi robes. A Jedi Master would teach them some simple lightsaber moves. Then, excitingly, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, or other villains like Kylo Ren would appear with stormtroopers! Each child would get to face off against a villain. After the battles, the children, now called Padawans, would be congratulated by Yoda for mastering the Force. They would get a diploma for their bravery.

The show was updated and renamed Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple in 2015. It now includes new characters from the Star Wars: Rebels TV show. In this version, kids train with a Jedi Master and a Jedi Apprentice. They use the Force to open the Temple doors. Then, villains like Darth Vader and The Seventh Sister appear. Kids fight them, and then use the Force to push the villains back into the Temple. Sometimes, Darth Maul or Kylo Ren also appear for a big battle with the Jedi Apprentice. The kids help the Apprentice defeat the villain using the Force. This exciting show is at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.

What is Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

On May 20, 2011, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This is the updated version of the original Star Tours ride. It's a 3D motion simulator ride that takes you to many different planets and features characters from all the Star Wars movies, from Episode I all the way to Episode VIII. Unlike the first ride, which mostly focused on the original movies, this one has many different adventures that are randomly chosen. This means you can ride it many times and have a different experience each time! This ride is now open at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.

What is Star Wars Launch Bay?

On November 16, 2015, Star Wars Launch Bay opened at Disneyland. This is an interactive area where you can explore exhibits with cool props and costumes from the Star Wars movies. You can also meet some of your favorite Star Wars characters! This attraction later opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Shanghai Disneyland Park.

What is Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular?

On June 17, 2016, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular started at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This is an amazing nighttime show that celebrates the Star Wars films. It features incredible fireworks, projection mapping (where images are projected onto buildings), fire, lasers, fog effects, and bright searchlights. During the show, you'll see famous Star Wars scenes and characters projected onto the Chinese Theater building and other buildings in the park.

What is Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge?

Disney, which now owns the Star Wars stories, wanted to bring even more of the galaxy far, far away to its parks. In 2015, they announced a massive 14-acre Star Wars-themed land called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This incredible new area opened at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019. It takes you to a brand new planet called Batuu, a remote outpost on the edge of the galaxy.

Galaxy's Edge includes two main attractions:

• Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run: On this ride, you get to step inside the famous Millennium Falcon and become part of a smuggling mission. You can be the pilot, gunner, or flight engineer!
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: This is a huge, immersive ride that puts you right in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. It's one of the most advanced rides ever built!

What Was Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser?

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a unique Star Wars-themed hotel experience that opened near Disney's Hollywood Studios on March 1, 2022. It was designed to make you feel like you were on a two-night journey aboard a luxury starcruiser called the Halcyon. Guests could interact with characters, take part in missions, and live out their own Star Wars story. This special experience closed on September 30, 2023.

Images for kids

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  The original Star Tours ride at Disneyland in 1996