STAR TOURS presented by M&Ms Chocolate Candies (January 9, 1987 - )

STAR TOURS presented by Energizer (by c.1996)

One can easily slip into the jargon of “ride,” but at Disneyland there is a "story behind the story" of every attraction, every attraction is a living experience for the guest. Disneyland ride-through attractions or adventures have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.” It is important to review the story of the attraction, tell the story, explain it, and create interest. This is the story of Star Tours, from the creative forces of Walt Disney Imagineering and George Lucas!

Disneyland attractions have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.” Star Tours is certainly one attraction which has epitomized these purposes since its beginning. The adventure transports Guests on a thrilling sightseeing excursion to the Moon of Endor and the universe of Star Wars© guided by a fearless rookie pilot and mapped by the creative forces of Disney and George Lucas.

Walt once said: “Since my outlook and attitudes are ingrained throughout our organization, all our people have this curiosity; it keeps us moving forward, exploring, experimenting, and opening new doors.” Walt also once divulged, “When we consider a new project, we really study it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way.” [“Walt Disney Productions Annual Report to Shareholders and Employees Fiscal Year Ended October 2, 1965”] That philosophy was a Disneyland tradition by the time that Star Tours was in development.

In “One Little Spark! Mickey’s Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering,” Marty Sklar recalled: “We were meeting at the Imagineering offices in 1985 to discuss the Star Tours simulator attraction. The charge was to find a way to interpret George Lucas’ Star Wars films in a four-and-a-half minute experience. It was all new to all of us - it was the first simulator show of its kind when it opened little more than a year after concept work began. One of my colleagues complained about the number of cliches that seemed to flow from our Imagineering team members. That’s when George Lucas spoke up with the sage advice: ‘Don’t avoid the cliches - they are cliches because they work.’”

George Lucas was among Disneyland Guests on the second day of operation according to interviews conducted during the 1980s. A big decision during the era of Michael Eisner’s and Frank Wells’ leadership would end in the first full Disney Parks’ attraction based on a non-Disney movie! “The ultimate thrill adventure from the creative forces of Disney and George Lucas” was now Tomorrowland’s premier attraction!

Imagineers in London had looked into developments at a company called Rediffusion Simulation which was constructing simulators (“a large box with seats mounted on six hydraulic rams”) primarily for military application.

The show exterior of the Starspeeder 3000 was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering (of Glendale, California), with key plans, elevations, and other drawings completed by Bechtel Civil, Inc. (of San Francisco, California).

Homage to George Lucas’ first feature film was made with the following announcement heard in the queue: “Hover vehicle THX-1138, you are parked in a no-hover zone.”

The construction start date was September 3, 1985 with a scheduled grand opening of January 9, 1986.

The film ran at 70mm/30 frames per second. Audio/Video System was through a Videodisc Player.

Air-conditioning controls dust, and a practical mechanical application of the technology was essential in the attraction where projection equipment and film was used.

Walt Disney Imagineer John Stone designed and developed concepts to capture the Interest and potential partnership of George Lucas. This included several Inspirational Acrylic Art Pieces depicting the thrills and chills of a "Star Wars Ride" and a 1/20 model of a New Tomorrowland Tailored to a "Disney - Lucas" joint adventure. Worked with Tom Morris, Bruce Gordon, Chris Tietz, Joe Rhode, & John Horney under the direction Tony Baxter.

The one-year anniversary of the attraction was celebrated with an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme promotion!

By 2008, WDI master plans entertained the concept of an update to Star Tours (referred to as “Star Tours 3.5”) with a target of realization within the following 5 years. Some time later, Star Tours the Adventures Continue would add new exotic destinations for passengers of Starspeeders. Many actresses and actors fulfilled roles in the attraction. According to Dave Smith (Chief Archivist Emeritus), “The rebel pilot [of the Hoth Snow Speeder] … is Rob Howe, and the Naboo Squad Leader is April Royster ; neither of them work for Imagineering or ILM. I’m also told that Darren Criss, also of Glee, provided some miscellaneous voices.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016]

The attraction vehicles also led to Imagineering the ride systems referred to as EMVs Enhanced Motion Vehicles, used in the Temple of the Forbidden eye.

According to The Walt Disney Archives: “on December 21, 2012, The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. Included in the deal were the special effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, along with the rights to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.” This would pave the way for even more Star Wars-themed entertainment, merchandise, and attractions produced by Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Star Tours in Tokyo was a replication of an existing existing attraction and the five sequential phases of its project life cycle took less time than that of a new project.

Each of the four Starspeeders contained 40 seats. Vehicle Weight with Payload: 26,000 lbs. (approx.)

This show scene along the queue will eventually house the security center control and Mon Calamari operators.

Disneyland “queue lines” were designed as part of the attraction to make the Guests' time in line as comfortable as possible. Above, another shot along the same part of the queue, in the first show scene. You can see the beginnings of the security tower in the upper right portion of the photograph. Here, some of the paneling has been added, and things are starting to take shape.

Looking down on construction of the C3PO show scene, from a portion of the People Mover track that passed through the attraction.

It was intended to transport the Starspeeders by helicopter, but it was decided to haul them by truck and lower them through the attraction’s hatch by crane. Project Manager Dave Melanson described its transportation and installment this way (in Disneyland LINE Magazine, No. 35, Vol. 18, August 28, 1986) :

“To get the Starspeeder in Glendale trucked down to the Park, we had to get clearance from the California Highway Patrol. we had to move the Starspeeder in the middle of the night when there would be the least amount of traffic. All four would be brought down Harbour Boulevard and then through Katella Gate, since clearance under the Monorail was best through that entrance.

A crane stationed near the Kennel would lift each Starspeeder over the Berm and the Administration Building. A second crane would take it from there and finally lowering it through the hatch. These are very specialized cranes, having 165-ton capacity and a 260-foot boom - the kind of cranes you’d use, for example, to lift a 747 plane.”

Here we can see one of the four military-grade ATLAS flight simulator cabins (or “Starspeeders”) resting on the roof. It’s has been prepared to be lowered into the attraction building via crane. This attraction "vehicle" will be used to convey the show/ride experience to guests.

One of the hydraulic motion base Starspeeder cabins is being lowered into position within the Star Tours attraction building.

Project Manager Dave Melanson continues :

“When each Starspeeder was lowered through the hatch , four heavy-duty fork lifts, which moved in synch, carried the cabins to their spot. Now comes the job of getting everything ready and testing it out.”

Each Starspeeder is mounted to a Motion Base - a moving platform, and the hardware below it.

What the Starspeeder looks like resting inside the attraction, with construction scaffolding around it.

This doorway will connect the Star Tours Loading Area with the motion simulator.

Those legs beneath the cabin support the weight and contribute toward it’s precise movements. The six actuators were hydraulically-operated devices used to provide movement to the Starspeeder Motion Base. When the actuators were in the settled simulator position they were fully retracted.

What REALLY propels a StarSpeeder through space!

This is a ground view of a corner of the Droidnostics Center show scene. The upper tier is the ramp that guests take through the room.

This is a backstage area just behind Tomorrowland, where some of the heavy equipment is stored while not in use.

The southern “The Spirit of Creative Energies Among Children” mural encompassed the façade of the former Adventure Through Inner Space building. In this photograph, an extension has been made to top the structure, before exterior work is carried out.

This image is a little hard to see, but you’re looking at the left portion of the southern “The Spirit of Creative Energies” mural behind the construction barrier.

The Future is NOW - 1986! The “ultimate thrill experience” - Star Tours, joined the Magic Eye Theater & Captain EO, and Star Traders during the winter of 1986!

“Opening Ceremony”

The $32 million attraction first shuttled guests to a moon of Endor in “a galaxy far, far away” (all with the help of RX-24 and R2-D2), during January of 1987. On Friday, January 9, at approximately 10:00 a.m.. the Star Tours Grand Opening Ceremony took place. “Star Wars” characters appeared to open the proceedings, followed by the ribbon cutting with “Star Tours” creator George Lucas, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Mickey Mouse. The ceremony took approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Also on Friday, January 9, a press conference was held at Videopolis from 11:00 a.m. until noon. A press center was located at the lower level of Space Place throughout the party. Scheduled to participate were George Lucas, Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Attractions President Dick Nunis, and Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Vice President of Creative Development Marty Sklar. Special Press Conference guests were “Voyager” pilots Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan and Mercury astronauts Gordon Cooper and Donald Slayton, and Mrs. Gus Grissom, widow of Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom.

This Vintage View was captured during the filming of the Star Tours 60-Hour Party Promotional Television Spots.

“Launch Party”

The Star Tours Launch Party consisted of one continuous operation from 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 9, through 10:00 p.m. Sunday, January 11, 1987. Special Launch Party tickets were sold at the Main Entrance from midnight to 7:00 a.m. January 10 and 11, 1987. These tickets were $14.00 and are good only from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on January 10 and 11, 1987.

Guests excitedly lined up in a 4-hour queue that extended all the way down Main Street U.S.A., and park hours were extended for an astounding total of 60 straight hours of Park operation from 7pm to midnight! Guests who entered the Park during this time could exit and re-enter the Park any time during the party, provided they had a Star Tours Launch Party wristband. This wristband could be obtained as the guest exits the Park, and needed to be untampered and undetached, and a valid Disneyland passport was required. All of this, so that guests may board one of four shuttles to a “galaxy far, far, away.”

Of course, “due to the nature of the attraction expectant mothers and guests with certain physical handicaps may not ride. Certain height and age restrictions also applied”, according to the Guide to Disneyland (published 1987).

“Star Tours Cast Premier”

The Star Tours Cast Premier was held January 12-16, 1987! Desiree (a former Tomorrowland Character Shop employee) recollected her realization (during that month) that “now the adventure is real” : “The Character Shop cast members were…the first to ride Star Tours. We were cashing out our registers when they came down the exit and needed to test it with people, so we all got to go on several weeks before the opening. Well…it was beyond amazing. Of course, they kept it a secret, but we had heard the term ‘simulator’ come up, but at that time, no one knew what it meant. It just blew our minds. You just couldn’t believe that something like that could be created and I remember telling my parents it was like a fantasy to be able to feel like you were literally in the middle of a Star Wars movie.”

Disneyland “Audience Waiting Areas” are especially designed as part of the attraction to make the guest's time waiting in line as comfortable as possible.

Since 1955, queue areas were equipped with live entertainment to set the mood for the forthcoming show.

“Audio-Animatronics”

Developed by WED Enterprises, this amazing system utilizes pneumatics hydraulics and electronics to animate human, animal, and other three-dimenstonal figures. Many Disneyland attractions feature Audio-Animatronics figures. This attraction employed Audio-Animatronics® - the Disney-designed system that combines sound, mechanics and electronics for three-dimensional animation. Here, in Star Tours Show 1, is a Liquid crystal display, a Status Board, a Control Tower, a Starspeeder 3000, R2-D2, and C-3PO.

Some parts of an authentic gold-leaf plated C-3PO costume (worn by Anthony Daniels during the filming of Star Wars) were utilized by Walt Disney Imagineers for the fabrication of the C-3PO Audio-Animatronic figure.

C-3PO was voiced by Anthony Daniels:

When maintenance was performed on this figure or a group of other figures, they were carefully repositioned as closely as possible to their “night mode” positions so that when a trial run was started, the movements of the functions were not violent.

In 2008, WDI master plans entertained the concept of a “classic update and adjacent placemaking” with something called “Star Tours 3.5.”

In Star Tours Show 2 you’ll see a Lower Droid Room, a Liquid Crystal Display Wall, and an Upper Droid Room.

The Loading Area contains 12 Video Monitors.

Each Starspeeder contains an RX024 (REX), a Monitor, Film, and Strobe lights.

This Captain REX Audio Animatronics ®️ figure first piloted StarSpeeders at “light speed for Endor”, for Star Tours of Disneyland, c. 1987! Believe it or not, he’s still getting used to his programming.

RX-24 was voiced by Poul Reubens.

On the Grand Opening Day, no Star Tours merchandise was available in the Park. However, each guest entering the Park with a paid admission received a Star Tours watch.