Thanks to Beth from Small Town Hipster for attending the Rogue One Event at Epcot the other night. I was traveling back from California and was lucky that she was available to cover the event for me.
Epcot’s Spaceship Earth turns into the Death Star
Hi, guys! I’m Small Town Hipster popping in for Family, Love and Other Stuff. And can I tell you, she has a fantastic life! While she was away in San Francisco checking out LucasFilm HQ and meeting the stars of Rogue One (totally jealous), I got to fill in for her at a Disney Parks Blog meet-up here in Orlando (also pretty cool). The meet-up was also for Rogue One, which comes out on December 16 and looks awesome. It was my first meet-up and I was definitely impressed. Of course, Walt Disney World does everything first class and this event was no exception.
The meet-up was held at EPCOT and after hours and was set up to announce some of the new Rogue One fun at the Disney Parks. We were greeted with popcorn and lemonade while we waited for the show to start. After an introduction and some Star Wars trivia, we got to watch the trailer, which gives me chills every time.
Then we got to hear about the new Rogue One goodness that is being introduced in the parks. Random planets are back on Star Tours! That’s right, Star Tours will now pick a random story each time you ride, taking you on an adventure to a galaxy (or planet) far, far away! They also talked about new memorabilia from the film coming to Launch Bay at Hollywood Studios, as well as a 7 hour Star Wars backstage tour that includes lunch, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party. And we got introduced to the Advanced Weapons Research Stormtroopers who are pretty impressive.
But that wasn’t our only surprise. We were all thrilled when actor Mads Mikkelson showed up on the stage! He plays Galen Erso, the architect of the Death Star. He admitted to being a complete fanboy and being in awe at times while on set. It was a real pleasure to listen to him and to feel a kinship with him. And he was wearing the coolest Stormtrooper shirt!
Finally, we came to the big moment of the evening. Using digital projection technology, they were able to turn Spaceship Earth into the Death Star, complete with a planet-killing laser! It was amazing and I think everyone there geeked out at that. It was a once in a lifetime moment and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.
The event finished with Stormtrooper cupcakes and coffee, thus hitting my list for the most of my favorite things at one time. As a lifelong Star Wars nerd, I enjoyed every minute of the evening’s festivities. And it just got me more hyped up for the premiere of Rogue One and to explore the new additions at the Walt Disney World resort. Thanks again to Family, Love, and Other Stuff for asking me to fill in. And check me out at www.SmallTownHipster.blogspot.com.
