VIDEO - New A-1000 Audio-Animatronics to bring the characters of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge to life

Feb 28, 2019 in "Star Wars Galaxy's Edge"

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Posted: Thursday February 28, 2019 1:31pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge represents the pinnacle of Walt Disney Imagineering, and on the planet of Batuu, one of Imagineering's greatest achievements rises to a new level to help bring the stories of Star Wars to life.

At Walt Disney Word, we first saw a new generation of Audio-Animatronic figures emerge in Frozen Ever After at Epcot and Na'vi River Journey in Pandora - The World of Avatar. The old hydraulic motors that had powered animatronic figures including the A-100 class for decades made way for new electric motors that are far more precise, fluid and quicker moving than their predecessor. The Shaman of Songs in Pandora will perhaps remain the most complicated figure ever made by Disney, but the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge figures will be right up there.

With Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, the A-1000 class of animatronic powers all of the major Audio-Animatronic characters. In this clip below, you can see the more than 6ft tall Hondo Ohnaka, who is part the Smugglers Run Millennium Falcon ride. And at Rise of the Resistance, Nien Nunb is the pilot on your ride aboard a transport ship.

Animatronic figure won't just be part of the rides - you will also find them in Oga's canteen, where captain Rex from Star Tours is now the DJ.

At Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, you will find Dok at his desk, checking his inventory, taking calls, and barking orders at his assistants.

And expect to see figures in more surprising places, like the droid shop and walk-around characters.

TechCrunch has a great article on 'How Disney Built Star Wars, in real life," and it is well worth a read for more details on the work that went into producing Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.

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networkpro10 hours ago

Perhaps an over estimation on its popularity ?

Landry11 hours ago

I'm still mad that Florida is $25 more dollars than California. There's also 0 dates sold out except for May 4 from May 4th-10th.

HauntedPirate16 hours ago

"Joe, we only had 15 of 16 people show up for your lightsaber building session. I'm afraid we're going to have to let you go."

networkpro16 hours ago

Budgeting for those performing roles must be difficult without supporting revenue.

DisneyRoy16 hours ago

The price is actually on par with some custom built sabers you can find online. Not sure the quality difference. But you also get the "show" in Galaxy's Edge. https://saberforge.com/collections/elite-sabers/products/prodigal-son

JohnD17 hours ago

You're being tongue and cheek. I get it. Still, reservations were made with an expectation of payment. Then there are no shows. I'm surprised they didn't set it up as pay at time of reservation to begin with, like dessert parties.

HauntedPirate18 hours ago

They must have had enough people no-show that it cut into revenue targets. Can’t have that.

Rteetz1 day ago

I have done both. Savi's is a much better more intimate experience of the two. Is it worth another $150? I don't know. I also did it before the price hike so I "saved" a little bit there. I am glad I did it but wouldn't do it again probably.

UNCgolf1 day ago

I haven't done the lightsaber building (and never will at that price; I'm not that interested) but I have done the droid building because my GF wanted to try it. It's definitely not worth the price. The droid itself is neat enough, but it feels like the "experience" is the reason for the price and there's very little to it.

MagicHappens19711 day ago

It’s definetly pricey, but it’s not *that* much more than a Legacy Saber and it is an incredible experience.

imagineer971 day ago

I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseum on here, but how could anyone think this is worth the price?

DCBaker1 day ago

For those making reservations at Savi's Workshop - Handbuilt Lightsabers, be aware that Disney says full payment is now due at the time of booking vs the payment being due upon arrival at the location.

Incomudro5 days ago

Her stoic personality is the result of poor directors who don't know how direct a strong female character without portraying one as personality less, bland, dull person, with no emotions. They (various directors) do this constantly now

Professortango18 days ago

Except Luke was not introduced to mass audiences in Return of the Jedi. The movie's first 40 minutes are the end of the previous film. And RotJ Luke is also my least favourite Luke.