Galactic Starcrasher

In not-so-surprising news, Disney has announced they’re shutting down its Galactic Starcruiser hotel and experience in September. You know, the two-night immersive Star Wars hotel that costs $2500 per night. Here’s the short and sweet announcement from Disney. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment. This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and as we prepare for its final voyage, we will take what…

Disney Alters Galactic Starcruiser Schedule; Prays It Doesn’t Alter It Again

Disney has learned the hard way that milking Star Wars for everything it is worth is not a good strategy. They’ve blamed the wrong people for movie failures and generally missed the mark with the launch of the Galactic Starcruiser. Natalie Sim at Theme Park Tourist now reveals that Disney is cutting back “sailings” for the Starcruiser. The first sign that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was in trouble was at the end of 2022 when the first discount was offered of 30% off original Points Chart values on select 2-night Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser adventures for Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. In January, Disney…

Bob is Dead. Long Live Bob

In one of the most public about-faces in recent history, Disney is admitting they’ve screwed up. Late on Sunday night, they announced CEO Bob Chapek was out as head of the company to be replaced by Bob Iger. There wouldn’t even be a transition. Iger is back in control immediately. More from Mike Calia and Alex Sherman at CNBC. The dramatic upheaval comes 11 months after Iger left Disney, and days after Chapek said he planned to cut costs at the company, which had been burdened by swelling costs at its streaming service, Disney+. Earlier this month, the company’s earnings vastly underperformed…

Darth Vader is More Machine Than Man

In all the years of Star Wars movies and television shows, one thing has remained a constant: James Earl Jones. The actor who has appeared in countless movies throughout his career is the defining voice of Darth Vader. At age 91, Jones has agreed to call it quits. It makes sense that would want to hang up his Vader mask. But who will replace him? A computer, of course. [Lucasfilm] has enlisted the assistance of Respeecher, a Ukrainian startup that uses AI technology to craft new conversations from revitalized old voice recordings. Respeecher’s relationship with Lucasfilm began with the Disney+…

Be Our Guest. Please.

When Disney announced the price of their Galactic Starcruiser experience I was taken aback by the cost. Six grand for a 72-hour experience in Florida is asking a lot of people. Maybe it’s because of the price or people still not wanting to travel because of COVID, but Katie Dowd at SFGate reports that Disney isn’t exactly in need of any sort of waitlist. [The Galactic Starcruiser] is not even close to selling out, Disney’s availability calendar shows. Guests who check the “start planning your voyage” page will nearly have their pick of dates through the second half of 2022.…

The Beatles Are Coming

Disney+, best known for endless Star Wars and Marvel stuff these days, is dropping an amazing docuseries on November 25th with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Beatles. It’s produced by Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings guy) and will release on the service for three consecutive days. The Beatles official channel has released a small clip of the show to YouTube. It’s only 85-seconds long but you can see the magic of the Fab Four in action. I’ve been waiting for this for nearly a year since it was originally introduced and cannot wait to view it. The footage…

The Rocketeer Flies Again

Disney is dipping into their bag of IP again with this fantastic news on a sequel: Disney is reviving a cult classic favorite, The Rocketeer, with a new Disney+ movie titled The Return of the Rocketeer. [In the original film] a young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero. The Return of the Rocketeer will have an all-new creative directive, with [Ed] Ricourt’s story focusing on a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle. Deadline.com I really loved The Rocketeer when it came out in ’91 and was surprised it was…