Disney Imagineering veteran, Scott Trowbridge and Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang have offered an in-depth look at the creation of Disney’s next-level immersive attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The themed land, which opened at Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in 2019, is one of the most elaborate and immersive theme park attractions ever created.
Trowbridge, who is portfolio creative executive for Disney Imagineering, also acts as the company's creative lead for its Star Wars projects. He personally oversaw the development of Galaxy’s Edge, working on the project from start to finish.
“One of the things I felt was very important from the beginning was to not make this a memory of Star Wars but to make this about the future of Star Wars and to make room for the guest in this,” he said.
“This is a place where you can live a new Star Wars story, a place where you can live your Star Wars story so that we could draw you in as an active participant and a citizen of this galaxy. You’re not just a spectator that’s watching it from a distance.”
Chiang is vice president and executive creative director for Lucasfilm, where his main responsibilities include all Star Wars design for the company’s films, new media and attractions. A lifelong Star Wars fan, Chiang knew exactly what other fans of the IP would want to see in the attraction, with attention to detail being a key part of its creation.
“For a theme park, all of that homework, all of that design has to be realised at such a high fidelity because you don’t know where the guests are going to go,” he said.
“You don’t know if they're going to open that closet door and look behind the door - that illusion of reality can’t be broken. It has to be seamless.
That’s where everything has to be recreated as such a high level where the guests, when they look and something and touch it, it has to feel real, if not exactly real.”
To hear more from Scott Trowbridge and Doug Chiang, check out the video above
Disney Imagineering veteran, Scott Trowbridge and Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang have offered an in-depth look at the creation of Disney’s next-level immersive attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The themed land, which opened at Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in 2019, is one of the most elaborate and immersive theme park attractions ever created.
Trowbridge, who is portfolio creative executive for Disney Imagineering, also acts as the company's creative lead for its Star Wars projects. He personally oversaw the development of Galaxy’s Edge, working on the project from start to finish.
“One of the things I felt was very important from the beginning was to not make this a memory of Star Wars but to make this about the future of Star Wars and to make room for the guest in this,” he said.
“This is a place where you can live a new Star Wars story, a place where you can live your Star Wars story so that we could draw you in as an active participant and a citizen of this galaxy. You’re not just a spectator that’s watching it from a distance.”
Chiang is vice president and executive creative director for Lucasfilm, where his main responsibilities include all Star Wars design for the company’s films, new media and attractions. A lifelong Star Wars fan, Chiang knew exactly what other fans of the IP would want to see in the attraction, with attention to detail being a key part of its creation.
“For a theme park, all of that homework, all of that design has to be realised at such a high fidelity because you don’t know where the guests are going to go,” he said.
“You don’t know if they're going to open that closet door and look behind the door - that illusion of reality can’t be broken. It has to be seamless.
That’s where everything has to be recreated as such a high level where the guests, when they look and something and touch it, it has to feel real, if not exactly real.”
To hear more from Scott Trowbridge and Doug Chiang, check out the video above
