One of Daisy Ridley’s Rey costumes and her speeder.
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
Each year Anne and I take one (1) road trip to a different part of the United States and see attractions, wonders, and events we didn’t have back home. One thing we rarely do is fly. We’d much rather drive than be flown unless we absolutely have to…or are given some pretty sweet incentives to do so. Fast-forward to December 2022 and a most unexpected opportunity: The Powers That Be at Anne’s rather large place of employment recognized her and several other employees nationwide for outstanding achievements in the field of excellence. Their grand prize was a Disney World vacation! We could at last announce to friends and family, “THE GOLDENS ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!”
For Anne it was officially, legally a business trip. Much of the time, she’d have to work…
…except for a single day off to enjoy together from dawn to dusk. Galaxy’s Edge was of course our feature presentation and favorite part of the entire vacation, but it wasn’t the only place to find Star Wars in Hollywood Studios. Up on the northwest side of the park, their Animation Courtyard section held Star Wars Launch Bay, a low-key gallery of props, vehicles, posters, miniatures, and other arts sprung forth from the collective Lucasfilm imagination. The building itself was removed from the main thoroughfares and a bit depressing with its all-black walls and minimalist adornment apart from the objets d’art themselves. It was a stark contrast from the rest of the uniformly eye-popping park and sparsely attended. It was arguably a good place for a time-out for guests who could use mental-health intermissions away from overpopulated theme-park hubbub.
On the “pro” side: it was more sights to see from, of, and about the Star Wars. Consider it extra credit to the interactive Galaxy’s Edge experience, albeit a few blocks down the road from all those superior, more lavishly exhibited areas.
The path to Star Wars Launch Bay! Just follow The Mandalorian.
The gallery of the saga begins.
Previously on Star Wars Launch Bay…
Outside stood a smashed penny machine, to the delight of Anne the smashed-penny collector.
Extended poster celebrating the first six films only.
BB-8 concept art by Jake Lunt Davies, who’s contributed to a plethora of works, most recently including Andor and the third Venom film.
No exhibit of Star Wars concept art is complete without the seminal contributions of Ralph McQuarrie.
A familiar vintage poster.
A less common collectible poster, before they changed Episode VI’s name. The old Loews College Park theater in Indianapolis had one of these hanging up for years.
Meanwhile, posters for the Prequels share a dunce corner with the emergency exit.
A collection of Imperial filming miniatures.
A Droid Tri-Fighter miniature, which first appeared in Revenge of the Sith.
Jango Fett’s ship Slave 1 from Attack of the Clones, later passed on to Boba.
A Return of the Jedi speeder bike behind glass, because of course everyone would want to sit on it and make whooshing noises.
Space bar! The blue milk wasn’t real, though.
Another Dejarik table like the one in Smugglers Run, and equally nonfunctional.
Thus concluded the Star Wars portion of our program, but Hollywood Studios had environments from other film series to delight and bedazzle us.
To be continued!
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[Link enclosed here to handy checklist for other chapters and for our complete major trip history to date. Follow us on Facebook or via email sign-up for new-entry alerts. For further signs of life between entries, wave hi to me on . Thanks for reading!]
Midlife Crisis Crossover! 