Disney Says They Made Working 'Star Wars' Lightsaber, Sets Opening Date For Disneyland Avengers Campus
Get your mouse ears ready, Disney buffs! After a year and change of closures, not only is Disney's Disneyland resort in Anaheim California reopening to the public, but we finally know exactly when we'll be able to experience the long-awaited Avengers Campus.
First announced at the D23 Expo (a.k.a Disney's answer to Comic-Con) in 2017, the campus will open on June 4, 2021, bringing several new attractions to the original Disney park, according to CNN. Some include a 3D-Spider-Man ride named, "WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure," a version of the teenage hero that will be regularly practicing "flips 60 to 65 feet in the air" above the campus, the Ant-Man themed "Pym Test Kitchen," which will offer eats "at unusual scales, including shareable bites, inventive-sized entrees and tiny treats," and of course, an updated take on the Disneyland past time of spending way too much money on overpriced snacks and commemorative ears – complete with an MCU markup.
"We are so excited to soon welcome our guests to Avengers Campus, our first land dedicated to Super Heroes," Disneyland Resort's president, Ken Potrock said in a statement. "Here, our cast members will unite to help guests of all ages find their super powers and create special memories."
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Yet as any Disney fan knows, Marvel is only one of the two major IPs that make the company a boatload of mon – sorry, the company is passionate about presenting to their esteemed park guests. During the recent “A Special Look Inside Disney Parks” press conference, the company made another announcement potentially impacting the future of Star Wars-themed lands and attractions, claiming they have invented real, functional lightsabers. Already allowing guests at the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in both Disneyland and Florida's Disney World to design their own lightsabers for the low, low, price of $199, the company has decided to take its offerings to the next level, alleging they've obtained the technology to apparently equip their guests with space-age weapons – what could possibly go wrong!
Although unclear what this instrument looks like, the way it functions, or how exactly, this new invention will be implemented in the parks without opening up the potential for a series of lawsuits holding the company liable for being impaled with a galactic beam of light, it seems we kinda just gotta trust that it works, according to execs. When explaining the invention, noting that Disney fans will “never know” what the company is planning next Josh D'Amaro, the Chairman of Disney Parks and Experiences, reportedly whipped our and brandished a working lightsaber, and cheekily adding that “it's real.”
Although us at home may not be able to see this momentous invention right now – photos and videos were prohibited at the presentation -- Attractions Magazine says it seemed pretty true to life, or well, the Star Wars universe. “Attendees were not allowed to take any recordings or screenshots of the presentation, so we’re unable to show you exactly what we saw," they reiterated. “The best way to describe it is to think of how the lightsabers look and work in the ‘Star Wars’ films, and, somehow, it looks 1:1.” However this description may not be entirely true to the final product, as “the portion of the video in which the lightsaber was demonstrated went by quickly, so it is difficult to say just what it’s made of or how exactly it works," they explained.
Yet as the outlet noted, fans may be able to sneak a peek at the galactic tech through a patent Disney filed back in 2017 for a “Sword device with retractable, internally illuminated blade."
So folks, here's to Disneyland's reopening. May we spend all our money on extremely overpriced treats and impale each other with glowing Star Wars weapons for years to come!
Top Image: Patent US10065127B1/The Walt Disney Company
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