A real tour across the Star Wars timeline
A long time ago, in a galaxy not that far away, there was a single Star Wars ride in Disney World. It was a very basic motion simulator, which brought you to a transport ship traveling to destinations like Tatooine and Coruscant. Of course that things didn’t go as planned, as you often came face to face with Imperial Star Destroyers, Tie-Fighters and even Darth Vader. Your seat would twitch to the sides, secured by a single seatbelt. After the five minute journey ended, you’d hear John William’s epic soundtrack playing and then it was time to visit the gift shop.
Fast forward a few years into the future, and not much has changed in Star Tours when it comes to the technology used, even if the ride was remodeled in 2011 and renamed “Star Tours: The Adventure Continues”. You are still boarding a transport with dozens of other guests and taking your seat. You are still locking your seatbelt in place. Don’t think you will be moving around like modern motion simulators or even the recent Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Star Tours is all about that charm of old time motion simulators, similar to The Simpsons Ride in Universal Studios. You sit down, stare at the big screen in front of you and enjoy the ride.
The technology might be the same from the old Star Tours, but you know what is cool about this ride? The movies played here are completely random! Every time you board Star Tours, you will see three mini-movies, with your transport traveling from across the galaxy and different timelines. This means you can visit locations from Episode One like Naboo and then travel to Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back in the same movie sequence. Yep, timelines here do not matter, which adds to the enjoyment, honestly.
There are dozens and dozens of different mini-movies, which means that you will hardly see the same segments if you decide to visit this ride again. There are even mini-movies based on the sequels, with Rey, Kylo Ren and Finn making appearances. That not enough for you? Well, Disney even added segments based on The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Andor in 2024! That is your daily reminder to go watch Andor, guys, it’s a pretty good series.
Don’t expect a very advanced motion simulator when visiting Star Tours. This is a fun ride for Star Wars fans, and a good piece of nostalgia which takes us back to a time where most attractions were simple and effective. Smuggler’s Run in Galaxy’s Edge seems like a spiritual successor to Star Tours, yet this transport ship retains an old charm that is hard to resist
Will Kids enjoy it?
This is a very simple motion simulator. It’s been in Hollywood Studios for a long time, after all, but it is still fun. I mean, it’s Star Wars, so there is a good chance that everybody will enjoy it, from young kids to adults.
Kids might get a kick of seeing iconic planets and locations like Tatooine, Coruscant and Dagobah, or characters like Poe and Rey. This is also a motion simulator without sudden bounces or movements that can give you a sudden headache. It’s not as gentle as something like Epcot’s Soarin, but it isn’t as intense as Islands of Adventure’s Spider Man. There is a height requirement of 40 inches, which means that your kid probably needs to be around five years old or more to come here.
