It’s been a long time coming. Today is the final day of operation for Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after nearly a decade of operation. The offering has changed a little bit over the years and is now sort of a shell of its former self. With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening in 2019, the countdown was surely on for the end of the Star Wars Launch Bay. When COVID-19 hit, several Launch Bay offerings were closed and never reopened, including the Launch Bay Cargo gift shop and various displays. We took a walk around the Star Wars Launch Bay earlier today to get a final tour of the venue before it closes permanently. We’ll also include some older photos of the space, noting the year below the photo if it isn’t from our walk this morning.
150+ PHOTOS: Star Wars Launch Bay Farewell
The Star Wars Launch Bay replaced the former The Magic of Disney Animation experience. Ironically enough, the Star Wars Launch Bay is being replaced by The Magic of Disney Animation. If that sounds confusing, that’s because Hollywood Studios is a bit confusing; just go with it.
The Star Wars Launch Bay was located in Animation Courtyard. The entire courtyard is receiving a refresh as it is reimagined into an area themed to the Walt Disney Studios Lot. To read more about what’s coming next, check out our dedicated page for the new land below.
Here’s a look at the original description for the Star Wars Launch Bay experience:
Star Wars Launch Bay, located in Animation Courtyard, offers guests the chance to interact with Star Wars characters by choosing to encounter the Dark Side in a Star Destroyer-themed area, or visit with the brave Rebels in a makeshift Rebel Base – clear your mind and choose wisely, as one path may lead to Darth Vader while the other leads to Chewbacca.
Fans of the film franchise can also visit two different exhibits – Celebration Gallery and Celebration Hallway to view iconic ships from the Rebel Alliance and Imperial Navy fleet, as well as replica Star Wars props and murals. Guests excited for upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens can head to Preview Gallery to explore an area filled with costumes, artwork, models and more from the new film. And of course, shoppers can get their fix at Launch Bay Cargo, a unique shop that will offer a wide selection of Star Wars merchandise, including original artwork.
The exterior of the building largely remained the same when the Star Wars Launch Bay debuted, compared to the old Magic of Disney Animation structure. A new sign and some light theming were applied, but the general shape of the former Animation building remained the same.
As you enter the area, you’re met with a wide mural showcasing the first six feature films.
During the early years of the Launch Bay, the open-air concept art gallery was utilized as a queue to manage crowds. As crowds moderated, the queue chains were removed, and guests could walk through this area if they wanted, but it wasn’t mandatory.
Here’s a look at every piece of concept art on display, along with an overview of the movie posters as well!
Artist: Amy Beth Christenson
Star Wars Rebels
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist: Ryan Church
Star Wars: Episode I Attack of the Clones
Artist: Dermot Power
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
Artist: Kilian Plunkett and Pat Presley
Star Wars Rebels
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
Artist: Ryan Church
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Artist: Jake Lunt Davies
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
Artist: Doug Chiang
Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
Artist: Ryan Church
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
Artist: Doug Chiang
Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
Artist: Doug Chiang
Star Wars: Episode | The Phantom Menace
Artist: Matt Allsop
Star Wars: Episode VIl The Force Awakens
Artist: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
Artist Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
As we continue our walk, we make our way past the long-closed Star Wars Launch Bay theater.
Long ago, there used to be a flow to the experience, starting with the queue, which led into the theater, and then dumped into the indoor galleries. For some time now, guests have been able to walk through a couple of doors to just go into the gallery, bypassing the closed theater.
The courtyard seen in the photos below used to be historic, containing the handprints of Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Ward Kimball, Marc Davis, Ken O’Connor, and Ken Anderson.
Going through the doors seen in the photo above, we find the Celebration Gallery. It’s here that we can check out models of the ships of the Rebel and Imperial fleets. Here’s a look around!
When Star Wars: A New Hope opened on May 25, 1977, the space fantasy launched audiences of all ages into unforgettable journeys across a galaxy far, far away. Since then, we have followed beloved heroes and vile villains, some who continue to travel to exotic worlds beyond our wildest dreams. Their starships have sent our imaginations soaring from the harsh deserts of Tatooine to the icy plains of Hoth and everywhere in between.
In this Gallery, enjoy an up-close look at replicas of starcruisers and starfighters as we celebrate these one-of-a-kind spacecrafts, the heroes and villains that flew aboard them, and their memorable interstellar adventures.
The droid tri-fighter was a deadly Separatist droid starfighter designed to be fast, agile and powerful in starfighter combat. It was used in large numbers throughout the Clone Wars. With laser cannons, missiles and the ability to deploy buzz droids, the tri-fighter was a force to be reckoned with.
Slave / was used by infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett before the Clone Wars. Jango outfitted the craft with laser cannons, projectile launchers and seismic charges. The perfect vehicle for bounty hunters, it was also outfitted with torpedoes mounted with homing beacons and trackers, allowing it to track ships through hyperspace. After Jango’s death during the Battle of Geonosis, his son, Boba Fett, took ownership and used it throughout his own bounty hunting career.
Formed from resistance movements that arose during the Clone Wars, the Rebel Alliance worked in secret for decades to overthrow the Emperor and restore democracy to the galaxy. Eventually, armed with the firepower of ships like the X-wing and A-wing, the Rebellion triumphed over the Empire.
A sturdy troop transport and gunship used by the Rebel Alliance, the U-wing starfighter is a well-armed swing-wing vessel that must penetrate heavy fire zones to deposit soldiers onto battlefields and then fly air support during dangerous missions against the Empire.
Han Solo is cagey about where he scored this overpowered M-68 landspeeder, saying little more than its previous owner no longer had need of it.
With its sleek arrowhead shape, streamlined cockpit and massive twin engines, the A-wing starfighter was fast and well suited for lightning strikes. Prepared for intense battle situations, the starfighter was equipped with a pair of pivoting laser cannons on each wingtip, heavy shielding and an escape pod. They were used by the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Endor.
A versatile Rebel Alliance starfighter, the X-wing balanced speed with firepower. Armed with four laser cannons and two proton torpedo launchers, the X-wing was a formidable foe to the Empire’s fleet. With nimble engines, a hyperdrive for long-range jumps and an astromech droid co-pilot, this fighter had it all. Luke Skywalker is famous for destroying the Death Star behind the controls of an X-wing.
The A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter was piloted by a single individual inside a cylindrical cockpit at one end of the hull. The primary airfoil took up the length of the hull with a weapons pod at the other end. The B-wing was slower than the X-wing starfighter, but had greater firepower, hull integrity and shield strength, making it an ideal fighter against large capital ships.
The Tantive IV was an Alderaan cruiser operated by the House of Alderaan. The ship was a central player in the events following the end of the Clone Wars and the beginning of the Galactic Civil War. It had powerful engine banks and the ability to race past slow-moving customs vessels. Princess Leia Organa traveled onboard the Tantive IV when the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator intercepted it.
The Galactic Empire ruled for years through fear, intimidation and tyranny. With a mighty military force that included capital warships and Imperial starfighters, Emperor Palpatine’s regime seemed unstoppable and permanent until some dared to strike back.
For the swift deployment of armored walker vehicles onto the battlefield, the Empire employs AT-Haulers, specialized starships with powerful engines and heavy-duty cargo lifter arms.
A sculpted scale model of the massive
Imperial super weapon.
A powerful, dagger-shaped line of capital ships, the Star Destroyer was created with the intent of being powerful enough to subjugate an entire star system with its heavy firepower. Its belly hangar bay could launch TIE fighters, boarding craft, land assault units, hyperspace probes, or be used to hold captured craft. Staffed by the finest crewmembers in the Imperial fleet, its presence in a system marked matters of extreme Imperial importance.
While less popular than the Lamba-class shuttle, Director Krennic favors the design of the Delta-class T-3c shuttle and has chosen to keep one in active use for over a decade.
Commonly known as TIE fighters, these signature Imperial starfighters were designed to attack in large numbers, overwhelming the enemy craft. They were relatively light and cheap to produce, reflecting the Imperial philosophy of quantity over quality. They were instantly recognizable from the roar of their twin ion engines and were able to operate both in space as well as in planetary atmospheres, acting as fighters or scouts.
As a reminder, this gallery used to be the welcoming point for the Launch Bay experience. Guests would then walk into the next section, which was anchored by the title crawl.
STAR WARS LAUNCH BAY
It is a period of celebration. The Star Wars saga lives on with new adventures set in a galaxy far, far away.
Here at LAUNCH BAY, discover the latest stories of the saga and feel the power of the Force, binding us together.
Our journey begins with an awakening. Welcome to a new era…
Nearby, there is a full-scale model of a speeder bike. Actually, there used to be a Podracer cockpit on display as well, but that disappeared years ago. Here’s a look at the screen-used speeder bike from Return of the Jedi!
The Aratech 74-Z speeder bike was the core equipment of an Imperial scout trooper.
The small, one-man repulsorlift vehicle was used to perform reconnaissance, perimeter defense, patrol missions in cooperation with AT-ST walkers, and surgical strikes against small enemy forces. The explosively quick speeder bike served as a key weapon for Imperial ground troops who fought to defend the Death Star’s shield generator from Rebels in the Battle of Endor. This is one of six speeder bike props used in Return of the Jedi.
An expansive space is split into to levels. There are character meet and greets on the lower level (along with some displays), and a BB-8 interactive meet and greet on the upper level (also with some displays).
Here’s an overview of the lower level as seen from the upper level. On the left is the Chewbacca meet and greet, and on the right is the Darth Vader meet and greet.
We didn’t meet with Chewbacca or Darth Vader today, but if you’d like to see what those meet and greet experiences are like, check out our report below from when they reopened following the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Also downstairs is a larger Star Wars mural, featuring even more characters and stories than the mural we saw on the way inside. There is also a display featuring Rey and her speeder. Here’s a closer look!
Rey, a scavenger from Jakku, is a survivor toughened by life on a harsh desert planet. Her garments protect her from the wind and sun as she pilots an old salvaged speeder that she built from scrap. Rey’s speeder is bigger than an average speeder bike yet smaller than a standard landspeeder. This one-of-a-kind vehicle defies easy classification.
If we head back to the upper level, we can see that a Cantina space can be found on the upper level near the BB-8 meet and greet. Let’s head down the hallway.
There is also a BB-8 meet and greet at Star Wars Launch Bay. Check out our article below from 2017 when the offering debuted!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
