A Monumental Addition was an article we ran during the time between the original Star Tours closing and the revamp version, The Adventures Continue, opening. What I love most about this photo isn't the original signage or the AT-AT model on display with Imagineers, it is the fact that all of the foliage hasn't grown up around the AT-AT yet, allowing its menacing size to be on full display.
Today, as we await our first true adventures on the planet of Batuu, we celebrate a look back at a time when we had no Star Wars attractions and were anxiously looking forward to Star Tours opening. Happy Star Wars Day everyone! May the Fourth be with you!
A Monumental Addition - Originally Published 2 November 2010
As we await the arrival of Starspeeder 1000s and the next incarnation of Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as at Disneyland, today we take a giant step back. The image below offers a brief glimpse into the coming Imperial onslaught on Endor in the form of the massive AT-AT Walker.
The 35-foot All Terrain Armored Transport was designed to give the appearance that it is constantly moving forward. The steel skeleton was almost completely encased with a fiberglass shell, remember the AT-AT resides in the back stage area of the park which means appearance matters, not completed entities. Although it would be erected in Florida, and unveiled to the public in August of 1989, the colossal wienie was originally constructed in California.
Appearing in the photograph with the AT-AT and model AT-AT are Imagineers Paul Osterhout and Shannon Hanaway and Larry Casey of the Walt Disney World operations staff.
1 comment:
Tuck in those t-shirts and stonewash those jeans!
I've always had a problem with Star Tours at DHS. As you walk up the queue, you're clearly on the movie set, with the half AT-AT ready for a shot. When you enter the building, you're no longer on a set, but actually in the Star Wars universe as a tourist, with no explanation given for the transition.
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