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As Universal Studios plans to launch the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in April, Disneyland is ready to make way for their secret weapon: Star Wars. The theme park is bringing the galaxy from far, far away to Anaheim, but to do that, it apparently has to make a few cuts.

According to The Los Angeles Times, 10 attractions and eateries will close their doors, some permanently while others just temporarily, to make room for the massive Star Wars expansion announced earlier this year. The news comes only a few months after Disneyland hiked their annual park pass prices by 31%. Though, theme park consultant Dennis Speigel predicted to the newspaper that “tourists will come, hell or high water.”


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Image via Walt Disney Co./LA Times

Beginning January 11, the date Star Wars construction will commence, permanent closures will include: Big Thunder BBQ, Big Thunder Jamboree, and Big Thunder. Temporary closures will be Disneyland Railroad, Tom Sawyer Island, Mark Twain Riverboat/Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Fantasmic.

The Star Wars expansion in Disneyland was announced during the D23 Expo alongside other attractions coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Said Disney CEO Bob Iger at the time:

We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.

According to the Disney Parks Blog, these two lands in California and Florida will have two signature attractions: helming the Millennium Falcon on a customizable secret mission and an adventure that puts fans in the middle of a battle.


Further expanding and capitalizing on the Star Wars universe is clearly a priority for the Mouse House. As the new owner of Lucasfilm, Disney is already rotating each year between releases of a Star Wars trilogy installment and a standalone anthology film. J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens only just debuted in theaters on December 18th, and it brought with it Season of The Force at Disneyland. It’s safe to say things have only just begun.

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