In our games of 2011, we mentioned the relationship that Star Wars has had in the Lego Universe. There are lots of different building sets based on the work of George Lucas, not to mention the numerous video games. The connection has been noted in Legoland California with themed days and costumed characters like stormtroopers and Obi-Wan. But up until now, the park has focused on real world objects, people and locations, all in exquisite detail and all made of the little plastic blocks and speciality pieces. That is all about to change on March 31. The 128 acre park, which is already in the midst of a large expansion that includes a water park, and several rides and exhibits, will unveil the Star Wars area in it’s Miniland section. Working closely with LucasFilms, the scenes will surely showcase the films with much precision and care.
Sharing the area of the park with the incredible reproductions of New York and Las Vegas, the tribute to the work of Lucas will feature six scenes in the new exhibit. Each diorama will feature a fully realized planet (or planets) representing what the designers felt were the most exciting and prominent scenes from the movie.
Since the first three movies were filled with a lot of one-on-one duels and major battle sequences, so too will be the prequel dioramas. Guests can expect to see Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan in their fight with Darth Maul, the epic war between the droid army and the Republic and finally the scene from Revenge of the Sith where Anakin and his mentor make their final stand against each other. There is even a glimpse of Chewbacca and the Wookie’s struggle on their home world of Kashyyyk.
The scenes based on the original Star Wars trilogy are far less battle oriented, though the designers couldn’t resist including the rebel’s attack on the power converters of the ice planet of Hoth. No doubt, it gave them a great opportunity to impress visitors with amazing Lego recreations of snow speeders, x-wings and AT-AT’s. Other scenes show Uncle Owen’s farm, Mos Eisley Spaceport, and the famed Cantina. In the last diorama, the focus is on the victory over the Empire on Endor, instead of the battle for the shield generator.
And there certainly won’t be any lack of characters in their appropriate scenes. It seems all the ones that we know, love and hate are all there include Luke, Leia, Han, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, C3PO, R2D2, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Anakin, Padme, Yoda, Count Dooku, Jango Fett and even Poggle the Lesser makes an appearance.
The ships and transports will have Legoland’s usual attention to detail and promise to be quite impressive. Highlights include the clone army’s turbo tank, the Imperial Shuttle that landed on Endor, various fighters, the Millenium Falcon, and many more.
To bring even more fun to the festivities, designers have created a way to make the Star Wars scenes come alive through animation, but with a human touch. When a kid or kid at heart pushes a button that will be available, it triggers the animation in the scene. This gives displays like the Cantina Band a wonderful interactivity.
With over 2000+ models, some rising as high as 6 feet, and over 1.5 million Lego pieces, this is going to be one major sight to behold, especially for the Star Wars fan and it all opens March 31st at the Carlsbad California park. Two other parks will also feature the attraction later on, but this is the first one to get it, so set your calendars and book your flights. Darth Vader awaits
