A peek at Disney's new "Star Wars" lands

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After announcing last year that it would add Star Wars-themed attractions to several of its theme parks, The Walt Disney Company (DIS) has released artist renderings to give visitors a taste of what they can expect. 

The company plans to open the Star Wars lands at California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Walt Disney World in 2019, CEO Bob Iger said on Wednesday.

The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, will feature “a never-before-seen planet in the Star Wars galaxy,” according to the company. The 14-acre exhibit is set to be the largest single-themed expansion at the Disneyland Resort, the company has said.

An artist’s rendering shows the space port on a new planet in the Star Wars galaxy that is set to be part of the Disneyland Resort expansion in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks/Lucasfilm
An artist rendering of Star Wars-themed lands, opening at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, in 2019. Disney Parks
An artist rendering of Star Wars-themed lands provided by Disney. The land will feature two signature attractions, including “an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle,” the company said. Disney Parks

Visitors will be able to take a ride on one of the best-known ships in the Star Wars Universe, the Millennium Falcon, the company said.

An artist rendering shows a night view at the planned Star Wars-themed lands that are set to open in 2019 at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. Disney Parks

Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the studio that produces the “Star Wars” franchise, for $4 billion in 2012 and almost immediately started work a new series of films and merchandise. The company earned an estimated $500 million from sales of Star Wars toys in 2015, according to one analyst. 

The last film in the series, “Rogue One,” opened in December. The next installment, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” is scheduled to open in December of this year, Iger said in a conference call to discuss Disney’s latest earnings.  

A daytime view of Star Wars-themed lands opening at Disneyland and Disney World in 2019. Disney Parks

The company on Wednesday reported net income of $2.48 billion for its fiscal first-quarter on revenue of $14.78 billion. That’s down from income of $2.88 billion and revenue of $15.24 billion at the same time one year before. 

“Star Wars” isn’t the only movie Disney is drawing on as inspiration for new attractions. Iger also announced that on May 27 the company will open “Pandora - The World of Avatar,” based on the 2009 film, at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. 

“Our Imagineers have brought the breathtaking world of Pandora to life through astonishing feats of artistic genius and groundbreaking engineering,” he said.

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