Design: Disney Imagineers create Star Wars pop-up restaurant for Disney World Florida
by Tom Anstey | 08 May 2015
A Star Wars-themed pop-up lounge and restaurant will make its debut at Disney World in Orlando on 15 May, with the restaurant being open at the resort’s Hollywood Studios through May and June.
Announced on 4 May (In line with the internet-popular ‘May the 4th be with you’), the new restaurant, will be called Rebel Hangar: A Star Wars Lounge Experience and feature a full menu of Star Wars-themed food and drink, including such delights as Lightsaber Bites, Yoda Key Lime Cake and the Dark Side alcoholic cocktail.
The restaurant comes with full Star Wars theming, designed as an immersive environment based on an underworld intergalactic hangout home to rebel pilots, aliens, bounty hunters and smugglers.
Design concept and implementation is by the Disney Imagineers.
The lounge will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm till 9pm during Disney World’s Star Wars Weekends, which take place from 15 May to 14 June.
BACKGROUNDDisney’s share value jumped US$2bn (€1.85bn, £1.33bn) following the release of the teaser trailer for upcoming movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, promising huge value in the the IP’s relaunch and upcoming attractions.
The two-minute clip, which sent the internet into a spin with a glimpse of returning characters Han Solo and Chewbacca, was released to the public on 16 April as part of a four-day Star Wars celebration event taking place in Anaheim, California.
The trailer offers a throwback to the previous Star Wars films – with a Luke Skywalker monologue, shot of Darth Vader’s destroyed helmet, an army of Storm Troopers and a crashed Star Destroyer – also providing a first look at the new characters set to be part of the franchise.
Disney purchased production company Lucasfilm and the Star Wars brand in 2012 for US$4bn (€3.7bn, £2.7bn). Speaking in December, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that a raft of new attractions coming to Disney’s theme parks would be based on the new sequels and any subsequent spin-offs, not the older films in the George Lucas franchise. At the time, Disney temporarily halted development on the as-of-yet unannounced attractions so as to make them as close in detail to the new films as possible.
Following the trailer’s release, stock in Walt Disney went into overdrive, reaching a high of US$108.30 (€100.49, £72.35) a share – representing a near US$2bn jump in value. The film will be released on 18 December and is predicted to be a box-office smash.
Credit: Disney
Credit: Disney
Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt and Yoda cupcakes will be available across the park Credit: Disney
Darth Maul Hummus is one of the many items available on the Star Wars-themed menu Credit: Disney
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A Star Wars-themed pop-up lounge and restaurant will make its debut at Disney World in Orlando on 15 May, with the restaurant being open at the resort’s Hollywood Studios through May and June. Announced on 4 May (In line with the internet-popular ‘May the 4th be with you’), the new restaurant, will be called Rebel Hangar: A Star Wars Lounge Experience and feature a full menu of Star Wars -themed
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
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