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Disneyland to close attractions to clear path for Star Wars-themed park
An artist rendering of Disney's Star Wars theme park. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, December 30, 2015.A total of 10 attractions and eateries will face the chopping block at Disneyland in Anaheim, California to make way for the new Star Wars-themed space.
Starting January 10, attractions like Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland, Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue, Big Thunder Ranch petting zoo and Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree will be dismantled permanently as part of Disney's plans to bring a Star Wars land to the park, reports The Los Angeles Times.
At a fan club expo back in August, Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced plans to build Star Wars-themed lands at both the Anaheim and Orlando parks.
At 14 acres, the space will mark the largest single themed land expansion at both sites and include everything from a replica of the Millennium Falcon, a simulated battle experience and a never-before-seen planet in a galaxy far, far away.
To accommodate the new theme park, other attractions on the Rivers of America – namely Fantasmic, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, the Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, the Disneyland Railroad and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes – will also close temporarily.
In total, 14% of Disneyland's attractions will be closed temporarily or permanently.
The closures could ruffle a few visitor feathers, however, given that Disney hiked the price of their annual passes by as much as 31%, notes the LA Times.
Meanwhile, to fete the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", Disneyland Resort opened the Star Wars Season of the Force, a temporary, interactive space that includes a Launch Bay with video games, life-sized replicas of iconic artefacts and memorabilia; a rejigged Space Mountain that simulates a battle between Rebel X-wings and Imperial TIE fighters; and 3D tours of different Star Wars planets and destinations.
The Star Wars Season of the Force runs until January and will serve as a taste of what's to come when the new permanent attraction opens.
An opening date has not been announced. – AFP/Relaxnews, December 30, 2015.
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