• DisneyExaminer
  • Posts
  • The first-ever Star Wars “hyper-reality” experience is coming to Disneyland and Disney World

The first-ever Star Wars “hyper-reality” experience is coming to Disneyland and Disney World

The mixed reality company, The Void, is taking its signature “hyper-reality” experiences and combining it with Lucasfilm to create a way for people to set inside the world that is Star Wars.

Being called Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, the new experience will be a combination of real, physical sets, wearable hardware, and virtual reality programming to put people into the middle of their own Star Wars story. The Void, which recently became the beneficiary of Disney’s startup business incubator program, is already known for blending the real and virtual worlds to create an experience like no other.

“At The VOID, we combine the magic of illusions, advanced technology and virtual reality to create fully immersive social experiences that take guests to new worlds,” said Curtis Hickman, co-founder and chief creative officer at The VOID. “A truly transformative experience is so much more than what you see with your eyes; it’s what you hear, feel, touch, and even smell. Through the power of The VOID, guests who step into ‘Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire’ won’t just see this world, they’ll know that they are part of this amazing story.”

As for the story you’ll get to play in with Secrets of the Empire, no details are being shared by The Void or Lucasfilm’s immersive entertainment division ILMxLAB. However, the concept art above teases some of what you’ll be able to experience. Lots of Star Wars’ famous droids (K-2SO?), stormtroopers, and environments are clearly shown.

“At ILMxLAB, we want people to step inside the worlds of our stories,” said Vicki Dobbs Beck, executive in charge of the division. “Through our collaboration with The VOID, we can make this happen as guests become active participants in an unfolding Star Wars adventure. By combining Lucasfilm’s storytelling expertise with cutting-edge imagery, and immersive sound from the team at Skywalker Sound, while invoking all the senses, we hope to truly transport all those who experience Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire to a galaxy far, far away.”

If this all sounds familiar, then you are catching on to what the Star Wars brand is increasingly becoming to people.

Riding the wave of excitement that’s coming for the Star Wars-themed lands that are coming to Disney’s theme parks in California and Florida, this virtual experience is at least priming interested people of what “total immersion” entertainment will mean once the theme park areas open.

No opening date has been announced for the Star Wars “hyper-reality” experiences, which will be put into two new “Experience Centers” created by The Void at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts in Downtown Disney and Disney Springs, respectively. Until that opening, you can check out a video of what the experience might look like in the below demo video.

Reply

or to participate.