So it was official. The Imagineers and George Lucas were going to combine their talents to create some sort of “Star Wars” -based attraction for the Disney theme parks. In particular, an attraction that would make use of simulator technology.
But how does one actually go about doing something like that?
Well — as Lucas saw it — the very first thing that they had to determine was what the real limitations of Rediffusion’s motion-based platforms were. Which is why — in early 1985 — ILM art director Dave Carson found himself over in England, repeatedly riding one of Rediffusion’s simulators. As Carson tried to figure what sorts of stories could actually be told with this technology.
The test set-up that Dave found on this U.K. factory floor was admittedly crude. It basically amounted to a couple of chairs and a projection screen television that had been lashed to this open platform. And once Carson belted himself into one of the chairs, a Rediffusion techician slapped a tape in the VCR, fired up the PC. And then … Well, David was jerked back and forth for several minutes as footage of motorcycling racing, stunt flying and roller-coaster riding was shown.
Carson reportedly rode this thing for hours, as he tried to learn what Rediffusion simulator technology was really capable of. More importantly, what sorts of stories (if any) could be told using this equipment.
What David eventually learned was that strong visuals & good sound seemed to the real key to creating a compelling simulator experience. That — whenever Carson stared straight into the projection screen & forced himself to be as engrossed as possible in the film that was being shown — it really did feel like he was racing a motorcycle around the track and/or heading down a steep hill on a roller coaster. Whereas when David rode the Rediffusion platform with the sound turned down and/or the television turned off … All of the flaws of the simulator experience quickly became apparent.
What Carson came away with was the knowledge that … Well, while all the physical sensations that Rediffusion’s motion-based platform could recreate were admittedly impressive, the ultimate success of the simulator ride experience actually hinged on the visuals. Without a good strong ride-film that clearly showed where you were going (And — more importantly — what you were about to experience), the rider just felt like they were being (literally) jerked around.
So then Carson flew back to California and reported his findings to both Mr. Lucas and the Imagineers. Who were now deep into trying to decide what sort of “Star Wars”-based story they wanted to try & tell in the Disney theme parks.
Before they actually sat down with George for their first official story meeting on this project, the guys from WDI had already made a few key decisions. The most important one being that this new attraction (whatever it turned out to be) was going to be the replacement for Disneyland’s tired, old “Adventures thru Inner Space” attraction. So whatever it was that Lucas and the Imagineers came up with, it would then have to fit inside this originally-built-back-in-1955 Tomorrowland building.
Beyond that … Well, the Imagineers had blocked out some basic ideas about the physical set-up of the interior of the simulator cabin. That all the seats would face forward toward a giant projection screen. And that this screen would then serve as the stand-in for the spaceship’s windshield. Which would then allow all of the simulator’s passengers to see what their ship was about to encounter as it zoomed through the cosmos.
And — because it would probably get a little boring for the guests to just stare at one screen the whole time — the Imagineers also proposed putting two other smaller video screens toward the front of the cabin. Ideally one on the left and one on the right. So that they could then maybe get some sort of ping-pong effect going. With first one “Star Wars” character appearing on one of these smaller screens, commenting on the action. And then a second “Star Wars” character would pop up and comment on the first character’s comment … You get the idea.
The Imagineers also envisioned a moment in the attraction where Darth Vader would suddenly appear on one of the smaller screens. And — by using his ability to harness the dark side of the Force — this Dark Lord of the Sith could then attempt to pull our spaceship right out of the sky.
Thinking that Lucas would just love that idea, the guys from WDI pitched it to the “Star Wars” creator during their very first official story meeting in Glendale.
“No,” said George. “Absolutely not. No Darth Vader in this attraction.”
According to what I’ve heard, the Imagineers were somewhat stunned by how inflexible Lucas was on this issue. But — after George explained why he felt this Disneyland attraction had to be Darth Vader-free — the guys from WDI slowly began to understand where the “Star Wars” creator was coming from.
To explain: Lucas saw this proposed “Star Wars” attraction as sort of a natural progression on the three “Star Wars” films that he’d made up until then. So — seeing as Darth Vader had died and been redeemed at the end of 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” — that meant that the Imagineers couldn’t now resurrect this character and use him as the villain in this proposed Tomorrowland thrill ride.
No, the way George saw it, this new Disneyland attraction had to be specifically set in the time period immediately after “Return of the Jedi.” After the rebels had won, after the Empire had been defeated. Which meant that it would (in theory) now be okay for some intergalactic tour company to start up and begin taking tourists back out into space. Where these sightseers could then view where some of the more famous “Star Wars” battles occurred.
It was this sort of thinking on Lucas’ part that really impressed the Imagineers who were assigned to work on the “Star Wars” ride project. As in: How specific George was. That the “Star Wars” creator really wanted this Disneyland attraction to tell a story. Which is why it needed to be set in a specific place and time.
But — more importantly — Lucas brought the knowledge that he’s accumulated from almost 30 years of visiting Disney theme parks to the table. Which meant that he obviously knew how things typically went at a Disney theme park ride.
Which is why the Imagineers were delighted when George proposed some rather neat twists on the old Disney formulas. Like wouldn’t it be cool if … For the first few moments of this “Star Wars” attraction, we had the simulator deliberately move as if it’s just another ride vehicle that’s chugging along some track. That way, we lull the guests into a false sense of security. And then — 30 seconds in — when all hell starts breaking loose as the cabin starts pitching & yawing and … Well, that can be a fun surpise for our riders.
And — given that the “Star Wars” movies are famous for their robots (More importantly, given the Disney theme parks are also well known for their Audio Animatronic figures) — wouldn’t be cool if … Instead of just that big projection screen as well as those two little video screeners toward the front of the craft, that we had a robot up there. Someone who serve as the host of our “Star Wars” ride, interact with our guests as they cruised around the cosmos.
“But what sort of personality should our on-board pilot have?,” the Imagineers wondered. Given that they wanted to give guests a somewhat thrilling ride through the “Star Wars” universe, some of the guys at WDI proposed that this new character be called “Crazy Harry.” That he be modeled after some burned-out Vietnam veteran. You know, the type of guy who’d retire to Hawaii so that he could then give helicopter tours to the tourists? But — because of all the horrible experiences that he’d been through in the war — sometimes this character would do somewhat crazy things, unintentionally putting his passengers in peril.
That’s the way the Imagineers originally wanted to go with this attraction’s on-board pilot. Have this “Crazy Harry” character be some sort of crusty old veteran of the Clone Wars. A droid who really means well but — thanks to some bad wiring and/or short circuits — occasionally forgets where he is or what he’s supposed to be doing. And — as a result — he unintentionally puts his passengers in peril.
Even though the Imagineers eventually put a lot of effort into fleshing out the concept for the “Crazy Harry” character, George eventually pulled the plug on this version of the pilot. Why for? Well, to be honest, Lucas felt that this proposed new “Star Wars” character wasn’t all that sympathetic. More importantly, that “Crazy Harry” ‘s antics might actually frighten some of the passengers. Which then would make this proposed Tomorrowland attraction all that enjoyable for Disneyland guests.
No, the way Lucas saw it, the Imagineers needed to ditch a grizzled-old-veteran-of-the-Clone-Wars idea and go with a character that would be easier for theme park visitors to identify with. Someone like … A rookie. A brand-new pilot who still wasn’t quite sure how all the equipment in his spaceship worked yet. A character who did somewhat crazy things not because he was crazy. But — rather — because he was eager and young, somewhat inexperienced.
Ah, but who should they then get to voice this new “Star Wars” character? Come back on Monday, and I’ll tell you about how Billy Barty almost wound up piloting your StarSpeeder 3000.