The biggest mistake Disney Imagineers made with Galaxy's Edge and how to fix it
By Brian Miller
As a Star Wars fan, visiting Galaxy's Edge is always a joy. The attention to detail takes you into a new world which is exactly what the Imagineers wanted when they designed it. Smuggler's Run may not be perfect but it is sill perfectly fun and Rise of the Resistance, when it is working, is also, well, blast.
The food and drinks are great even though they added a coffee shop to the Galaxy's Edge shopping district. Depending on the time of day, you can see Rey or Chewbacca walking around the Millenium Falcon. You will catch stormtroopers walking through the land all the time and then, Kylo Ren could appear as well.
All of this works but it is still just another land at Hollywood Studios. Even the fully immersive hotel that is closing shop for good delivered you into the stunning world of Star Wars but... There is always a but.
Something doesn't sit right. Something is missing. To get to GE you can either walk through Toy Story Land and come in the back pathway or you can enter through the main gateway arch at Grand Avenue.
This is where I take issue with GE and the lack of imagination by the Disney Imagineers.
There are four things to find at Grand Avenue. Muppet Vision 3D, PizzaRizzo, Mamam Melrose's Ristorante Italiano and the Baseline Tap House. What should be an area devoted to the Muppets falls short and most guests pass it by without giving it much thought...well, not really there is a bathroom over there.
Nothing immerses you more into a new "galaxy" than passing an old outdated Muppets venue, especially after you pass the AT AT's on Endor at Star Tours. Hey, Galaxy's Edge was ambish, I get it. I can relate. But it really wouldn't have taken more to fix it.
Let's dive in shall we? How could Disney change everything about Galaxy's Edge with a few simple changes. Well, they are not completely simple.