Never Tell Me The Odds! (7/16 Backlot)

[thecapells]

Fighting a Dark Lord of the Sith makes you hungry.
So we decided to try someplace new for us – Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner.
I’ve seen this place all the time but we’ve never stopped by.
And the food was not your usual fare.


DS had a pretzel hot dog and was a bit freaked out by the presentation of it.
It was okay though.


I went with the French bread sausage and peppers which was not bad.
Sorry for the blurry picture.


And we beat the heat with a frozen lemonade.
Not the best counter service, but a nice quick one for a meal on the go.
Then we headed over to Hollywood Boulevard for the impending invasion.
The place was packed.
Since it was only two of us, we were able to find a place on the sunny side of the road.
So besides dripping sweat, we got to watch a fun parade.
Here comes Mickey to start it off flying in an X-Wing!










Then the invasion began.
The Imperial 501st Florida Garrison marched into the park.
There were so many battalions of troopers – they just kept coming.
Bounty Hunters, elite troopers, and scores of others.
It looked AWESOME!




















Even female Tusken Raiders with babies in tow!
How cuuuute…

 

[thecapells]

Behind them came the Good Guys!
The Rebel Alliance had arrived!!!






















Then the “Legends of the Force”
Ray Park (Darth Maul), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Tom Kane (voice of Yoda on the Clone Wars), and hosts Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka)















Female bounty hunters came next.
Too bad they all looked the wrong way…







And the finale was the Dark Lord of the Sith himself with an armed guard of Stormtroopers and Boba Fett.
Feel free to start singing the Imperial March theme now.








It was a fun experience but very hot.
What’s next in our weekend a long time ago, and far, far away?
Stay tuned!

 

[dawnbu40]

The parade looks awesome! Thanks for sharing all the pictures

 

[thecapells]

The parade looks awesome! Thanks for sharing all the pictures

It is definitely alot of fun and a "must do" at Star Wars Weekends.
Just having that many characters in one place was awesome!

 

[thecapells]

Next up, we decided to try the Backlot Tour.
I remember this when it was a 4-hour tram and walking tour complete with sound studios and the Animation Buildings.
Now, a former shell of itself, it’s a much different experience.
But DS wanted to give it a try.


First up – the water tank where we see two people get pummeled with water.
However, for some reason, no volunteers were selected.
They performed the scene without volunteers which was very disappointing.
And then they quickly moved on the water attack.










Then we were ushered into the prop shop which serves a queue for the trams.
Inside I saw one awesome little hidden gem.
The cab that Beauregard drove in the Great Muppet Caper!
Very cool find!


Along the tram tour, we saw some other cool props and landmarks as well.
One of the skeleton cages from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.



The original icon of Disney-MGM Studios – The EARFul Tower.
At least, the topiary version of it...



The halves of Herbie The Love Bug that were, until recently, used in Lights! Motor! Action!



Finally we arrived in Catastrophe Canyon.
DS really liked this part.
I decided to try the continuous shot feature on my camera.
Hold on everyone!






















On the way back, we saw some other cool props.
The Snowspeeder from Empire Strikes Back, the sail barge from Return of the Jedi, and the spaceship from Flight of the Navigator!


And then Herbie again – this time from Going Bananas!

 

[thecapells]

The ride ended with a new exhibit – Villains – Movie Characters You Love to Hate!


Of course, there were lots of Star Wars Villains.


The chariot and props of the White Queen from the Chronicles of Narnia.


But the highlight was Davey Jones’ organ from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.




The tram ride props were fun and the Villains area was neat but this ride is a shell of its former glory.
And not even any volunteers?
I was very disappointed.
But, this was Star Wars Weekends, and it was time to get back to a galaxy far, far away!
So program your R2 units to the nearest spaceport and blast into hyperspace!
We’ll see you at our next destination!