Star Wars Weekend Trip Report--updated with new pictures from Sunday May 21st!

[Belle Amy]

Amazing.

A. Ma. Zing.

Better than last year.

Thats right. Star Wars Weekends 2006. We were there, bright and early. Along with hundreds of other diehard fans. We walked in with two very well dressed Jedi's. With sunglasses.

Walking up to the turnstyles, the lines were already at least 10 people long. Costumes abounded. Little Vaders attempted to rule the Empire.

This rebel pilot seemed particularly heroic.

But not to be outdone, this little Leia made sure to drool on her dad for good measure.

This, was the cutest costume of the day. If this is your child, I'm sorry I took so many pictures, but she was ADORABLE!

We arrived at 8am. At 8:45, four stormtroopers began their ascent up, onto the roof, for their yearly ritual of making fun of tourists.

After some witty Star Wars puns, we were allowed to enter through the turnstyles, and fortunately didn't have to do the finger scan. People jogged down main street, only to get stopped again.

Be sure to look up on the top of the buildings as you walk. A random Clone Trooper looked down on us.

At Keystone Clothiers (which is still under refurbishment), you made the decision to make a left to get your fast passes, or straight to go directly to merchandise. The guest celebrities are only made available if you have fast passes. We did not opt to get them and went straight ahead.

Areas were roped off before the hat, and off to the side, next to Starring Rolls and Brown Derby. We waited another 10 minutes and were escorted back to Mickey Avenue.

This year, to battle the always present crowds at Tatooine Traders, the limited edition merchandise and official weekend merchandise was only available in two locations.

On the way to merchandise.

Wickets Warehouse, on Mickey Avenue, only contained the limited edition stuff. They converted the soundstage next to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire into a merchandise heaven. There was a general area for the weekends merch, and a line for the limited edition. To cut down on time, CM's handed out order forms that you could check out what was available, make notation of and hand to the CM's at the counter. We also skipped this until later in the afternoon when the lines went down. Everything was still available at around 3pm when we finally made our way in.

Inside the warehouse is a 3/4th scale model of an X-Wing, in front of a green screen. You can get your picture taken with it and have the backround changed to your liking.

Some other pictures of inside the warehouse.

Cardboard cutouts of characters.

Jedi video game.

The other shop featuring Star Wars Weekends merch, but NOT limited edition stuff, was next to Sounds Dangerous.

Up next, back to the main drag and the characters!!

 

[Belle Amy]

We were the first in line to get our pictures taken with Vader. This year, Vader is HUGE. Last year he was about the same size as Brian, he even tried to stand up taller and straighter when Brian walked up to him. This year, the guy was massive. Broad chested, probably 4 or 5 inches taller than Brian's 6'2" stature. Very imposing.

Aura Sing snuck up behind the crowd waiting to buy merchandise.

Other characters hanging around...

Boba didn't even make it to his section before people started taking pics with him....in front of Little Einsteins trailer....kinda took away from the ambiance.

We stood in line for WWTBAM - Star Wars Edition, the 10:00am show, and were the first to enter the stage. During their trial camera runs, we were on the big screen for what seemed like hours.

There were two chairs in the hot seat and we wondered who could possibly be helping.

When the show started and more witty Star Wars puns were made, the host, Kevin, came out and officially announce that during the first show, Warwick Davis would be helping the person in the hot seat.

Warwick Davis is charasmatic and charming. He was witty and very enjoyable. And he was the official host of Star Wars Weekends. Not only would he be appearing to sign autographs, but he would have his own talk show in which he interviews the weekends celebrities, and also hosts the Tatooine Trivia Trials.

For Millionaire, the first player that got up from fastest finger was a lady who claimed she was not a Star Wars fan....She used Warwick's advice for every question, and on 32,000 points, she answered incorrectly.

Next up was a 15 year old from Florida. He was very nervous, but worked his way through the questions quickly, using only one lifeline at 125,000.

He made it look easy. Before the million point question, the host wished him well and the crowd showed their support.

As the question was read, he started shaking his head.

"Well, I just won a million, the answer is A, final answer."

The host went nuts, the sky exploded with confetti and streamers. We just witnessed our first million point winner and it was during Star Wars Weekends. This would be one of the best moments of the day.

The million point question? What opera did Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin watch? Answer. Squid Lake.
Store that away in your memory banks. Might win you something someday!

I neglected to take any pictures of the Millionaire show once it was started, because I actually payed attention to the rules. Other people snapped away when Warwick Davis came out. Them pictures are against the rules!

Celebrities signing...

Characters over by rebel base....

Next we positioned ourselves for the parade. We were hopeful to see the 501st and we weren't let down!

Up next, loads of parade pictures...

 

[fran99999]

WOW great report and pics.

I cant wait until tomorrow. I am waiting for limo now to wisk me away

 

[Belle Amy]

First up, Jedi Mickey!

Followed by younglings.

Then our beloved 501st.

501st does not appear every weekend, only during the opening weekend and the fan club weekend.

When Rick McCallum went by, Brian raised his beer and cheersed him. This is the picture that resulted. We made Mr. McCallum laugh. Ha!

One of my favorite pictures.

Jango busting a move. Apparently.

Warrick Davis

Next we hopped back into WWTBAM for the second Star Wars Edition, where no one won a million. Boo.
This show, Warwick Davis was not able to attend because of his very hectic schedule. He was EVERYWHERE.
Instead, R2-D2 was the "returning guest" from the last show. This part seemed to drag more than last years Jawa. Perhaps it wasn't as well practiced, but we were glad when this was over. Lots of pauses, lack of laughter.

We ended up on screen AGAIN.

After this show we grabbed some lunch at 50's Prime Time. (we sat at the bar and were served within 15 minutes)

Then it was off to Warwick Davis's talk show.

 

[Belle Amy]

Walking over to the show we ran into some Bith.

The pre-show to this was amazing. Stormtroopers helped shuffle people into the theater and provided many a laugh during the 15 minutes before the show.

The stage.

Warwick Davis was funny as always, with some well placed jokes, and funny video clips from years ago.

Warrick Davis trying to convince Rick McCallum to cast him as Indiana Davis, as Harrison Ford is getting a little old.

Then it was on to question and answers, which there was only time for 3 previous selected members of the audience. The most important question was Rick McCallum's involvement in the Star Wars TV show, and he confirmed that it is on George Lucas' mind, and they hope to have more of a grasp on it in 2008. They are currently meeting with writers and other important production members to get the ball rolling. Exciting stuff.

After the talk show, I made a stop in the bathroom next to the radio station. While I was in there, Rick McCallum came out of a back door and Brian had a chance to shake his hand and talk with him for a second. Color me jealous.

After his chance encounter, we checked out the merchandise, as stated before. It was around 3, and the line was still pretty long, although not as gigantic as the morning crowd, but we didn't want to miss the Tatooine Trivia Trials.

We noticed that they had some of the hand drawn Jedi Mickey pictures in the Warehouse, but decided to go to the Art of Disney to see if they still had them there. We found one to our liking and when we were checking out were told that we could take it to one of the artists to personalize. The artist in that building was not there, but there was another location, in the jewelry store on Hollywood Blvd. that might have an artist available.

First we went to the Tatooine Trivia Trials. About 50 people were on stage waiting for the show to start. Warwick Davis was announced as the host and the game was off. Because this was the first day, the Audio/Video Crew were having some technical issues, mostly with hitting their cues, but Mr. Davis worked around that well, making jokes during the mistakes and keeping the audience entertained.

After eliminating all but three players, it was the final round. Last year, this round went for quite some time, but this year it only took one question to determine 1st place.

What color are Jabba the Hutt's eyes?

Answer? Orange.

The winners determined, the show was over. Questions seemed quite a bit easier this year and prizes still were not announced.

After the trivia trials, we went off to the Jewelry store on Hollywood to get our Jedi Mickey personalized. Jason was our artist and he was a big Star Wars fan. He told us that Disney has a news show just for Cast Members, and that this morning they did a broadcast about Star Wars Weekends. He dressed up as George Lucas (greying his hair and wearing a beard) and walked around interviewing people. At one point Rick McCallum came up and started talking to him as though he really was George Lucas, which was all caught on tape. I'd love to see it.

"That's why my hair is so grey. I'm not this grey normally." Jason explained. "I've been telling people that I'm part of the Taylor Hicks fan club. Soul Patrol!" We died of laughter.

Jason finished up our picture, so it said Star Wars Weekends 2006. We had also bought a Jedi Mickey pin and had plans to have them framed together.

And that was our day at MGM. We didn't stick around for the Hyperspace Hoopla, but had an amazing time none the less. We'll be back Sunday to get fast passes to have our picture taken with Rick McCallum. We're also excited to come back each weekend, as each talk show with Warwick Davis will be different as he has different characters.

All in all, this year exceeded our expectations. I'm glad they found a better solution to the limited edition merchandise because Tatooine Traders is just too cramped to hold that many people. The warehouse they've set up is spacious and has a lot of interesting things for the kids to enjoy while the parents stand in line.

Warwick Davis is amazing, I'll never stop singing his praises, and I'm glad they made him the host of the weekend.

Characters were plentiful as always, and the lines to get your picture with them were well placed, better than last year.

Our only complaint is the logo for this year. It's too busy, has so many characters, and more importantly, Yoda and Vader are battling in the center of it. Any Star Wars fan knows this never happened. So there.

 

[hucifer]

Hey Amy! I enjoyed your report and I loved all the pics...must have taken you forever to download all those puppies.

I've never been there on a Star Wars weekend. Then again, I'm not one to have a Star Wars-themed wedding, either!

 

[heaven2dc]

Absolutely absolutely LOVED your pics!! Thanx so much for sharing - a true Star War fans at heart! (he's sooo tall, dark & handsome)

 

[Darkrobe]

Wow! That was awesome, thanks for the report with pictures!
I wish I could have been there for SW Weekends this year to be in the parade and with the crowds, it sure looks awesome! I'm a member of the 501st Badlands Squadron (www.badlands.ca) and it just didn't pan out to go to Disney unfortunately, though Timon had it all planned in two days or less.
Darn money!
BTW: Thanks for posting the SW Trivia, those are awesome questions, you really have to be a fan to know those.
Keep up the posts and have a blast for Timon & I!

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks, Belle Amy !!!! Looks like we'll have to add the talk show to our 'plan of attack' - and also the pics with the Xwing in front of the green screen !!!
Can't wait to hear how it goes on sunday !

 

[Been_2_Disney]

My family just missed Star Wars Weekend. Too bad, my brother would have gotten a kick out of it. Little Jedi

 

[skiingwife]

Thanks for the awesome post! Can you think of anymore WWTBAM questions?

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Excellent Trip Report from Star Wars Weekends. We'll be there for the last day, I only hope we don't regret going to the Studios that Sunday (6/11) and find ourselves fighting the crowds. You're pics gave me a really good idea of what we can expect as far as character appearances and the parade.

 

[cherokeemamma]

Hi Belle Amy,
Your TR is great and the pictures are awesome!!!! Thanks for posting. My DS11 loved them - he is a Star Wars NUT!!! We all are dying to know what did the kid win at WWTBAM?
Looks like your trip really was AMAZING!

 

[MickeyVader]

Great post and wonderful information. I am extremely jealous because my wife and I are huge Star Wars fans but we can never go to the weekends because I teach until June. Administration tends to frown on taking a couple days off right before the end of school. Keep the stories and pictures coming!!

PS I very much enjoyed your "Drinking Around the World" recap.

 

[stich626]

I cannot wait to go. I'll be there ine June. I was happy to see the pics of Kit Fisto!!! He's my fave!!!!

 

[Belle Amy]

Thanks for all the great words, everyone!!

Hucifer -- yes, I know, sometimes I am ashamed of how dorky I am...but I can't be ashamed of Star Wars...so it evens out.

The pics took forever. I was actually late to my FSIL's softball game because it took me so long. She forgave me.

I am honored that the great Hucifer took the time to check out my report, I've been reading your new report and loving it!

Darkrobe -- Brian is SO jealous about you being in the 501st. It is his goal to be in it by next year so he can march in the parade! All he said the entire time was, "I wanna be that guy." He has stormtrooper envy. He's also checking out Han's outfit for next year. I think he wants a different costume each weekend!

Sorry to hear you and Timon couldn't make it, but I know you guys have certain circumstances.....congrats on the baby!!! I've been reading Timon's reports for a while and love them!

bjakmom -- The talk show is fantastic. Warrick Davis is my new hero.

cherokeemamma -- Like the normal WWTBAM, he won the 4 day cruise, along with a special edition diecast version of Vader's Tie Fighter. It was amazing.

We will be back tomorrow to get any pictures that we missed, I'll be sure to upload them. We're also going to have our Canon Rebel camera so the pics will be better quality.

 

[XantheFan]

Thanks for the report! We are going the last week in June and counting down the days. In fact husband and son and watching episode III (again) as I am typing.

Where did you all stand for the parade? The pics were great! Looks like you all had a prime view.

14 days and counting!

 

[sodaseller]

Was the "One Man Star Wars Trilogy" being performed? We saw the show in November and Charles Ross said things looked good, but I have seen no mention of it?

 

[Belle Amy]

xanthefan -- we were in front of Min and Bills Dockside Diner and Keystone Clothiers, just as the parade turns the corner in front of the hat. I liked that I got the hat in the backround of some of the pics.

sodaseller -- Does it make me less of a Star Wars fan if I admit that I have no idea what that is? I didn't see a thing about it at SWW, perhaps it's only during certain weekends like the 501st.

 

[sodaseller]

sodaseller -- Does it make me less of a Star Wars fan if I admit that I have no idea what that is? I didn't see a thing about it at SWW, perhaps it's only during certain weekends like the 501st.

Great show - he has not been at prior SWW, but said he was talking to Disney this year. He has performed for the convention (forget the name) before GL

Linl
Here's a review:
Link

Without the use of props - or any other actors - Mr. Ross sings John Williams's theme music, mimes the crawling yellow text at the beginning of each episode, replicates the sound effects of whooshing X-Wing Starfighters, and impersonates all the characters, even minor ones such as Admiral Akbar, the tunic-wearing squid-like creature that makes Jabba the Hut look like a pretty boy. Improbable as it may sound, Ross accomplishes the whole thing in 58 minutes

Word eventually reached the offices of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. That led to an invitation from Lucasfilm to appear at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con, the mecca of science-fiction conventions.

When Ross finished performing, his elbow- and kneepads thoroughly scuffed and black clothes drenched in sweat, the 3,000 sci-fi fans in the audience stood up and cheered like braying Wookiees.

Ross hasn't looked back since.


The repeat viewings (current tally: 474) paid off. Ross, a professional actor who had spent years working with theater groups across Canada, knew how to mimic all the voices in "Star Wars" - as well as the fluorescent hum of a lightsaber - when he set about adapting the trilogy for stage. Ross and director T.J. Dawe then devised ways to physically represent each character so that the audience knows who they're watching at any moment. At times, Ross seems to fully embody the roles he's playing; at other times, he relies on a simple gesture as a shorthand. Leia's infamous bun hairstyle, for example, is represented by hands cupped around the ears. The actor isn't afraid to editorialize, either - Obi Wan's nose does a Pinocchio every time he talks about how Luke's father died.