Why Everyone Is Suddenly HATING on This Disney World Attraction

A lot of Disney fans have turned on this Disney World attraction… through no fault of its own.

The Star Wars Launch Bay exhibit, which took over the space that had once been the park’s working animation studio, is hailed by Disney as a place where guests can explore “immersive exhibits of costumes, models, concept artwork and actual movie props—as well as authentic replicas created just for Star Wars Launch Bay. Tour a Cantina and other settings inspired by the films, then share a furry embrace with Chewbacca, Han Solo’s trusty sidekick; go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader, the menacing Dark Lord of the Sith; and meet up with the astromech droid on duty—BB-8.”

When the Launch Bay first opened in 2015, it was popular thanks to being the first major Star Wars addition at Disney World since Disney had acquired Lucasfilm, and for housing the aforementioned meet & greets with characters like Chewbacca and Darth Vader. However, the the near decade since, its popularity has decreased considerably, and many are now desperate to see it removed. This comes down to two major reasons.

The first is that the Star Wars theming that felt so new and unique in 2015 feels much less interesting now that it’s in the same park as Galaxy’s Edge, a massive and intricately themed Star Wars land that frankly blows Launch Bay out of the water as far as a destination for Star Wars fans.

The second is an issue of space… no pun intended. While the entire initial selling point of Disney World was that the company would have more than enough space to build whatever the Imagineers could cook up, operational reality has often meant that for new additions to come to one of the resort’s theme parks, something has to go.

The last decade plus at Hollywood Studios alone has seen the park’s Streets of America (once the home of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, The Great Movie Ride, and the remnants of the Backlot Tour replaced by Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway, and Toy Story Land respectively. Meanwhile, the massive Animation Courtyard area has remained untouched, with the Launch Bay at one end and Disney Jr. Live on Stage at the other.

These feelings of frustration have barreled over for many fans with the recent announcements regarding Monsters Inc., the Muppets, and the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. In case you’ve been living under a Star Destroyer and missed Disney’s announcement of a major Hollywood Studios shuffle last year, here’s a quick recap:

The current Muppets Courtyard area (home to Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo) is going to be closed and bulldozed to make way for a new Monstropolis Land based on the Pixar film and headlined by the long-rumored “door coaster” based its climax. In turn, the Muppets are going to take over Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster with a Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem theme, evicting the Bad Boys of Boston themselves Aerosmith from the ride they’ve starred in since 1999.

All of these interlocking plans and the losses of Muppet*Vision and the original version of the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster have led many fans to question why the new Monstropolis area couldn’t be constructed in Animation Courtyard where the Launch Bay stands. That way the new area could still be built, the “classics” preserved, and the loss would be a negligibly popular exhibit.

While we’re not sure if that plan would even be remotely feasible form a construction or space stand pinpoint, it has – – fairly or not – – turned many fans from having apathy to outright dislike for the Star Wars Launch Bay’s continued presence in the park. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Hollywood Studios’ transformation.

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How do you feel about Launch Bay? Let us know in the comments below.