Interesting news arrives via Fox News and former Walt Disney World VP Dan Cockerell, as he reveals how the decision to change Galaxy’s Edge from the familiar locale of Tatooine to the new world of Batuu came from Kathleen Kennedy and Bob Iger, and as he explains here there was a perfectly logical reason for that decision over a decade ago.
“We got a call one day. They said, ‘Well, we got some news for you all.’ And the Imagineering guys, they’ve heard this line many, many times during their careers. And I had never been through this.” “They said, ‘Well, yesterday Bob Iger met with Kathleen Kennedy, who as a lot people may know was sort of George Lucas’ protégé and headed up Lucasfilm. And they had a conversation. They had a meeting. And Kathleen Kennedy, her point of view was, there are way more Disney Star Wars stories ahead of us than behind us. So we really should think about do we want to build a Tatooine, and build what all the fifty-somethings remember Star Wars is or do we want to build something else which is going to appeal to all the upcoming generations who are going to know the new stories.’”
It must be said, this isn’t new news. Back in 2020, WDW Magic posted an article that looked at what Galaxy’s Edge could have been, with the park not only set on Tatooine, but occupying a different area of Hollywood Studios, located on Echo Lake taking over the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and more.
The WDW Radio interview also confirms that Kathleen Kennedy, the president of LucasFilm and protege of George Lucas, convinced Disney boss Bob Iger to switch the concept to the future stories, and not to use the original movies as the basis for the land.
There was then some surprise in early 2016 when it became clear that the land would actually be built on the Streets of America and the backlot.
Both the change of location and concept remain a controversial subject among fans. Many believe that Galaxy’s Edge would have been far more effective if it used familiar stories and characters, and that the aging Echo Lake area would have been a better location, leaving the backlot available for a huge Pixar land to feature Radiator Springs and the much-talked about Door-coaster concept from Monsters Inc. The WDW Radio interview also reveals that Dan Cockerell, who at that time was the VP of the park, convinced Disney to abandon the Monsters Inc. coaster in favor of more family friendly attractions with lower height requirements.
It’s easy a decade on to play Monday morning quarterback, but what do you think of that decision? Let us know, and we’ll discuss it on the 257th episode of Making Tracks, out next week.
