Disney’s D23 Expo kicked off tonight and io9's Germain Lussier was among the first to lay eyes on a detailed diorama—which attendees could only observe from a distance of three feet away—revealing what the Star Wars Land theme parks will look like when they open in 2019.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek called the attractions “immersive new worlds,” and you can really see how that’s going to be the case, just looking at these photos. Chapek will reveal more about the new parks, opening in both Florida and California, during another presentation at D23 on Saturday. But for now... get a look at these incredible images from Germain.
And finally, here’s a close-up look at the ship park visitors will be in for one of the rides, followed by a close-up of one of the structures.
Germain will have a whole lot more from D23, which runs through Sunday, so keep checking back.
Update: Here are a ton of additional photos. First, from the official Star Wars photographer.
And there, here are even more, from Germain, as he took photos from left to right. Basically you can enter at one of three places, but from left to right, you come in through the woods, encounter some ships and the first right (the First Order vs. Resistance ride), then go into town, with a ton of buildings for shops, shows and food, and in the back right corner is the other ride, the Millennium Falcon.
Update 7/14: And now we have official video of the model:
Update 7/15: And another, longer video now: