By Jim Frye
Cue composer John Williams’ most-famous fanfare, because there’s never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan. A wealth of new and future films, TV shows, fan events, and theme park attractions based on their favorite far-away galaxy is enough to make a Gundark giddy. These include the recently released blockbuster film Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands, scheduled to open in 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
But now, fans can step directly into the Star Wars universe with Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, a brand-new hyper-reality experience from ILMxLAB and The VOID, open now at Downtown Disney® District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and Disney Springs in Orlando. This groundbreaking, immersive hyper-reality experience pushes the boundaries of virtual reality further than it’s ever been.
“It’s like being in the movie,” says Cliff Plumer, CEO of The VOID, a recent participant in Disney’s Accelerator program. Specializing in hyper-reality environments, The VOID’s partnership with Lucasfilm’s ILMXLAB seemed like a natural fit. “When you enter Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, you’re in a scene you’ve only seen on the big screen, and you not only have a presence in this world, but you’re able to touch things and you’re able to smell things.” Guests might feel heat, they might feel cold, or they may smell burnt ashes—it’s all part of what The VOID calls hyper-reality, a multi-sensory approach to virtual reality technology.
Here’s how it works: In groups of four, guests enter the experience and are outfitted with the appropriate backpack and goggles before “stepping into” the world of Star Wars. They then move, roam, and interact with this new virtual world, while at the same time touching, feeling, and smelling the virtual environments.
“It creates more of a sense of presence than simply watching a movie or playing a video game,” Plumer says. “You’re ‘physically’ in this world. And then you can interact with iconic Star Wars characters.” Those characters include Alan Tudyk as K-2S0 and Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, from the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Both actors returned to voice the parts.
“For those of us at ILMxLAB, it was important to bring an authentic Star Wars story to life on the incredible technology platform The VOID is bringing to locations around the world,” says Mark Miller, ILMxLAB Executive Creative Producer. “Through this collaboration, our teams have been able not to just bring the galaxy to fans, but put them right inside of it, letting them truly be a part of the universe.”
Guests are part of a mission delivered by Captain Cassian Andor. Under orders of the budding rebellion, you and your friends will travel to the molten planet of Mustafar to recover Imperial intelligence vital to the rebellion’s survival. Alongside pragmatic droid K-2S0, your team must navigate through an enemy facility, walking into danger at every turn. Disguised as Stormtroopers, you’ll have a blaster, solve puzzles, and fight giant lava monsters.
“You’ll be able to smell Mustafar, and you’ll feel the heat coming off the lava fields,” Plumer says. “That’s what hyper-reality is like. You’ll freely move around these scenes, working as a team to accomplish your mission.”
“I’m not embarrassed to say that I’ve been a Star Wars geek since seeing the first film in 1977, and when I did, it changed my life,” says Plumer. “I went to film school and then got to work on Star Wars movies at Lucasfilm. I was an even an extra in one of the films. And I can say that when you’re in a Star Wars movie, there are lots of green screens and blue screens, but when you’re in Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, you’re in Star Wars—you’re in the world. For me, as a fan, it’s a dream come true.”
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire opens at Downtown Disney in Anaheim on January 5. It opened in Florida at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort in December. Find ticket information and more for Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire now at www.thevoid.com.
Watch the trailer here: