What is the Jedi Training Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Should Your Kid Do It?

Star Wars remains a popular series for people young and old around the world, and one especially inspiring icon for those adventures in a galaxy far, far away has always been the tales of the mystical Jedi knights. Even before buying the rights to Star Wars, Disney had hosted Star Wars attractions and events at its parks, most notably at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. And it’s in this Park that children have the chance to connect with the Jedi way through the Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple show.

What is the Jedi Training Academy?

Jedi Training Academy is a 20-minute show that regularly takes place at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World as well as in Disneyland Anaheim, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. At Hollywood Studios, the Jedi Training can be found at a stage close to the entrance to Star Tours, with a backdrop resembling a Jedi temple. The shows occur regularly throughout the day. Generally, the first show is at 9:40AM, and a new show starts every 40 minutes throughout the day and into the evening. You can check the specific times here or on the My Disney Experience app. Note: Disney sometimes cancels the shows due to poor weather like rain.

During Trials of the Temple, we meet a wide range of notable Star Wars characters played by cast members. They range from classic ones like Yoda and Darth Vader to TV characters like the Seventh Sisters to ones from Disney’s sequels like Kylo Ren. But the real stars are the kids who walk onto stage in Jedi robes and wield lightsabers. The exact theme of the show has varied over the years, but the current Trials of the Temple challenges the children to face and overcome their fears, as the Jedi temple tests them with “illusions” of infamous Sith villains (actually cast members playing the roles).

Who Can Be a Part of Jedi Training?

While everyone is welcome to be part of the audience – keep an eye out for shows when you pass by Star Tours – there are age restrictions on who can participate as Jedi trainees on stage. These young Jedi knights must be within the age range of 4 to 12 years old to take part in the Jedi tests. It’s also important to note that the participants must be present when they register, so make sure that your kids are with you when you sign them up for it. In addition, please make sure your children are responsible and can follow the instructions to perform in the show.

How Do You Register for Jedi Training?

Unlike FastPass attractions and other shows at Walt Disney World, you cannot actually reserve your kids in the daily Jedi Training ahead of time. You will have to sign up before showtime on the day of the shows at Hollywood Studios. Registration takes place by the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost, which is next to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and near 50’s Prime Time Café. You should find a sign for Jedi Training, along with indication on whether or not training spots are still available.

As soon as Hollywood Studios opens, you can register for a Jedi Training show that day, once you are at the registration booth. There is only limited availability for young Jedi knights in each show, and selection is on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, if you want your kids to be a part of the experience, you should be at Hollywood Studios when the park opens and sign them up first thing. Also, don’t forget that the children you want to register must be present when you complete the registration, so don’t let them wander off.

How Do You Start the Experience?

After you register your kids for a Jedi Training show, you will receive a printed ticket that includes the showtime. The ticket is essential to participate in the show, so please keep a close watch on your ticket(s). You’ll need to return to the registration area by the sign for the kids to go backstage prior to the start of the show. Make sure you are present at the sign at least 30 minutes before the official showtime, or else your children might lose their spots in the show.

While adults cannot follow their children into the changing area, they can still hang around the ropes. Then, right before the show starts, the kids will march back out of the dressing area with their new Jedi outfits. As they head up to the temple stage, parents and/or guardians can walk beside them, letting you share in the experience. As you follow your child to the stage, a PhotoPass photographer will hand you a card for the pictures taken of the event. After the kids step onto the stage, you can go and watch in the audience; if there are multiple adults in your party, it might be good if one of them saves you a good viewing spot to watch the performance.

Stand-By Back-Up

If your family doesn’t reserve a spot in a Jedi Training show in time, there is one more chance to potentially get in for the day. In the case that a scheduled Jedi knight doesn’t show up on time, kids waiting in standby are sometimes selected to fill in the missing slots. That said, you will have to wait by the Jedi Training sign before the show to see if somebody doesn’t show up.

Also, even if you don’t get a spot reserved for direct participation in Trials of the Temple, you can still have lots of fun just by watching the show with the rest of the audience.

PhotoPass Fun

Not only will your children have fun playing the role of Jedi on stage, but you can capture those memories in pictures with the PhotoPass. A couple of cast members taking photographs during the Jedi Training show, and you can pick up a PhotoPass card from the photographers to access the pictures on your account. Just remember that the cast members were taking photos of the show in general, so some pictures may focus on other children and characters rather than your own kids.

While you can pick and pay for which photos in your PhotoPass collection you want to download and keep, Disney also offers a couple of ways for you to download as many as you want. Memory Maker, costing $169 for an advance order, allows unlimited digital downloads of your PhotoPass pictures. If you have are an annual passholder, you can download unlimited photos from PhotoPass for free. To make use of the free downloads as an annual passholder, link your annual pass to your Disney account; you can then view the pictures on the My Disney Experience app and on the Photos & Videos webpage.

Getting Your Own Jedi Gear

While kids unfortunately can’t take home the Jedi hoods and lightsabers they use in Jedi Training, they can still buy similar robes, lightsabers, and more at the multiple Star Wars-themed shops found throughout Hollywood Studios. In particular, Tatooine Traders is not far from the Jedi Training stage; Star Tours also drops you off in the store after the ride. Tatooine Traders even has a special area for building your personal lightsaber from scratch. If you plan to do a lot else during the day, you might want to wait to make the lightsaber until near the end, as the line can be long and the lightsaber can be bulky to carry around.

And there are plenty of other Star Wars shops in the Galaxy’s Edge area. Savi’s Workshop, for instance, also lets you create personalized lightsabers, with different parts to choose from and multiple stages in the building process. Please note that you should reserve lightsaber making ahead of time. Similarly, the Droid Depot lets you construct a droid robot using miscellaneous parts from a conveyor belt. Other shops like Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities provide even more Star Wars merchandise. In addition, Launch Bay Cargo, located in the park’s Animation Courtyard area, sells Star Wars autographs, movie prop replicas, sculptures, and more; don’t forget to also check out the adjacent Launch Bay, which the films’ art, costumes, and more.

Other Tips for Jedi Training

If possible, you should pick a showtime for when the weather is relatively cool, as there is little shade to provide relief from the sun; this likely means early in the morning or in the evening. Whatever the case, bring plenty of water and sunscreen just in case. And you should check on what the weather will be ahead of time, since the shows can be cancelled if there is rain or other inclement weather.

So the answer to the question of if your kid should do Jedi Training is yes, definitely, if your child is interested! As long as your child is within the required age range, Trials of the Temple is a great opportunity for a magical and immersive Star Wars experience. Just make sure to keep the various tips above in mind, and you and your family will have a great time mastering the Force.

Which Jedi character is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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