Did You Know George Lucas Had a Hand in these Five Disney Attractions?!

We’re not just blowing smoke when we say that George Lucas is one of the most influential filmmakers of our time. Since his early days on THX 1138 all the way through developing the prequel films to his popular Star Wars franchise, Lucas has pushed the cinematic envelopes of storytelling, special effects, and how movies are made.

Lucas’ ideas for a galaxy far, far away have gone on to become the inspiration for the immersive Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but did you know that the filmmaker has actually worked with Disney before on several attractions?

Here are five Disney Parks attractions that George Lucas has helped bring to life that you probably didn’t know!

Captain EO

Lucas and Disney’s collaboration actually begins before Star Tours was even a thing (don’t worry, we’ll get to it) with an idea for an intergalactic dance party starring the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson. Captain EO would tell the story of the titular captain as he tries to bring love and harmony back to a devastated planet through song and dance. Yep, this really happened.

George Lucas wrote and executive produced the film while his long-time buddy Francis Ford Coppola directed. Michael Jackson, of course, performed two new original songs during the 17-minute adventure. The movie also made full use of 3D technology and in-house effects to simulate laser blasts, asteroids, and smoke.

At the time, Captain EO was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis, eventually totaling $30 million. While the show would be replaced by Honey, I Shrunk The Audience at both Disneyland and EPCOT, it would eventually return for a victory lap following Michael Jackson’s death.

Star Tours

Of course, this was only the start of a beautiful collaboration between George Lucas and Disney. The Mouse had an idea for a simulator-style attraction and thought that Lucas’ own Star Wars would make for the perfect inspiration. Enter Star Tours!

Lucas worked on the story, and his special effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic constructed the ride film that would take guests on a rather eventful trip to the forest moon of Endor. The experience of flying through a climatic battle between the Rebels and the Galactic Empire would prove to be so popular that Star Tours received an upgrade in 2011, and the bumbling Captain RX-24 (or Rex) has picked up a new career as a DJ at Oga’s Cantina.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

George Lucas is known not only for creating the universe of Star Wars but also a certain intrepid archaeologist by the name of Indiana Jones. After successfully bringing Star Wars to the Parks, Disney set their sights on Lucas’ other beloved IP by opening the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney-MGM Studios) in 1989.

Executive produced by Lucas, the show features a look at the art of stunt work using popular scenes from the first entry in the franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The show was also the first attraction to use a computer-based show control system in conjunction with a custom made programmable logic controller system to control the effects, continuing George’s trend of pushing the technological landscape to new heights.

ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

You’ve probably heard tales of the not-so-safe-for-the-Magic-Kingdom ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, but an equal share of the blame for children with new trust issues should lie at George Lucas’ feet in addition to Disney’s.

The attraction was originally going to be called Nostromo and based off of the Alien franchise thanks to the partnership with MGM. Two reasons why this never panned out: the attraction the Imagineers came up with was way too scary, and there was an unspoken rule at the time that Disney attractions could never go above a PG rating.

This when our old pal George comes into the mix. Lucas changed the storyline of the attraction to focus on an original alien and a new corporation called X-S Tech that would be using the teleportation experiment as a front for human testing (with the alien as a good guy). The grim tone of corporations abusing the general public didn’t quite live up to Disney’s vision, but Lucas’ terminology would remain in the attraction that eventually arrived.

Indiana Jones Adventure

A year after opening that terrifying creation, Disney would work with Lucas again on another Indiana Jones experience. This time, Disney and Lucas worked together to create an entirely new adventure set in the Lost Delta of India in 1935.

The Indiana Jones Adventure would herald the arrival of a new type of ride system: the enhanced motion vehicle. The body of the battered troop transports you ride in is actually a hydraulic simulator attached to a sled. Each ride vehicle is programmed with a movement pattern that makes you feel like you’re going on a rough-and-tumble adventure through lost ruins.

How many of these George Lucas-inspired attractions have you experienced? Let us know in the comments below!

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