Why Star Wars Fans Will Want to Visit Disneyland Resort ASAP

After the Star Wars Trading Post opened last year at WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney, the shop is preparing to move to a more “permanent” home! We’re just days away from getting a first look at the new Star Wars Trading Post in the former location of Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney.

Star Wars Trading Post © Disney

That’s right, Imagineers transformed a former Rainforest Cafe into a Star Wars rebel base! Orange County Register shared some insights into how this was accomplished and what shoppers can look forward to starting next week.

Brady McDonald from Orange County Register had the chance to interview Walt Disney Imagineering Art Director Kirstin Makela about the new shopping experience, which will open to the public on Friday, February 19th after a three-day Legacy Passholder preview experience.

Kirstin Makela shared that the Star Wars Trading Post will not be restricted in the way that the shops are in Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, which has been closed for nearly eleven months. On Batuu, the residents are bound by a timeline that places them in between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. But in Downtown Disney, such a timeline won’t exist, allowing for more merchandise to be sold. As Makela puts it herself, “We want to create a space where they can shop for all the new merchandise that goes along with all these different adventures and different stories, especially as the Star Wars universe continues to grow, change and evolve.”

Star Wars Trading Post at WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney ©Disney

Another major development in the new Trading Post is that, for the first time ever, merchandise that was once exclusive to Galaxy’s Edge will now be sold outside the land. Unlike Batuu, the Star Wars Trading Post will not be a specific land in the Star Wars galaxy that fans are visiting — rather, it’s a Star Wars-inspired shopping destination where all types of fans can collect merchandise and celebrate the franchise. As McDonald describes it, “the shop is in an outdoor shopping mall in Anaheim rather than on the outer rim of the Star Wars galaxy.”

Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland pre-closure

What can fans expect once they actually step into the Trading Post? The shop has taken over the Rainforest Cafe gift shop space, and at this time none of the restaurant space is being used. Imagineers leaned into the temple aesthetic that was already present from what was left of Rainforest Cafe, as many fans pointed out that the design reminds them of the jungle planet Yavin-4. Also, be on the lookout for props from the franchise, including The Child’s hover pram from The Mandalorian.

©Lucasfilm

As Walt Disney said himself in regards to Disneyland, it will “never be complete,” at least for now. Kirstin Makela commented that the “want this to be a space that grows with the fandom and has the ability to celebrate all the different characters and adventures that unfold.”