Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a 14 acre Star Wars land at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The land of Batuu includes restaurants, themed shops, live entertainment and two Star Wars attractions.
Problem Statement: Walt Disney Imagineering needed to build the most technologically and creatively advanced park expansion ever, with the largest scope of immersion and interactivity, and needed to do this at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the same time. In order to deliver on the vision, scope and aggressive timelines, the Imagineers needed software solutions to control and be the central hub for all of the technology delivering the park experiences in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Scope: As the Technical Project Manager for the Show Software teams, I managed budget of $13MM and 30 software engineers across three project teams and drove the software development programs supporting animatronics, show lighting, live entertainment, land-wide sensing infrastructure, app interactivity, audio and special effects throughout the Star Wars themed land including the shops, restaurants, props and entertainment stages.
Results: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened on schedule at Disneyland and opened with a fast follow three months later at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The land has been received with great success and won multiple awards including winning a Grammy, a Themed Entertainment Association Award for Outstanding Achievement and an International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Brass Ring.
