The Disney parks may be gearing up for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but other upcoming attractions are still on their way.
A brand-new Lightning McQueen experience will debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando on March 31. Entitled Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, the interactive show invites park goers to chat with the racing king himself.
Much like the existing Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor in Disney World’s Tomorrowland and Turtle Talk with Crush in numerous Disney parks, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will let guests interact with the character. The other attractions have actors voice the characters, which are manipulated via digital puppetry — the manipulation of digital animated figures in real time.
While the other cars of the Cars films — Mater, Sally, and Cruz Ramirez, for instance — will appear on screens during the show, Lightning will be in physical car form.
A Cars-themed land already exists at California Adventure in Anaheim, which features attractions and meet-and-greets with the cars, but this will be the first Cars-specific attraction in Hollywood Studios.
It’s not exactly Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — set to open in Hollywood Studios on Aug. 29 — but the new attraction might tide little ones over before they can build their own lightsabers. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will be the first of many new attractions coming to Hollywood Studios, part of its shift from studio-like attractions to attractions featuring Disney properties such as Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel.
