Last night Disney opened Star Wars Land: Galaxies Edge amidst the glitz and glamour of a young trading town. Batuu has never a party like this! Celebrities like Kim Kardashian were on hand to experience the new land and dedicate it with CEO Bob Iger. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams were also on hand to hype up the ceremony. It was really a precious moment to see them all together in front of the Millennium Falcon. The land is beautifully done, creating so many nooks and crannies. There is more detail than you can consume in a 4 hour time span, and each time we left we were sure we had missed something amidst all the space age parts.
But we did find ourselves missing something. We missed it a lot.
In noted film music author and historian John Burlingame’s article in Variety about the music for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Matt Walker, executive in charge of music for Walt Disney Imagineering, has this to say about the use of music in SW:GE:
“We never wanted this to sound like background music,” Walker said. “We’ve done deconstructed versions, so you’re not suddenly saying, ‘Wow, there’s the 90-piece LSO playing this incredible piece of symphonic music.’ We tease you, and begin to set up his thematic material and weave that in as you enter. Then where you are in the land, and what needs to happen, begins to take over.” The idea, Walker explains, is to create an authentic-sounding exotic locale, “weaving in musical textures, being careful not to overuse John’s thematic material. It’s a very textural approach to the source music.” Adds (arranger William) Ross: “It’s going to be more like the small group of musicians you might hear in some exotic and faraway village marketplace. But John’s (new) theme informs the entire Galaxy’s Edge musical experience.”
This is where we feel an egregious creative misstep has occurred. With Galaxy’s Edge, we are introduced to a completely new environment that is not in any of the films, TV shows (yet) or (previous) comic books. We are told that this is Star Wars from the endless visual cues both subtle and major, but there is an emotional element that is missing that completes the Star Wars illusion: the music.
Not using music to its full advantage to anchor this new space into the Star Wars universe is a shocking creative choice. The iconic symphonic themes of Williams’ scores for the Star Wars films are as much a part of the collective memory of Star Wars as the Millennium Falcon, TIE fighters and Astromech droids. It just doesn’t feel like Star Wars without the classic themes. Even John Powell and Michael Giacchino wisely included many of the memorable original themes in their own scores for Star Wars movies. They understood the importance of hitting those nostalgia buttons and that Star Wars isn’t Star Wars without them.
Divorcing Star Wars from its iconic orchestral music results in an unsettling incongruity as illustrated in the youtube clip below, featuring the opening sequence from Star Wars Episode IV:
To further illustrate the importance of music in a narrative, the presentation of a scene from JAWS both without and then with the score can be seen below. We encourage you to watch this clip as it’s a celebration of John Williams and how his music instantly connects you to what could otherwise be viewed as a long and somewhat boring scene:
Music is the emotional core of many popular visual narratives, even in theme parks. We have been conditioned by 100 years of film and television and 400 years of opera – to accept and expect non-diagetic music (music separate from the fictional setting). It gives us license and helps to tell us how to feel about what we’re seeing and experiencing.
In a theme park context, we see both diagetic and non-diagetic music existing side-by-side in ways that both complete and support the illusion of immersion. For instance, the area music on Main Street, USA features both music FROM the turn of the 20th century in the “Maple Leaf Rag” and music ABOUT the turn of the 20th century in “The Wells Fargo Wagon,” all arranged in the style of a small turn of the century ensembles. This music is faded out when live performances from period style groups such as The Firehouse Five Plus Two or the Dapper Dans emerge from “off stage” to entertain guests.
In Tomorrowland, Star Tours features the iconic symphonic themes from the moment you step into the building, in the actual ride and into the gift shop. You don’t have to imagine what Star Tours would be like without the music, you can experience it for yourself on Smuggler’s Run. In the queue for Smuggler’s Run, you wind up and through the catwalks of a repair shop in the spaceport of Batuu. You occasionally hear the banter of mechanics over loudspeakers in the shop. Why not also hear some Outer Rim pirate radio broadcast of KDROID or something to help fill the space that is otherwise dead between quips? The silence is deafening.
The desire on the part of the Galaxy’s Edge designers and creative leads for fully immersive realism is understandable. The internal code name for the project was even “Delos” – the name of the fictitious company in the Film and TV series “WESTWORLD.” However, in Galaxy’s Edge, you know you’re in a theme park. You had to walk across the entire length of Disneyland to get there. You can hear the whistles of the trains and the Mark Twain. You can see Big Thunder Mountain. There are public bathrooms. You use cash and credit cards to buy things that are put in “Disney Parks” bags. You’re not a costumed character LARPing like one might at a Renaissance Faire (or Westworld). In fact, unless you’re under 14, you are expressly forbidden by Disneyland’s strictly enforced no-costumes policy from wearing costumes. You’re surrounded by day guests with Mickey ears, smartphones and strollers. A major narrative element of the Land will, in fact, rely on you using your “real world” smartphones. So why draw the line at symphonic area music? The glaring absence of this integral part of the Star Wars universe makes the entire Land feel like an empty film set. Yes, there is some excellent audio design throughout – the sounds of ships taking off and landing just out of view so effective that they make you look up and around for them, clever “radio broadcasts” and creature sounds in the restrooms, the hum of engines and equipment and the chirping of droids and yes, a smattering of very subtle, exotic music around the restaurants and shops.
But when you come around the corner and see the Millennium Falcon for the first time, it’s almost matter of fact; “Yup, there it is.” Sure it’s impressive and something that we never thought we’d see in person, but it still feels strangely hollow. It’s missing that character that is just as important as the visual icons – the score.
The scale of SW:GE is awe-inspiring and the artistry and detail is staggering. One is left wondering though, how they are supposed to FEEL about this place? Is it safe? Is it dangerous? Is it Star Wars?
Lest you think we were disappointed in Galaxy’s Edge, we were not, it’s the very height of Disney accomplishment. It will set a standard for future projects and what entertainment design can be for decades to come. But nothing in life is perfect, and we do hope that once the reality of daily theme park operation takes over Galaxy’s Edge the decision will be made to enhance the guest experience with the sort of music and area entertainment that tug at guests heartstrings and immerse them in the story of Star Wars.
You’ll have to decide for yourself when you visit Galaxy’s Edge to see if the lack of music is a dealbreaker. I know for most of the Star Wars fan I talked to, some sweeping background music would have helped whisk them away to a Galaxy Far Far Away.
Do you think music is a dealbreaker? Is it enough to have ONLY have music in the attractions and the Cantina? Take our poll, place your thoughts in the comments and we will see you in hyperspace.
The content from this article was taken from our previous article:
“Opinion: First Impressions of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge”
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