It’s opening soon!I may be a bit obsessed with any detail that I can find about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but there is another opening that is coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will open at the park on March 31! There are a couple of new details that have been released about the animated experience, and I thought that I’d share them with you.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will use a state of the art ride simulator in combination with a wraparound screen. That screen is approximately 200 feet wide! Imagineers used virtual reality to create the experience, and they looked at what was going on from several different angles to make sure that everyone in the theater will have a fantastic view.
A familiar voice is also going to be part of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. It looks like John Ratzenberger will be handling the instructions for things like “move to the center of your row to make room for everyone” (that’s not the exact script). Ratzenberger, of course, plays Mack in the film series. He is well known as the “lucky charm” of Pixar, since he has had a role in every Pixar film. (He also played Major Derlin in The Empire Strikes Back, and even was once a celebrity guest during Star Wars Weekends. Sorry, I had to add that.) Some of the other original actors will reprise their characters as well. To my knowledge the full list of voice actors has not been released.
In Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, you’ll be a “rookie racer”. It sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. As of now, it does not look like FastPass+ will be an option. When you leave, you will have a chance to meet and get a picture with Cruz Ramirez. While we may not have Cars Land like they do at Disney California Adventure, it will be nice to have a little bit of Radiator Springs here at Walt Disney World.