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Post #902397

Author
Takin' a Ride
Parent topic
STAR TOURS (1987) Restoration and Saving of the Original Movie Attraction (Released)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/902397/action/topic#902397
Date created
29-Jan-2016, 6:20 PM

ORIGINAL MESSAGE

Hello everybody !

I came here to ask you a little question. Did you know if someone at OrignalTrilogy planned to restore/preserve the Original 1987 STAR TOURS film attraction movie made for The Walt Disney Company
(At its debut at Disneyland in 1987, it was the first attraction based on a non-Disney produced film)

The film is front projected onto the screen from a 70mm film projector located beneath the cockpit barrier.
On the internet /YouTube/DailyMotion, there is always very poor copies of this incredible film.
The majority of theses videos are 'On Ride" films as this one (the most clear and detailed I found):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nED36n2lVO0

However there is a very interesting test footage searchable on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9CWq5JmGOs
This is a post production copy of the STAR TOURS ride film before it was sent to Disney for further visual and sound editing. Two of the most noticible things that confirm this is the bright tint and shade of yellow on the objects that show up on the screen as well as the dialouge in the video is different than what is played on the ride.

Since some years now, the original 1987 film attraction (with the “old vintage special effects”) is more and more replaced by a totally new uninspired Star Wars tour made with CGI.
(It does not remind you a famous original trilogy?) ^^
I wanted to know if someone at originaltrilogy planned to protect the original 1987 film in the same way as Harmy did for the three Star Wars movies (Preserve a scanned HD copy).

DisneyLand Paris in France is always the only one to have this 1987 movie in his STAR TOURS attraction…but it was announced that they will receive the updated ride and will open in 2017. The Ride will be closed during his update in 2016, which will mark the original ride’s final closure.
I think it could be an incredible project to restore and preserve this short incredible movie…
…if someone can find a copy of it

Many thanks again everybody for your incredible work at Original Trilogy.
I wish you a good luck on all of your projects ! You’re saving great pieces of Cinema History !

SEPTEMBER 2022 UPDATE

Beyond all expectations, the film made a surprising appearence during Star Wars Celebration, Anaheim (2022) with D23 a celebration of the 35 Years of Star Tours Adventures. This event was very well handled, full of interesting interviews, making of and behind the scenes of the the original (now lost) attraction.

If you’re curious to see more and want to learn about Star Tours creation, you’ll find a replay of the full event here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij9EUs4QRzc

Now regarding Star Tours original footage, the 70mm film was presented full length in a quality never seen before in its original screen format. However, even if the footage was sharp quality, this was not a new restoration. This is literally the original film as it was playing during the attraction which explains some dust and film artefacts can be spotted from time to time on the screen and these elements were already visible during the ride. Also, the main issue I have with the presentation is the livestream banners remained present throughout the duration of the sequence. It breaks quite a lot the immersion. It blocks the view of a lower part of the footage, which is quite unfortunate as it’s the first time that we have complete information on each side of the screen in such quality. In simple words, it is not a simple 16:9 zoom like the Trench Run clip that surfaced on YouTube a few years ago for the closing on the DisneyLand Paris Star Tours Ride.

The “Star Wars Celebration with D23” Star Tours footage is now the best visual element that we have from the original 1987 film to this date. It is not perfect but it’s quite close to be perfect and was quite unexpected to see the film projected during a Star Wars event… after all these years, and the audience and fans like all of us were so excited to see that piece of Star Wars history again.

Three versions are now available online since few months:

The 1080p Version presented during the 35 Years event:
Video Title: “35 Years of Star Tours Adventures With D23 - Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022”
Video Link : https://youtu.be/ij9EUs4QRzc?t=2198

  • With the bottom of the footage hidden by livestream banners

The 4K Upscale & Widescreen (16:9) Version 35 Years of Star Tours:
Video Title: “STAR TOURS 1987 | 70mm Ride Film”
Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK7zy82LtYU

  • A cropped 16:9 version of the footage with the bottom hidden by livestream banners
  • Also featuring inserts of droids, and x-wing pilots screens for a more immersive view

The 1080p CinemaScope Version of Star Tours:
Video Title: “Star Tours (1987) - Original Simulator Film”
Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meXu9mAaDBQ

  • Livestream banners are hidden under the bottom of the screen
  • A flickering effect can be noticed on the screen

As a final word about all of this, I still deeply hope we’ll be able to have a better footage without livestream banners, with the full visible image.
As I said it’s close to be perfect but it’s truely a major step in the preservation of the original ride film.