Disney talks world's first Mickey Mouse ride and drops big Star Wars hint too

There's finally going to be a Mickey Mouse ride in Disney's parks, as the brand announces an expansion of the partnership with Panasonic’s laser-illuminated projection system at CES 2019.

There's never been a Mickey and Minnie ride before, and that's what’s going to be coming at Disney’s Hollywood studios - with more immersive tech based on what Panasonic is putting together.

The Panasonic laser projection system is already used in attractions like The World of Avatar in other parts of the Disney empire, but the brands are promising 'greater immersion' than ever before with the new tie-in.

A better world coming

To be honest, that’s not really the most exciting thing about the heavily-scripted conversation between Disney’s Tom LaDuke and Panasonic’s Tom Gebhardt - this is basically a Mickey Mouse train ride with some projection around (albeit likely very colorful and vivid).

At the end, LaDuke was asked if there was any other news, and he said 'On this planet…?'

As the conversation played out, Gebhardt asked 'Or a galaxy far, far away…?' before wishing that 'the force be with you' to LaDuke as he exited the stage.

It seems likely we’ll be seeing a tech-filled, immersive Star Wars attraction from Disney in one of its parks in the near future, complete with Panasonic laser projection. 

Or they're just really excited about the Solo DVD release.

  • Find out about Disney+, the upcoming streaming service from Disney
TOPICS
Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.

Latest in Disney Plus
A costumed Matt Murdock smiles at someone off-camera in Netflix's Daredevil TV show
Daredevil: Born Again is Disney+'s biggest series of 2025 so far, but another Marvel TV show has performed even better
Matt Murdock holding a phone to his right ear in a prison in Daredevil: Born Again episode 2
What time is Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 going to be released on Disney+?
A TV with the Disney Plus and Hulu logos displayed next to the words 'don't miss'
The Disney+ and Hulu bundle is back down to its awesome Black Friday price – perfect timing for Daredevil: Born Again and Moana 2
Cassian Andor piloting a TIE Avenger in Andor season 2
Andor is the best Star Wars TV show I’ve ever watched – here are 3 reasons why you should catch season 2 when it releases in April
A collage image of Foggy Nelson sitting at a table and a close-up of Muse in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again viewers have two wild fan theories about Foggy Nelson and Muse after the Marvel TV show's debut, but I think there's only one that might be right
An animated girl holds up a paddle with a whale behind her
3 new movies and shows on Disney+ and Hulu that I can't wait to stream
Latest in News
Ai tech, businessman show virtual graphic Global Internet connect Chatgpt Chat with AI, Artificial Intelligence.
Nation-state threats are targeting UK AI research
iOS 18 Control Center
iOS 19: the 3 biggest rumors so far, and what I want to see
Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages' director confirms DLC is in the works and says the game won't end the way 2016's Doom begins: 'If we took it all the way to that point, then that would mean that we couldn't tell any more medieval stories'
DVDs in a pile
Warner Bros is replacing some DVDs that ‘rot’ and become unwatchable – but there’s a big catch that undermines the value of physical media
A costumed Matt Murdock smiles at someone off-camera in Netflix's Daredevil TV show
Daredevil: Born Again is Disney+'s biggest series of 2025 so far, but another Marvel TV show has performed even better
Application Security Testing Concept with Digital Magnifying Glass Scanning Applications to Detect Vulnerabilities - AST - Process of Making Apps Resistant to Security Threats - 3D Illustration
Google bug bounty payments hit nearly $12 million in 2024