Star Wars Miniland Blasts into Legoland

Stormtroopers, a snowtrooper and a biker scout are all on deck at Legoland California helping unload more than one thousand Lego models for the new STAR WARS Miniland opening March 31, 2011 at the family theme park in Carlsbad.

Master Model Builders unloaded crates containing several models including a crystal tower from Christophsis in The Clone Wars, the clone turbo tank from Revenge of the Sith, and the Naboo hangar. The models are part of 2,000 that are arriving to be installed in Star Wars Miniland.

Legoland California will be the first of three Legoland Parks to launch a new Star Wars Miniland area. The area includes seven scenes – six of the most famous scenes from the six live-action Star Wars movies, as well as one from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars all made out of 1.5 million Lego bricks and built in 1:20 scale.

General Manager Peter Ronchetti announced that a new Star Wars Miniland area will be opening at the family theme park on March 31, 2011. Octopus Garden at Sea Life Aquarium; Splash Zoo at Legoland Water Park; a Lego Hero Factory Experience inside Legoland California and the re-launch of Park favorite Fun Town Fire Academy as Fun Town Police and Fire Academy all have been in the works.

2010 marked the seventh year of continuous growth for Legoland California with double digit percentage growth in attendance over 2009 and marked the park's most successful year.

Ronchetti attributed the Park's success to continued expansion of Resort properties, specifically the addition of Legoland Water Park, which opened in May 2010 and has already received many accolades including the World Waterpark Association's prestigious Industry Innovation Award. The Industry Innovation Award is judged based on how the organization has set itself apart from others in terms of moving the industry to a new or higher plane.

The second Sea Life Aquarium in the U.S. opened in Tempe, Arizona in May and it was announced that the second U.S. Legoland Park, Legoland Florida will open in Winterhaven, Florida in October of this year. Additional Legoland Discovery Centers and Sea Life Aquariums are also cropping up across the U.S. with openings already planned in Texas and New Jersey.

On March 31 Legoland California becomes the first of three Legoland Parks to launch a new Star Wars Miniland area. Guests can enjoy seven of the most famous scenes from the six live-action Star Wars movies, as well as a scene from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars all made out of 1.5 million Lego bricks and built in 1:20 scale. Guests will be further immersed into the Star Wars experience as they pose with life-size Lego models of Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader. Legoland Billund and Legoland Deutschland will launch the Star Wars Miniland area later this year.

Following a chronological path through the Star Wars timeline, Legoland guests retrace the major events of the beloved Saga. Some of the 2,000 Lego models will be more than 6-feet-tall. Interactive buttons will allow children to activate animations throughout the scenes.

The models for the new Star Wars area are being developed and built by eight model designers and two animation electricians at our sister park, Legoland Deutschland. It will be up to Master Model Builders at Legoland California to bring the scenes to life with the help of animation electricians, technicians and landscapers all working to ensure the Lego models appear as realistic as possible with special effects and landscaping.

Lego Hero Factory attraction opened in February 2011 in the Imagination Zone. Young guests build and create their own heroes (or villains) and meet and greet their favorite Hero Factory characters.

On April 12, one of the most popular rides in the Park – Fun Town Fire Academy – is being re-launched as the Police and Fire Academy. On this classic Legoland ride, families pile into a fire truck and power it by pumping levers up and down as they race other families to put out the "fire". The first family to make it back wins. Now the fire trucks are being joined by police vehicles and families race to put out fires and stop robbers.

On May 6, Sea Life Aquarium Carlsbad launches Octopus Garden, an interactive exhibit introducing families to the amazing world of cephalopods. From octopus and cuttlefish to nautilus, these distinctive creatures have almost supernatural abilities including camouflage, ink clouds and jet propulsion, that will surprise and delight adults and children alike. Octopus Garden replaces the Sharks Revealed exhibit that opened in 2008.

On May 26, Splash Zoo, a brand new area for toddlers, opens inside Legoland Water Park. The Duplo Zoo themed area, located next to Duplo Splash Safari and Kid Creek, features giant Duplo Zoo animals – including a lion, a giraffe and a zebra – plus interactive spray pads, fountains and a teeter totter, all geared specifically for guests ages 1 to 3.