Star Wars Under The Stars At The Drive-In
The Empire Strikes Back At The Drive-In
In case you’ve been hidden under an asteroid, you know that 2020 is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
And you know that the film is my jam.
The Disney Version
Usually, my view of a drive-in movie looks like this:
With those fun shots in mind, guests to the Sci-Fi Dine-In never actually get to the movie.
But the wonderful casual dining experience in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is well described:
It’s always showtime at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, where you’ll find scrumptious items on the menu and scary clips on the screen: attacking aliens, marauding mummies, rampaging robots and more. (Remember, don’t scream with your mouth full!).
Obviously, a real drive-in is a slightly different experience, especially when Screen 1 is showing Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!
The Real Thing
Up here in Massachusetts, the drive-in experience is — of course — outdoors.
I went to the Mendon Twin Drive-In:
The Mendon Twin Drive-in, built in 1953 and opened June 14, 1954… a family-oriented business, featuring family-friendly entertainment at an affordable price.
But if you compare the photos below to those above you can really see how hard Disney Imagineers worked to keep their “Hollywoodland” drive-in authentic.
Check out the iconic opening crawl to Episode V:
#StarWars under the stars. #drivein @starwars @MendonTwin @Mendondrivein pic.twitter.com/EU6pwjSQ0K
— John Bishop (@jmbishopjr) July 16, 2020
An amazing night:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCsGC-mA5lv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Forever Drive-In Memories
We had a wonderful time at the Mendon Twin Drive-In; happy to truly live the experience of a movie in the car. The food was good, the movie was amazing, and the memories will last forever.
Makes me think that Disney’s Hollywood Studio should simply update the show within the Sci-Fi Dine In to showcase trailers for all of the wonderful sci-fi movies they have in the Disney+ catalog. Call it the Disney+ Sci-Fi Dine-In and have trailers from all the Fox, Disney, and Pixar sci-fi movies playing; better yet, make it a premium experience after hours to watch Star Wars, “Indiana Jones,” and Alien in the comfort of a convertible.
That is, whenever the actual horror movie which encompasses 2020 moves into faded newsreel footage.
In the meantime, I am happy to safely shell-out my cash to keep The Empire Strikes Back on top of the box office.
Read about that special story below:
#MTFBWY