How Disney Made ‘Star Wars’ Dreams Come True For Wish Kids From Around the Country
Earlier this month, we announced that Disneyland Resort had welcomed 19 wish kids and their families from across the country to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for the first-ever Star Wars-themed Wish Event.
Called Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure, the event was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
However, Disney came up with the idea for the unique wish event, approaching Make-A-Wish with the idea last year.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. grants wishes for 19 children fighting critical illnesses in first large-scale wish-granting event at Disneyland Resort – Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure.
“We trusted that the experience would be something these families would never forget,” Leslie Motter, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish, said. “In true Disney fashion, the experience was above and beyond our wish kids’ wildest imaginations.”
The Event Was Envisioned Last Year
The genesis of Blaze Your Path began last year when Disney held the wildly successful Once Upon A Wish Party at Walt Disney World. After pulling off the large-scale event for multiple wish families, Disney got to thinking.
Once Upon a Wish Party. Photo: Disney Parks Blog
“Could we create something similar for multiple wish families but with a different theme?” Kim Chips, Sr. Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Disney, explained.
In recognition of how popular Star Wars continues to be, the team settled on a galactic theme.
Eventually, the Corporate Social Responsibility group teamed up with Disney Live Entertainment, Park Operations, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Lucasfilm to make the event a reality.
Photo: Make A Wish
The goal was to “create an overall story arc for the week that was unique to this event, but still within the storyline of the land,” Chips said.
In the end, the team set out to create a Star Wars adventure that would appeal to the different age groups of the participating wish kids.
Turning Ideas Into Reality
Once they had a story in mind, the team created a list of ideal Wish Elements they wanted to achieve. Over 20 lines of business and hundreds of Disney Cast Members then worked for over 10 months to make those ideas a reality.
Disney’s Accessibility team was also brought in to ensure that Disney provided a wish experience for kids on varying medical journeys.
Mando
Blaze Your Path Event Manager Tracy Martindale was keenly aware of “how conscientiously [the kids] select that one wish,” So she made sure that “we kept the children’s wish experience front-and-center in every decision we made.”
The goal was to do more than just create a story that the wish kids and their families would passively observe, however, instead, it was to build a story around the kids.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. grants wishes for 19 children fighting critical illnesses in first large-scale wish-granting event at Disneyland Resort – Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure.
“This event represented Disney storytelling at its best,” Chips said. “From the invitation the kids received in the mail to the themed check-in experience when they arrived and throughout their entire experience on property. We wanted the families to feel like they were stepping into a Star Wars experience curated specifically for them — one that they could tailor to their own likes and interests.”
The Kids Arrive and the Adventure Begins
On the first day of the event, wish kids and their families were brought into a Star Wars-themed ballroom and introduced to everyone in the room. The kids squealed with joy as they saw the décor and heard the music,” Chips recalled.
Image Credit: Disney
Disney Consumer Products stepped in to set the story’s foundation.
“We surprised each Resistance squadron (or family) with official Jedi robes to unite them throughout their experience,” Billie Udofia, Corporate Responsibility Manager for Disney Consumer Products, said.
Once dressed for adventure, the kids headed to Batuu, where they assembled droids and built their lightsabers.
Lightsaber parts.
“We embedded products into the scavenger hunt, lightsaber battle, droid-building workshop and other surprises to truly bring them into a galaxy far, far away,” Udofia said.
A ‘Star Wars’ Battle Begins
As the event began to draw to a close, each child got to embrace the power of the Force. Then, there was a surprise visit from First Order stormtroopers and an epic battle between Rey and Kylo Ren.
The battle was designed by Lucasfilm and Imagineering to be fully scripted the way we would script any Star Wars story,” Martin said.
Kylo Ren. Photo: Lucasfilm
At the end of the event, the wish kids were sent home with Star Wars books, action figures, and more. Giving them a piece of the galaxy was important, Udofia noted, “so they can re-live their adventures again and again, and cherish their special memories forever.”
A Lasting Impact
While the Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure was memorable in its own right, it also had a lasting impact on those in attendance.
“Upon conclusion of this special experience, one of the moms wept into my shoulder, explaining that she hasn’t seen her son this happy in so long,” Chips recollected. “He is an incredibly special child who truly deserves this kind of joy.”
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., grants wishes for 19 children fighting critical illnesses in the first large-scale wish-granting event at Disneyland Resort – Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure.
Make-A-Wish has heard from alumni “that the wish marked a turning point in their medical journey,” Motter explained. “That sentiment is backed up by our research that shows that wishes can have physical and emotional benefits that lead to better health outcomes. The impact of a wish is nothing short of transformational.”
Worth It in the End
Ultimately, all the hard work, planning, and attention to detail was worth it when the Disney teams saw the smiles on the kid’s faces.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. grants wishes for 19 children fighting critical illnesses. Disneyland Resort – Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure.
“When you watched the wish kids who participated in Blaze Your Path, you could tell in the way they carried themselves and the smiles on their faces that the stress, fear and anxiety that come with their illness were the furthest things from their minds,” Motter concluded. “For these kids who have had to endure so many uncomfortable treatments and unplanned hospital stays, Blaze Your Path provided a chance to feel like a normal kid again. It allowed them to reclaim a piece of their childhood.”
“‘Hope’ is what Star Wars means to me,” Martin said. “And it’s what all of these kids really need.”
Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure. Photo: Disney
To learn more about Disney’s commitment to Make-A-Wish, visit Wish.org/Disney.
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