The attraction opened at each park at the start of their respective Season of the Force events, which was November 16, 2015 for Disneyland[3] and December 4, 2015 at Disney's Hollywood Studios [4][5] The Shanghai version opened on June 16, 2016 and closed in June 2019.
On March 12, 2020, Disney Parks announced that both versions of the attraction would temporarily close at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios, due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Florida and California.
On May 25, 2021, following Walt Disney World's reopening, Disney's Hollywood Studios announced that the updated version of the attraction would originally set to return, until it was delayed to 2022, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration, while the California version remained closed. However, following Disneyland Resort's reopening, Disneyland announced that the updated version of the attraction would return in 2022.
Summary
Disneyland version
It was along with the debut of Super Hero HQ (2015-2016) grand opening, an interactive lower level to the Innoventions building. This was set as the precursor to the recently announced Star Wars Land at Disney D23 on August 15, 2015. This lower level allowed guests to enter a "Galaxy Far Far Away", with character meet-n-greets such as the evil dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, Han Solo's sidekick, and lovable Wookiee, Chewbacca; and the mysterious bounty hunting Boba Fett. The location opened with said characters in the winter of 2015, but in January 2016 saw the introduction of a new foe, Kylo Ren (who replaced Darth Vader until mid-October 2016). Guests are given a variety of exhibits, such as props and costumes used in the films/TV shows, and an area to buy Star Wars merchandise. On December 16, 2017 during the theme park's "Galactic Nights" event, the Launch Bay was updated to include displays containing various models and props from The Last Jedi in honor of the film's release a day earlier.
