Disney Publishing Worldwide released a new Star Wars application for iOS devices on June 19th. This app will let users recreate classic scenes from the Star Wars Sage and give them the ability explore the storytelling experience in entirely new ways. According to a press release from the official Star Wars website, the app “gives kids and Star Wars fans of all ages the tools to create, control, customize, capture, and share their own 3D animated Star Wars scenes.” This Yoda’s News corespondent decided to see what all the hype was about and downloaded the free app.
When the app opens, there are three different scenes that fans will get to recreate. There is currently one scene from each of the three films in what is commonly refereed to as the ‘Original Trilogy.’ From the ‘A New Hope’ we have a scene titled ‘Death Star Attack,’ ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ features the ‘Cloud City Duel,’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’ offers the ‘Battle of Endor.’ Now while the app itself is free, only the ‘Battle of Endor’ scene is free for fans to re-create. The other two scenes are available for $2.99 a piece or you can buy both as a discounted bundle for $3.99. The ‘Battle of Endor’ scene is more than enough for fans to explore the app and its various features, should they decide to purchase more scenes in the future.
On the forest moon of Endor, ‘Star Wars’ fans will be slightly overwhelmed with the amount of options they are presented with. The app features 3D models of characters and vehicles from the beloved franchise that users can place anywhere in the environment. You can customize the characters with various weapons and place vehicles at your leisure. Adding dialogue, you can have the characters interact in entirely new ways and essentially recreate the scene in your own way. Much like a director on set, you are given three movable cameras to place in the environment, giving you a wide array of ways to capture the scene you are creating. Throw in the iconic score by John Williams and dialogue to add depth to your scene. Fans might notice a slightly limited selection when it comes to the added audio, but there is potential for improvement here.
After you are satisfied with your scene, you get to create your own ‘title crawl,’ musical score, and ending credits. These are nice touches that really add a lot to the experience and replicate the “feel” of ‘Star Wars.’ Getting to see your own words in the classic opening sequence and your name plastered under “Director” make the fans feel like they really are a part of the storytelling process.
Now, one thing that ‘Star Wars’ fans truly enjoy is sharing their various handiwork. Whether its fanfic, artwork, or a cantina band cover band; fans love to share. The cherry on top of this app is the ability to upload your finished scene to Youtube right from the program. Is obvious that Disney Publishing really put a lot of work into bringing this interactive and revolutionary app to fans. Andrew Sugerman, executive vice president of Disney Publishing worldwide had the following to say. “At Disney Publishing, we are committed to reaching today’s consumers in deeper, more engaging ways through innovative and immersive storytelling experiences. ‘Star Wars’ Scene Maker allows us to put kids and fans of all ages in the director’s seat and provide them with ways to unleash their creativity and share their passion for the Star Wars brand in a new way.”
Fans will have plenty to explore with these three scenes, but can also look forward to new content coming through the app in the future. As ‘Star Wars Rebels’ kicks off this fall, the app will expand to feature scenes from the highly anticipated TV show. According to the statement released by Disney Publishing, “additional content packs will be released through app updates, and available through in-app purchase.”
The app is currently only available for iOS devices, specifically the iPad (click here if you are on your Ipad for a direct link). While this was slightly disheartening to hear at first, upon examining the app, it’s clear it would be difficult to navigate on a smaller screen. Check out the trailer below and then have fun creating your own scenes. Feel free to share you scenes on Youtube and send us a link and we will feature some right here, on Yoda’s News.
For additional Star Wars mobile apps updates and information, visit StarWars.com, DisneyStories.com, Facebook.com/disneyreads, and Twitter at @DisneyReads.
Share your thoughts and experiences with the app online. We can be found on Twitter at @Chewbacca89 (Alex Rybak) and @YodasNews (official Yoda’s News handle). A special thanks to my wife for letting me use her iPad.