Star Tours 2 Trailer

If there's one medium guaranteed to lop the arms and legs off of footage from a 3D simulator ride, it's YouTube. Having said that, we couldn't all be at D23 for the big unveiling of their new Disney themepark attractions, so lets be thankful that we're getting to see the Star Tours II trailer online at all, and better still, when it isn't bootlegged handicam footage but an official upload.

Peter first reported on the Star Tours revamp back in May, rounding up a good deal of info on what we can expect from it, most of which still hasn't been officially revealed. The juicy bits of his report will follow the break, along with the trailer itself.

Here's what Peter had to tell us about the ride a few months back:

[The] revamp will incorporate prequel characters (like Naboo citizens and Geonosians) along with many aliens from the original trilogy (Aqualish. Bith, Rodians, etc). In the action sequence, the Star Tours vehicle is now going to be chased by Boba Fett.  C3PO and R2-D2 are still the hosts... Admiral Ackbar holographically communicates with the Star Tours vehicle. Right now they're shooting mostly green screen footage, as it is the middle part of the production timeline.

Not much of that to see in this clip, however. What we get here looks like a super-souped up version of the old Phantom Menace podracing video games. Imagine watching this through a pair of 3D specs and in a rumbly, tumbly motorised box for a moment, maybe even with a fan blowing in your face, and I'm sure you'll come closer to full effect intended.

Another note in Peter's report said:

It's not the total podracer reboot that was rumored a few years back, thank God. I'm hearing that its essentially the same ride but updated. It sounds to me like they might be shooting the footage in 3D, but I'm not sure.

Looks now like there was something to those podrace rumors after all, so we'll have our thanks back, please God. The 3D part has definitely been borne out though.

The ride will launch at the Californian and Floridian Disney parks in 2011.

Via Disneyland News.