Disney’s ‘Real Life’ Star Wars Lightsaber Expands in New Video

By Germain Lussier

Next year, Disney will reveal the most authentic-looking real-world Star Wars lightsaber yet, and a new video just revealed our best look to date.Recent Video

Earlier this year, buzz began that Disney was working on what fans quickly called a “real-life lightsaber.” Not because it had a kyber crystal inside and could turn a tauntaun into a sleeping bag with one quick stroke, but because a blade of light extended out of a hilt on its own, looking almost as realistic as it did in the Star Wars films. (Not an actual blade of light, but something that looks better than a huge lightbulb you lock into something, like most other saber replicas.)

When the first video of the saber was released a month later, it was announced this “real-life” saber was likely to debut at Walt Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, an immersive, hotel-like Star Wars experience expected to open in 2022. (More on that in a second.) Now though, a very cool video from Walt Disney Imagineering has a new look at the saber (you can see it in the GIF above) and though it’s only for a moment, it’s truly glorious. Here’s the full video; the big reveal comes 44 seconds in.

Whoomp, there it is. Lots of cool stuff in that video beyond just the Star Wars things, such as the animatronic Groot and a look inside the Web-Slingers ride. But, let’s face it, it’s all about the saber.