It won’t be long before ANAHEIM, CALIF. Star Wars fans will be transported to a galaxy far, far away. At theme parks in California and Florida, Disney is putting the finishing touches on two expansive and immersive lands dedicated to the popular sci-fi franchise.

For adults who grew up with George Lucas’s original trilogy and his prequel series, it’s an opportunity to recapture the imaginary world of space heroes and villains. For kids coming of age alongside a new slate of films that began in 2015 with Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, they’ll get a chance to step inside a universe that’s been wholly re-imagined since Disney acquired the franchise in 2012 from Lucasfilm. “We’re being really ambitious with what we do with Star Wars,” said Scott Trowbridge, creative executive of Disney Imagineering, speaking recently at a media preview for Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California.

A new 5.7-hectare (14-acre) land is set to open May 31 in California, followed by an exact replica Aug. 29 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla. Both attractions will feature two new rides — the jaw-dropping Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and the epically long Rise of the Resistance.

“It’s an amazing stepping off point for new Star Wars stories,” Trowbridge said. “It’s kind of like a remote frontier planet, somewhere on the edge of wild space.” Galaxy’s Edge will introduce visitors to a new planet, Batuu, and the village of Black Spire Outpost. There, they’ll be able to interact with its inhabitants, eat unique foods, try blue milk (first seen in Episode IV — A New Hope), shop for one-of-a-kind items and craft their very own lightsabers and droids. Nothing that’s for sale will be found anywhere else.

The opening of Galaxy’s Edge is one of the most anticipated events for Star Wars fans this year. It also continues a recent Disney tradition, which has seen recent popular movies brought to life. In 2017, a land set inside the world of James Cameron’s Avatar opened at Animal Kingdom in Orlando. Last year, an expansion themed on Toy Story debuted at Hollywood Studios. “For me, it’s come full circle,” said Doug Chiang, who has worked at Lucasfilm for more than 20 years. “We’re translating the world of cinema into a real location.”

The park features full-sized versions of TIE Fighters, Landspeeders, gigantic AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) walkers, Poe Dameron’s X-Wing Fighter, taxidermy Wampas, animatronics, a Star Destroyer hangar and an intricately detailed Millennium Falcon (look closely and you’ll see blast marks from its previous battles), which reveals itself in grand fashion as you make your way into the land.

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