Star Wars Weekends 2012

The best part of opening day at Star Wars Weekends last week was definitely all the great Kodak moments - if you were quick enough to catch them. You never knew when a character would come waltzing around the corner, a lot like a con, and trying to get a clear shot through the crowds makes it a real photo safari. As an added bonus, though, at Disney the cosplayers are actors, too, so there's lots of fun to be had just watching them interact with the guests.

Take this guy, for example:

He developed an unusual interest in John:

After an extended staring contest (during which John couldn't stop giggling), he then made a big show of examining John's "Couldn't-Care-Less Bear" shirt:

It was hilarious, and it made John all cute and flustered. THAT'S A WIN.

Usually Disney doesn't allow guest costumes - or at least nothing they don't sell for the kids - so I was pleasantly surprised to see these girls:

Two Anakins & his droids.

 (Note that C3PO even has one silver shoe. Nice!)

Even more surprising, I spotted another girl in a Slave Leia bikini at one point - and she was definitely a guest. Maybe Disney relaxed their policy for the Weekends?

Here's an example of a photo quick draw:

She came striding around a corner, and her costume billowing out in the wind was just gorgeous.

It's hard to tell with the slight motion blur, but her nails are an amazing metallic pink foil.

 

And now, Darth Vader signing a pink Princess autograph book:

It just never gets old.

Those autograph books are *everywhere* at Disney, and often provide the only time you can snap a good close-up of the characters. (When they're not signing they're posing with guests, so it's hard to get them alone.)

This Tusken Raider would pause to bleat at people on occasion - a fun touch, considering most of the characters aren't allowed to speak or make any sounds.

Of course, the king (Sith lord?) of guest interactivity has to be Darth Maul:

We camped out in front of his photo spot for a while, watching him give guests a hard time about those autograph books:

"Homey don't PLAY that."

After glaring at the offending person for ages, he'd snatch the book and sign it with his back turned. He also did some hysterical poses for the camera:

 
Stuff's about to get real.

I later learned through some friends-of-friends that this Darth is a big cosplay enthusiast, and I *think* I've even seen him in an epic God of War costume at MegaCon or D*C before. It's awesome to know these guys are doing what they love, don't you think?

My favorite character at SW Weekends, though, is Zam Wessel:

It has nothing to do with her character in the movie (I've never actually seen Attack of the Clones. Terrible, right?) - I just love her costume and how she acts here in the park. Not only is she gorgeous, she has a really fluid way of moving, and interacts with guests in an aloof-but-still respectful manner. (She's also the best dancer at the Hoopla. Just sayin'.) 

When we were there with my friend Tim a few years ago, Zam went out of her way to drape herself around his wheelchair for a really fabulous photo. And, as you can see here, she went out of her way this year to give me some fantastic poses - even though I was the only one taking her photo at the time. (Still not sure how that happened, given all the crowds.)

 

I took nearly a dozen shots from two different angles, and for every one she was looking straight at my camera and seemed in no hurry to leave. Stuff like this makes me positively giddy. I mean, c'mon, LOOK AT THIS SHOT:

 [mrrow]

Right? RIGHT?

Ok, let's end with my second favorite SW Weekends character:

D'awwww, Donald!

Oh, and we weren't able to stay for the Hyperspace Hoopla on Friday, but you can watch the whole thing (or just browse the highlight clips) over at Inside the Magic. The Hoopla is arguably the best thing at Star Wars Weekends each year, so I'm looking forward to seeing it when we go back. (And you can expect more photos then, too!)