Walt Disney Co. is moving fast on plans to open its new Star Wars-themed land at Disneyland, announcing Thursday that the company will break ground on the project next year. Disney’s chief operating officer Tom Staggs made the announcement at an investors’ conference in Beverly Hills, though he did not say when the attraction would open. Spanning 14 acres, the new land, announced last month at the entertainment empire’s D23 Expo, marks the largest expansion in the Anaheim theme park’s 60-year history. Located on the site now occupied by Big Thunder Ranch, and adjacent areas backstage, it will include two major rides – one seeing visitors fly the Millennium Falcon spaceship and another involving them in a battle featuring characters from hotly anticipated new movie “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” set for release on Dec. 18. The company also announced a second, identical, Star Wars land would open at its Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida. Work will also start on that project next year, Staggs said at Thursday’s Bank of America-Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference.
