Disney Dreams That Soar drone show lights up sky with Star Wars, Marvel and more sci-fi favorites

Walt Disney World and Disneyland have been dazzling guests for decades with their nighttime spectaculars. Incorporating everything from elaborate fireworks displays and inspired water projections to stunning pyrotechnics and the half-million-plus LED lights that brought the fan-favorite Main Street Electrical Parade to sparkling life, these evening events have consistently provided a perfect way for patrons to cap off a busy day at the parks.

With its new Dreams That Soar show — performed nightly through Sept. 2 at Orlando’s Disney Springs shopping and dining district — the company is continuing this tradition, but ratcheting it up with a fresh technological twist. More specifically, the limited-time evening event is leveraging 800 drones to retell some of Disney’s most iconic tales. But as the production’s title cleverly suggests, its content is solely focused on flight, including nods to popular franchises and characters that are associated with their ability to take to the skies.

As expected, this approach sees the likes of Peter Pan, Dumbo, and even the helium balloon-propelled house from Pixar’s “Up” brought to life by the carefully choreographed, sky-illuminating tech. But the spectacle’s specific theme also opens the gates to science fiction films and heroes, from Wall-E and “Big Hero 6″‘s Baymax to everyone’s favorite space ranger, Buzz Lightyear. Of course, Disney’s biggest sci-fi properties — “Star Wars” and “Marvel” — are not only present and accounted for, but serve as two of the nearly10-minute performance’s most significant inclusions.

First up — following a heart-warming reunion between the aforementioned Waste Allocation Load Lifter and his lady love EVE — Luke Skywalker’s voice fills the night sky with, “I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.” While the familiar line, which is accompanied by a drone-powered representation of Tatooine’s twin sunsets, serves to get “Star Wars'” fans attention, it’s merely the set-up for something, literally, much bigger.