Disney Parks Executive Shows off ‘Real’ Lightsaber, Hypes Progress of Imagineers’ Craft at SXSW

The lightsaber was first talked-about in 2021.

The latest Disney Parks update is fit for a Jedi.

During the "Art & Science of Disney Parks Storytelling" panel at SXSW on March 10, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro unveiled a realistic-looking lightsaber.

In a video shared by attendee Ivan Costa, D'Amaro is seen holding the lightsaber. With a push of a button, the Star Wars weapon made the instantly-recognizable swooshing noise. It lit up in a blue glow, the color of choice for Jedis.

The lightsaber looked identical to the ones used in the movies, amazing the audience, who audibly gasped.

"I still cannot believe that this thing exists—but it does," D'Amaro noted to the crowd. "I have the coolest job in the world. I'm holding a real lightsaber right now."

According to D'Amaro, the impressive lightsaber is part of the Galactic Starcruiser experience at Walt Disney World. He also invited Senior R&D Imagineer Leslie Evans to the stage, who played a role in creating the piece of Disney magic.

"This was a hard project—it was not easy, but it was absolutely worth it because, as you can see, this is a way to feel like you're in the films," she said in a video shared by Disney Food Blog on Twitter. "This is such an iconic moment."

The lightsaber was first talked about in 2021, with D'Amaro revealing plans for it during a virtual press conference. At the time of its announcement, software developer Ben Ridout wrote a Twitter thread, where he explained the engineering behind the ultra-realistic prop.