Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance officially debuts on Dec. 5. The new attraction is part of the 14-acre land Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and is intended to immerse guests even further in a galaxy far, far away.
The new attraction was celebrated on Dec. 4 with a dedication ceremony led by Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. He was joined by a few friends from the Resistance and everyone’s favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca.
In fact, the Walt Disney World Resort had a lot to celebrate this week, including significant announces about the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (debuting March 2020) and the Galactic Starcruiser (debuting 2021). Check this blog tomorrow for more info about these announcements and more.
But the star of the show this week was Rise of Resistance. John Larena, executive creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering, grew up with Star Wars and has been involved with the creation of Rise of the Resistance since the very beginning.
“I’ve been working on this for five years, so every moment of this is etched in my brain,” he says. “My favorite part is riding it with other guests that haven’t been on it before. To see the true genuine thrill and surprise that other people have when they go on this ride is just priceless.”
Larena says one constant with Star Wars is also an integral component of Rise of the Resistance: strong storytelling.
“This really hews to the archetype story that the 1977 Star Wars movie had. Luke wanted to get off planet to work for a greater cause for the Rebellion,” he says. “You’re going to have that same kind of arc: ‘Hey, I just joined the Resistance as a recruit and I’m going to get off the planet and go on a special mission for them.’ And just like Han and Leia and Luke trapped on the Death Star trying to get off—you’re going to be in that same kind of position with Kylo Ren on your tail the whole time. You’ve got to figure out a way to get off that Star Destroyer before the whole place blows sky high.”
Larena says Rise of the Resistance is meant to be “that epic Star Wars experience that you always wanted from watching the movies. This is a long-form experience—it takes upwards of 15 minutes to go through this attraction. You’re going to have a full first, second and third act.”
Innovation and immersion are also keys to the success of Rise of the Resistance. There isn’t a hint of the outside (or “real”) world as you try to escape the clutches of the First Order, and that’s very much by design.
“It has four separate ride systems that are all working together, but they’re in the background so you don’t necessarily notice that you’re on rides or what the rides are doing,” Larena says. “You can look in any direction and you’re never going to fall off the set—this surrounds you 360 degrees everywhere you look. You’re truly on that Star Destroyer, there’s truly a Star Destroyer ceiling over your head and as you look out the windows you actually see into outer space and see other ships flying by.” (These ships in the background, while not even the focal point of the ride, are visually stunning to watch.)
He says the scale of the experience is likely to surprise many visitors, since you start out in the cramped confines of a transport ship but soon enough find yourself in a hangar bay with 50 Stormtroopers.
“You really get that sense of scale that you’ve always watched in the movies but now you’re physically in that scale, and I think that’s going to be the big wow for people,” Larena says.
Rise of the Resistance is designed so that even when you are sort of in a queue, you don’t feel like it.
“This queue is pretty innovative,” Larena says. “There’s a play app that you can engage while you’re waiting for the attraction to begin. You can either work with the Resistance or for the First Order as a spy in the queue and take information on all the munitions and crates that are inside the queue line. And then once you get your mission briefing, that’s when you’re truly in the story 100 percent and everything’s paced properly so that you have a very organic feeling of progression.”
It’s not uncommon to learn that many people involved in modern-day Star Wars storytelling have long loved the Star Wars universe, and Larena and his team are certainly no exception.
“[Our team] grew up with Star Wars and it inspired a lot of us to go into our careers from the very get-go,” he says. “It’s just so rewarding to work on something that meant so much to you back then and means so much to so many generations afterwards. To be a part of that and now create another epic experience that everyone else can go on is the ultimate reward.”
Of course, there’s much more to Galaxy’s Edge. For starters, another thrilling attraction—Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run—offers visitors the opportunity to pilot (or navigate or man the guns) on the most beloved ship in the galaxy. And you can’t miss the most awe-inspiring sight: a replica of the Millennium Falcon itself.
You can also build your own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop; build and activate your own droid (selecting parts from a moving conveyer belt) at the Droid Depot; try one of many signature drinks at Oga’s Cantina—a location that truly does make you feel like you’re in a Star Wars movie (and not on a movie set); or sample Blue Milk (or Green Milk, if that’s your preference) at the Milk Stand. (I built my own droid and it’s so much fun to have your own little co-pilot to take home.)
Jamie-Lynn McGuinness, assistant construction manager for Walt Disney Imagineering, says one thing that sets Galaxy’s Edge apart is that they want guests to build their own experiences.
“We’re not really building it for you this time,” she says. “This isn’t a traditional story that we’re trying to present to you—we want you to make your own.”
And what better way to achieve that goal than ensuring all guests are fully immersed when they visit?
“There’s definitely a ton of easter eggs that children and adults can find throughout the land—it isn’t just for the Star Wars fan or just for an adult who might have grown up with the movies,” McGuinness says. “We have the Play Disney Parks app that you can play on your cell phone and get involved from room to room, from shop to shop, throughout the markets and everything. And we have Kylo Ren walking through with the stormtroopers—it’s really a part of the story. They’re not just walking through. They want you to join the cause. They want you to be part of this.”
