How many stormtroopers does it take to transport fans to a galaxy far, far away?
At least three dozen, lined up in neat rows and staring down everyone who enters the gleaming walls of a massive hangar on a First Order Star Destroyer — the iconicStar Warsship that evokes the Galactic Empire.
The stormtrooper army is just one of many jaw-dropping moments inStar Wars:Rise of the Resistance, the new ride that debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando on December 6.
Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks
Beyond the physical footprint, the ambitious attraction — which boasts four ride systems in one — has a Jabba the Hut-sized running time.
AT-AT Walkers at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Matt Stroshane/Disney
“We crafted a very long experience,” says executive producer Jon Georges. “We wanted to immerse guests in the world of this battle between the First Order and the Resistance. It’s a 15-minute, fully immersive experience, so it’s a long-play attraction for us.”
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Kent Phillips/Disney
When Disney Imagineers first set about designingStar Wars:Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland in California (Rise of the Resistance opens there next month), fans made it clear the two experiences they most wanted in an attraction, says Georges.
Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Matt Stroshane/Disney
“People said they had to get on theMillennium Falconand they had to get on the deck of a Star Destroyer,” he says.
TheMillennium Falconis the centerpiece of Smugglers Run, the attraction that opened at Galaxy’s Edge earlier this year. The debut of Rise of the Resistance completes the 14-acre new area’s much-anticipated rollout.
Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Steven Diaz/Disney
Many of the new trilogy’s cast members participated in filming for the attraction, including Daisy Ridley (who appears as a Leia-worthy hologram), Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson. An assortment of familiar droids and aliens also make cameos — and Disney cast members serving as First Order troops aboard the Star Destroyer are so stern-faced they make the “staff” at Tower of Terror and Haunted Mansion look downright friendly.
Kylo Ren on StarWars:Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Steven Diaz/Disney
Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance is open now atDisney’s Hollywood Studios.
source: people.com
