Credit: Inside the MagicStar Wars: Rise of the resistance is undoubtedly one of Disney’s best, but…
What Makes Rise of the Resistance So Good?
Any great attraction is like a symphony. Dozens of different parts come together to make something extraordinary, and Rise did that to perfection. From the moment the Guests’ boarding group enters the queue, they are transported metaphorically and literally; they interact with the location and characters and embark on an adventure of a lifetime.
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True to fashion, Disney made the queue part of the experience, bringing Geusts as close to a Galaxy Far, Far Away as they had ever been. Amazing technology brought Star Wars holograms to life, BB-8 made an appearance, and Guests walk past assortments of Resistance gear, technology, and even a lifesize X-Wing fighter, before boarding a Resistance transport.
All of that, and the adventure is just starting! After being attacked by tie-fighters, Guests are taken aboard a First Order star destroyer, where they are greeted by an immense hangar and an entire detachment of stormtroopers, standing menacingly as the doors open. First Order officers usher the new prisoners to their holding cells, where, after a daring rescue, they board another transport and begin their escape.
This is nothing to say of the ride itself, which combines so many elements of past attractions so successfully that it has quickly become a fan favorite. The trackless ride system is seamless, the theming immaculate, and the surprising way that Guests eventually make their escape is second to none. So the question is, where did all of this come from? What attractions walked so that Rise of the Resistance could run?
The Attractions That Paved the Way for Rise of the Resistance
There are dozens of attractions in any given Disney Park that anyone could point to that have elements of what would later become Rise of the Resistance, but in this article, we’ll take a look at just a few of them, the key players that made one of the best Disney attractions of all time possible.
The Haunted Mansion
Out of necessity, more than design initially, The Haunted Mansion at the Disneyland Resort took the standard queue and made it part of the ride experience. Guests entering the foyer would be ushered into a portrait gallery-elevator, which would transport them to the ride building, but, for all Guests knew, the room was actually stretching…or was it their imagination?
Distracted by both the stretching portraits and the hanging ghost host himself, even if Guests felt the room moving, they weren’t in there long before they were greeted with more portraits and other effects to keep their eyes and minds occupied before boarding. Though it may seem only natural to Guests today, it was revolutionary in its time and allowed for Rise of the Resistance to take the next step!
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
Another fantastic attraction that helped Rise on its way has to be Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye at the Disneyland Resort. Imagineers banked on the attraction being extremely popular, meaning that there would be Guests standing in line for hours at a time, Guests that could easily get bored or upset just waiting. The Imagineers took the concepts from Haunted and other rides and turned the dial up.
As they wound their way through the jungle and the temple, Guests would see authentic props from the Indiana Jones franchise, a lost language they could decode, and even interactive set pieces like the bamboo pole holding up the ceiling or the rope in the well they could pull to cause an audio cue to play. Suddenly, waiting in line wasn’t all that bad, as it gave you a chance to take in the impressive amount of detail the Imagineers put into every nook and cranny.
Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
One attraction that may come as a surprise in this list is Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Opening in 2000 in Tokyo Disneyland, the attraction was the first trackless ride system in Disney’s history. The amazing new technology allowed for a wide variety of possibilities in the ride experience, but it also freed ride vehicles from being bound to a track on the floor, which was always very noticeable to Guests and, many times, detracted from the overall experience.
Since Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, Disney has been able to employ a trackless ride system over many different attractions at their Parks across the world, leading to the development of Rise of the Resistance. Because of the trackless ride system, Imagineers could heighten the experience of being on a real star destroyer. Guests couldn’t predict which way they were going next because there was no track on the floor, and the whole environment was even more immersive.
The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
Speaking of now knowing where Geusts were going next, no one could have predicted the drop tower in Rise of the Resistance. Using technology patented and polished for The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance blew people’s minds! Fans of the Tower of Terror know that the ride vehicle doesn’t just go up and down but actually traverses along a horizontal plane as well!
Using this technology, Imagineers were able to take Guests in their transport to an escape pod on the star destroyer and safely drop them from the ship and back down to Batuu. That would have been amazing in and of itself, but what the Imagineers were able to combine it with really took things to the next level.
Star Tours
How could we talk about Rise of the Resistance without talking about Star Tours? Using sophisticated technology initially developed for flight simulation and training, Imagineers were able to take Guests on an epic journey past the Endor moon and beyond! Since its opening in 1987, Star Tours has been an incredible experience for Star Wars fans, rivaled only by its descendants in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Utilizing that same technology, Imagineers made Guests really feel like they were leaving the star destroyer and flying a haphazard route back to Batuu in such realism that, upon leaving the pod and entering the crash site, the whole experience seemed one, cohesive, and fluid. It’s an adventure of a lifetime and, really, truly, the culmination of everything Imagineers have learned over the past almost 70 years of existence.
Where Can Imagineers Go Now?
It’s almost the tradition of Imagineers to outdo themselves. Patents filed by the Walt Disney Company and Imagineering year by year tease the amazing possibilities of what’s coming down the line. Nobody in 1955 could have predicted the things that are now possible with attractions, and no one can predict what is to come with the future of Imagineering.
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The possibilities are almost endless, combining imagination, innovation, and continually improving technology. With luck and the right CEO, Walt Disney Imagineering could easily improve many existing attractions, upgrading their technology and effects, and create new rides and attractions that will be even more jaw-dropping than Rise of the Resistance.
What do you think of Rise of the Resistance? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!