Credit: DisneyA VIP Guest recently made use of his connections after Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance broke down mid-ride.
Since opening in 2020, Rise of the Resistance has rapidly become one of Disneyland’s most popular attractions. Taking riders through a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – bringing them face-to-face with the likes of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson) along the way – it also happens to be one of the most complex attractions ever designed by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Related: Rise of the Resistance Breakdown Ends in Tragedy For Guests
Being so complex and so unique, it’s inevitable that it’s faced its fair share of technical issues since opening. Rise of the Resistance allegedly broke down over 500 times in 2022, down for an average of 122 minutes a day.
One VIP Guest experienced this for themselves on a recent trip to Disneyland Resort. Dan Povenmire – co-creator of the Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb, where he also provides the voice of Dr. Doofenshmirtz – was visiting the Park with “the entire Phineas and Ferb crew” on Monday (June 26) when Rise of the Resistance broke down mid-ride.
In a TikTok, he shared his go-to solution: calling his close college friend Scott Trowbridge, who happens to be an Imagineer in charge of developing Lucasfilm and Star Wars projects for Disney Parks.
The video shows Povenmire jokingly exclaiming, “The ride’s down, Scott! What are you doing about it? We need you to fix it right now! We’ve been sitting in here for 45 minutes!”
@danpovenmire At #disneyland with the #phineasandferb crew when #riseoftheresistance broke down on us. So we called our friend who made it. #doofenshmirtz #disney #hamsterandgretel
In response, Trowbridge picks up a nearby R2-D2 toy and tells it to get to work fixing the attraction ASAP.
“Tell that droid to fix the ride, Scott!” Povenmire adds, to which Trowbridge laughs and assures him that he’s working on it. He also questions whether that’s what the Phineas and Ferb team does all day, sitting around and riding rides. “Somebody has to make them, and somebody has to ride them,” Povenmire points out. “That’s how we divided the labor.”
While promising to get someone there to solve the issue, Trowbridge also warns them to keep their arms and legs inside the vehicle. Povenmire asks that he hurry because they are, in fact, “the Resistance’s last hope.”
Related: ‘Star Wars’: Rise of the Resistance Will Cost Families $100 For One Ride
Once back home, Povenmire jokes that he blames Trowbridge for the entire experience, explaining that if he had “done his job just a little bit better, we would not be in this predicament. He should feel ashamed.”
While calling Walt Disney Imagineering directly is one solution next time your favorite attraction breaks down, we don’t recommend doing the same (unless you happen to have a close friend on speed dial, then by all means, pull a Povenmire).
What’s your craziest Disney break-down story? Let us know in the comments!