3Last week, an unusual ride breakdown puzzled Disney Parks fans. In a photo posted on social media, dozens of Disney cast members guarded Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Park, preventing thousands of guests from even nearing the attraction after it unexpectedly ceased operations.
Inside the Magic recently covered the ongoing decline of the Star Wars simulator ride. The attraction has seen plummeting wait times in the five years since it opened, with fans already tired of its single storyline and unwilling to risk getting assigned any role but pilot.
Its fellow Batuu attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, has experienced ongoing technical issues since opening. However, it remains one of the most popular experiences at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have heard fan complaints and pledged to update Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. At D23 Expo 2024, Walt Disney Imagineering announced that a new storyline, including the Mandalorian and Grogu, would premiere on the Star Wars land attraction in 2026.
Unfortunately, the interactive ride might need more than just a storyline update. Last week, a major technical malfunction shut down Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Although occasional ride breakdowns are normal, this incident became noteworthy after a Disney Park guest shared a photo of Disney cast members standing in a line, preventing guests from even nearing the Lucasfilm attraction’s exterior.
“Just got evacuated about 1 group from the ride, and now it’s ‘closed until further notice,'” u/VIDGuide wrote on Reddit.
Smugglers Run: closed temporarily
In the photo, dozens of guests were blocked from standing within feet of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. While the reason for the shutdown remains unclear, Disney Parks fans were perplexed by the need for guests to stand so far from the attraction.
“Looking at the photo and seeing so many cast keeping people so far back seems more than the usual breakdown, where there’s just a couple right at the entrance,” u/Meatloaf_Smeatloaf commented.
It appears that whatever unknown emergency plagued the attraction was resolved, as it later reopened and was operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.
Has a ride broken down during your Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments.