Credit: Inside the MagicFind out what makes Disney’s oldest Star Wars attraction the best of the bunch.
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Walt Disney World is home to dozens of world-famous rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, and entire lands, some of which have become synonymous with the Disney brand itself.
Rides like Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean are likely what comes to mind first when thinking about Disney and its designers known as Imagineers, though new park attractions have certainly pushed the envelope.
Some of Disney’s more recent additions include Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle / Run, two incredibly thrilling and immersive roller coasters. Many guests are probably still reeling from their first ride on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with many deeming it one of, if not the best, ride to be featured at a Disney theme park.
However, there’s an argument to be made that Disney’s best Star Wars-themed ride opened over 30 years ago, and we’re here to make this argument.
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While Disney may be closely associated with Star Wars and Lucasfilm today, things were very different back in 1980. When Disney initially envisioned and developed its original California theme park, it was designed as a place to get away from the worries and troubles of “everyday” life.
However, as time went on, it became increasingly apparent that Disney needed some newer, more modern attractions to keep up with guest demand and their ages.
Disney would design and develop a multitude of rides and attractions, some of which would never see the light of day, as it attempted to market itself as being a place for all rather than just children, with Star Tours being one of these attractions.
Star Tours has a long and rather interesting history at the Disney theme parks, marking yet another collaboration between George Lucas and The Walt Disney Company. These two titans of industry partnered up to develop other attractions and experiences at Disney’s theme parks, namely Indiana Jones Adventure, which remains one of the most popular to date.
However, Disney looked toward the stars for its next project, envisioning a bold and exciting new attraction that would transport guests directly into the Star Wars universe. When it originally opened, Star Tours only featured one on-ride video, meaning every time guests boarded their Starspeeder 3000, they were in for the same exact experience.
This didn’t stop Star Tours from becoming one of Disney’s most popular and impressive attractions, with multiple other versions popping up all over the world. Today, guests can find versions of Star Tours inside the original Disneyland Resort, as well as in Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
The attraction has undergone numerous upgrades over the years, with its biggest overhaul taking place in 2011. Now officially titled Star Tours—The Adventures Continue, this update made changes to how the ride’s video system actually works.
Instead of taking guests on the same journey over and over, multiple different scenes are randomly selected for each ride, meaning guests never know what kind of adventure they are in for.
This has helped boost interest in Star Tours tremendously, making an already fun and impressive ride even better. However, for some, it’s easy to dismiss Star Tours as nothing more than a dated motion simulator ride.
Sure, guests can have their own preferences, but Star Tours is still a worthy attraction, even when compared to Disney’s shiny new Star Wars experiences.
Galaxy’s Edge
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Disney opened its big, bold, and ambitious Star Wars land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, in 2019, forever changing the landscape of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. While Disney opened its impressive Avatar-themed land at its Animal Kingdom theme park a few years prior in 2017, Disney advertised Galaxy’s Edge as an ultra-immersive experience unlike anything guests had seen before.
Many viewed Galaxy’s Edge as Disney’s attempt to “catch up” to Universal’s highly successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter, seeing Star Wars as a worthwhile brand on which to build an entire land.
While the Star Wars theme would have likely been enough to pull guests in, the land’s rides were expected to be some of Disney’s best yet. As work continued on Galaxy’s Edge between 2015 and 2019, speculation grew, with more and more details emerging about what Disney had in store.
Eventually, Disney would confirm two major “E-ticket” attractions for Galaxy’s Edge, Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Both of these attractions were billed as modern marvels, with Rise of the Resistance, in particular, being marketed as one of Disney’s most impressive and immersive theme park creations to date.
To say Rise of the Resistance is an amazing feat of engineering, theming, storytelling, and creativity would be an understatement, as the ride acts as the culmination of everything The Walt Disney Company and its team of Imagineers have learned over the last several decades.
This dark ride takes guests inside a First Order Star Destroyer, with guests bearing witness to some of Disney’s most detailed and immersive environments to date.
Guests are first met with an array of Stormtrooper animatronics, dozens of them, as they make their way toward the ship’s jail. While guests are given a stern warning by Kylo Ren, Finn, Poe, and Rey have a different idea, breaking guests out.
This is where the actual ride begins, as guests are sent off on a mission to escape not only the Star Destroyer but also the clutches of Kylo Ren himself.
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Smuggler’s Run is not nearly as impressive. Simply put, the ride itself is not as fun or immersive as Rise of the Resistance, though it does give guests a chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon.
Part of what makes Smuggler’s Run so interesting is that it’s essentially using Star Tours as a base, expanding off of the classic’s attractions ideas and systems. Smuggler’s Run is a motion simulator-based experience with a twist, as guests are actually given the ability to control the ride.
One part theme park ride and one part video game, Smuggler’s Run, is a Star Wars fan’s dream come true, although the overall experience certainly falls flat compared to some of Disney’s other attractions.
Part of Smuggler’s Run’s troubles arise from the fact that it needs two pilots to steer, meaning the four other guests who aren’t in the front have very little agency during the ride. This can be especially awkward for guests traveling in groups of three and four, as they will be combined with smaller groups.
Guests are given a score based on how well or poorly they do, making it crucial that the pilot knows what they are doing. Of course, it’s all in good fun, but guests seeking a high core must plan accordingly.
While these impressive behemoths of design are must-do experiences for guests visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland, the simplicity of Star Tours cannot be understated and actually works to make the ride better. Simply sit down and strap in for an exhilarating and fun time inside the Star Wars universe.
Another reason Star Tours is better than its two newer siblings is the previously mentioned fact that the ride is different every time. While certain scenes definitely do repeat, there’s still a good chance their flight aboard Star Tours will be different than their last one, making it a fun one to ride over and over.
Star Tours also has that distinct nostalgic Disney feeling only older rides can have, complete with limited-motion animatronics and a slightly tacky interior. While certainly not the most immersive, up-to-date attraction at Walt Disney World, let alone Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there’s a charm found inside and out of Star Tours that very few other attractions can match.
What is your favorite Star Wars attraction at Disney World?