Rise of the Resistance is one of the most complex and advanced attractions ever designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. It’s truly a marvel just from an engineering standpoint. Multiple pre-show areas before you even get to the actual attraction. But it’s hard to even call Rise of the Resistance an attraction. When it’s a full-blown experience from start to finish.
I tried to remain as spoiler-free as possible before riding Rise of the Resistance. Which was hard to do when you run a website that covers Disney and its theme parks. So, I ended up seeing some photos but still, I didn’t watch any point-of-view videos. I understand some won’t be able to experience Rise of the Resistance as quickly but this experience truly has some great moments that are best left to not be spoiled by a video. In the end, though, I sincerely doubt any video will do this experience justice.
As a fan of Star Wars and as a fan of Walt Disney Imagineering. This was a perfect marriage of ideas and execution. There were multiple moments of thrills from a Star Wars fan standpoint, and there were multiple instances of excitement from an Imagineering nerd standpoint.
Rise of the Resistance will be a blessing and a curse for both Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Parks in general. The blessing part comes from how great this experience is. How Imagineering was able to make the most advanced attraction ever by using Star Wars. The curse, however, will be we now know that Disney can go that far. This will add pressure to every single new attraction and experience that Walt Disney Imagineering designs and builds. Yes, not everything can be Rise of the Resistance but the pressure for certain attractions will be there. Not to mention Disney’s competitors should be sweating bullets after this.
Star Wars fits so well with a mega attraction. In the end, the story really worked and everything felt like you were there. You really felt like you were in the middle of a battle with The First Order. The only other property that I could see getting an attraction that is similar to Rise of the Resistance is Marvel’s The Avengers. That might not be in the cards right now but I think that’s the only other property that could pull off something of this scale and deliver with the same amount of energy.
The room full of stormtroopers is breathtaking in real life. Rise of the Resistance raised the bar for Disney experiences in general. I believe it’s going to be hard for even Disney to top themselves after this.
Rise of the Resistance is a very complex attraction and once you experience it you will totally understand why Disney delayed its opening date. In my honest opinion, if Galaxy’s Edge would’ve opened with Rise of the Resistance. It would’ve been a nightmare all around. I don’t think the land would’ve been able to handle it that early on.
Now after the amazing experience of Rise of the Resistance we look ahead to the future of Galaxy’s Edge, which obviously includes the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser resort experience coming to Walt Disney World. On top of that, it’s expected we will see more entertainment options flood the land and even new missions for Smugglers Run. Galaxy’s Edge is built for the long term. Rise of the Resistance will have major staying power. Not to mention it’s safe to assume that at least one of the Galaxy’s Edge lands will gain a new attraction, restaurant, or experience within the next five years.
Rise of the Resistance raised the bar. The attraction sets a whole new meaning for being an immersive experience. Disney will now have to face the blessing and the curse aspect of this attraction. One thing is for sure is that Rise of the Resistance will be influential when it comes down to talking about themed entertainment experiences.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
