Page 70 - CelebrationsSpring2020

The Pinnacle of 50 Years of Disney Imagineering – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge officially opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29, 2019. Star Wars fans from across the galaxy immediately flocked to this new land to live out many of their childhood dreams by flying the Millennium Falcon, building a lightsaber, and, yes, even drinking blue milk! While those experiences more than justified a trip to Central Florida, Disney completely changed the theme park industry on December 5, 2019, when the highly anticipated Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction officially opened to Guests. Think that is an overstatement? I find your lack of faith disturbing...
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a cutting-edge attraction that takes you on a multi-platform journey through a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Rise of the Resistance is so revolutionary that it makes the job of trying to write about it very difficult. How do you describe the indescribable? With that challenge in mind, I feel comfortable saying that Rise of the Resistance is the best and most impressive theme park attraction in the world. That’s right, not just Walt Disney World, the entire world!
Rise of the Resistance pushes the boundaries of current attraction technology and experiences to another level. Much like Pirates of the Caribbean did when it first opened in Disneyland in 1967, Rise of the Resistance now sets the bar that every new attraction will be compared to for years to come. Yes, it is fair to say that Rise of the Resistance is impressive...most impressive.
So what makes Rise of the Resistance so special? Well...pretty much everything. The attraction combines unprecedented scope and scale, a cohesive and intricate storyline, an amazing queue, a multitude of Audio- Animatronic characters, seamless use of projection technology and video screens, multiple ride vehicles, massive physical sets, your favorite Star Wars characters from the new trilogy, a thrilling finale, and so much more. You also get a massive bang for your buck experience, as the queue, pre-shows and attraction together combine for an approximately 15 minute experience that puts you directly in the middle of the Star Wars universe. Ready to dive into the worlds of Rise of the Resistance? Then hang on...I’ve got a really good feeling about this...
A Backstory That is Out of This Galaxy
The storytelling for Rise of the Resistance starts long before the attraction actually begins. Rise of the Resistance
is set in a very specific time period, between the events of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Within that timeline, Disney Imagineers developed a backstory (which is listed on Disney’s official website) that sets the stage for the experience:
Accept a Mission from the Resistance
The Resistance needs your help! Hidden in the forest outside Black Spire Outpost, the Resistance is gathering recruits for a secret mission.
With the First Order desperate to extinguish the spark of the Resistance, the mission is bound to have unexpected twists and turns. When your transport is captured by an imposing First Order Star Destroyer filled with legions of stormtroopers – and even Kylo Ren! – you’re going to need all the help you can get. Fortunately, a covert team of Resistance fighters – including Rey and BB-8 – is at the ready to give you a fighting chance to escape... and a chance for the Resistance to rise.
The backstory for Rise of the Resistance is connected with the overall backstory for Batuu, the fictional planet where Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is based. Batuu sits on the edge of the Galaxy in the Outer Rim, and includes a frontier village known as Black Spire Outpost. Disney describes the location as a good place for people who do not like to be found. As such, Black Spire Outpost is usually filled with smugglers, bounty hunters, and “rogue adventurers.” The Resistance has constructed a new base on Batuu by carving corridors into an ancient mountain. This secret base is located on the outskirts of Black Spire Outpost, hidden from the ever- roaming First Order troops.
A Queue That is Out of This Galaxy
The attractions in Galaxy’s Edge follow the pattern started by those in Pandora – The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, in that they aren’t marked by large flashing signs. Instead, and in keeping with the incredibly detailed theming of the land, the entrance to Rise of the Resistance is subtle, and you might walk by the attraction and not even know it.
The entrance is marked by a “Resistance Turret,” an industrial pavilion that includes a large space cannon for defense, amongst many other spare parts and mechanical items. After passing through the Turret, you travel down an outdoor walkway that is themed to look like hardened mud. Be sure to look down, as you might see the footprints of Resistance soldiers and maybe even an R2 unit!
The initial outdoor portion of the queue passes through some Batuu foliage and past a waterfall. The path eventually
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