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NEWS
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens at Disney World
POSTED 05 Dec 2019 . BY Lauren Heath-Jones
Rise of the Resistance is a full-on Star Wars story that you get to experience
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.

The ride, located in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge area of the park, opened today (5 December) after being previewed at a special dedication ceremony last night (4 December).

Speaking at the ceremony, Disney parks chair Bob Chapek said that the new attraction "sets a new standard" for what a theme park experience can be".

"Tonight, we're welcoming the world to experience the Star Wars galaxy like never before, with the opening of the most ambitious, immersive, advanced, action-packed attraction we've ever created," he said.

A trackless dark ride and motion simulator, Rise of the Resistance is billed as one of 'the most ambitious attractions ever created for a Disney Park'. It features a heavily-themed, immersive queue line that brings riders face-to-face with Rey, BB8 and Kylo Ren before the ride has even begun, as well as a virtual queuing system that holds guests' place inline without them actually having to queue.

After boarding an eight-seater trackless vehicle guided by an R5 droid, guests find themselves trapped on a First Order ship, at the centre of an epic battle between The Resistance and the First Order. To escape riders must travel through a series of elaborately designed sets, encountering druids, stormtroopers and Kylo Ren as they make their way through the ride.

Speaking on an IAAPA Legends panel in November, Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive at Disney Imagineering and creative lead on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, said: "This is the evolution of the themed experience. There are so many great ways to get immersed in stories today. One of the unique things we, as an industry, have is we can take you there, right into those stories."
Bob Chapek opened the ride at a special dedication ceremony at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida on 4 December
RELATED STORIES
  Attractions Review 2019: December


It has been another momentous year in the attractions industry, and Attractions Management has been there reporting the big news, good and bad, all the way. After yesterday's look at the events of November 2019, today we move on to December 2019, considering some of the biggest stories that made the headlines this month.
MORE NEWS
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
Rainer Maelzer, an experiential entertainment innovator, has been appointed chief entertainment officer by Therme Group.
Movie Park Germany reveals new Paramount attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. 
Efteling expands family offer with new Hooghmoed drop tower
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
+ More news   

COMPANY PROFILES
RMA Ltd

RMA Ltd is a one-stop global company that can design, build and produce from a greenfield site upw [more...]
iPlayCO

iPlayCo was established in 1999. [more...]
DJW

David & Lynn Willrich started the Company over thirty years ago, from the Audio Visual Department [more...]
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
+ More profiles  
FEATURED SUPPLIER

Iconic Liverpool attraction opens door to new operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its next phase. [more...]
CATALOGUE GALLERY
 

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NEWS
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens at Disney World
POSTED 05 Dec 2019 . BY Lauren Heath-Jones
Rise of the Resistance is a full-on Star Wars story that you get to experience
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.

The ride, located in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge area of the park, opened today (5 December) after being previewed at a special dedication ceremony last night (4 December).

Speaking at the ceremony, Disney parks chair Bob Chapek said that the new attraction "sets a new standard" for what a theme park experience can be".

"Tonight, we're welcoming the world to experience the Star Wars galaxy like never before, with the opening of the most ambitious, immersive, advanced, action-packed attraction we've ever created," he said.

A trackless dark ride and motion simulator, Rise of the Resistance is billed as one of 'the most ambitious attractions ever created for a Disney Park'. It features a heavily-themed, immersive queue line that brings riders face-to-face with Rey, BB8 and Kylo Ren before the ride has even begun, as well as a virtual queuing system that holds guests' place inline without them actually having to queue.

After boarding an eight-seater trackless vehicle guided by an R5 droid, guests find themselves trapped on a First Order ship, at the centre of an epic battle between The Resistance and the First Order. To escape riders must travel through a series of elaborately designed sets, encountering druids, stormtroopers and Kylo Ren as they make their way through the ride.

Speaking on an IAAPA Legends panel in November, Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive at Disney Imagineering and creative lead on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, said: "This is the evolution of the themed experience. There are so many great ways to get immersed in stories today. One of the unique things we, as an industry, have is we can take you there, right into those stories."
Bob Chapek opened the ride at a special dedication ceremony at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida on 4 December
RELATED STORIES
Attractions Review 2019: December


It has been another momentous year in the attractions industry, and Attractions Management has been there reporting the big news, good and bad, all the way. After yesterday's look at the events of November 2019, today we move on to December 2019, considering some of the biggest stories that made the headlines this month.
MORE NEWS
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
Rainer Maelzer, an experiential entertainment innovator, has been appointed chief entertainment officer by Therme Group.
Movie Park Germany reveals new Paramount attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. 
Efteling expands family offer with new Hooghmoed drop tower
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford– Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx- Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
RMA Ltd

RMA Ltd is a one-stop global company that can design, build and produce from a greenfield site upw [more...]
iPlayCO

iPlayCo was established in 1999. [more...]
DJW

David & Lynn Willrich started the Company over thirty years ago, from the Audio Visual Department [more...]
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
+ More profiles  
FEATURED SUPPLIER

Iconic Liverpool attraction opens door to new operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its next phase. [more...]
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

09-11 Jun 2026

World Sauna Forum 2026

Savutuvan Apaja, Haapaniemi, Finland
23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
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