11. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: 2019
The first confirmed ride for the forthcoming Star Wars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be a flight simulator ride that allows guests to “take the controls of one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, on a customized secret mission”.
Interestingly, guests who experience this attraction won’t just be tagging along for a ride (like they currently do on Star Tours) but will actually be piloting the Millennium Falcon themselves! Guests will be able to turn, bank and even fire weapons in this simulation-style experience.
Recently, some interesting details about this attraction were revealed. When guests enter the attraction they will be able to climb into one of seven pods that seat six riders each. Each pod will be able to rotate 360 degrees, and there will be a LOT of interactive elements all around riders that will affect the experience. According to one of the attraction's creative directors, there will be 200 buttons, knobs and switches on the inside of the cockpit, each with a specific function.
And interestingly, many of these interactive elements will be specific to different "jobs" riders will have on the ride, similar to the format for Mission: Space. So, for instance, gunners in the center will have weapons controls while engineers in the back will have buttons and levers related to keeping the ship flying.
And guests will definitely want to do well with their jobs, as those who bring back their bounty and fly the ship expertly without a lot of damage will be able to earn extra Galactic Credits, which will change the way characters in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge interact with them. Conversely, guests who lose the bounty or damage the ship will end up owing money, which will also produce different interactions with characters.
This all sounds really exciting, but it looks like there will be one big issue with this attraction when it opens: wait times are going to be crazy. With seven pods that seat 6 each, you're looking at an attraction that can only handle 42 guests per ride cycle, which is very low for an attraction that will undoubtedly be extremely popular when it opens next year.
12. Star Wars Cantina restaurant
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: 2019
One development that was rumored for the original Star Wars Land that ended up making the cut for the reimagined version of this brand new land is the iconic Star Wars Cantina. The Cantina will no longer be located on Mos Eisley (Star Wars Land will be its own, unique in-universe planet...and who knows, maybe the Cantina has become a McDonald's-style franchise), but this dining location will have several familiar entertainment options and will feature the (in)famous Blue Milk drink. Perhaps Disney is hoping Blue Milk will become the new Butterbeer?
13. Star Wars "dinner club" restaurant
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: 2019
In addition to the cantina, it has been confirmed recently that Star Wars Land will feature a "dinner club" style restaurant (featured in the art above) that will likely be either a traditional sit-down restaurant or perhaps even an in-park dinner show, similar to Club Villain at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
14. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: 2019
While the Millennium Falcon ride will use new technology to deliver a thrilling experience the likes of which hasn’t been seen before at a Disney park, the new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride will be a more traditional dark ride experience, with a motion base ride vehicle moving through a scene with screens (similar to what guests currently experience at The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure). The ride will put guests in the middle of an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren himself. You can check out a video of this new attraction above.
15. Ratatouille
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: 2020
It has been confirmed that a Ratatouille-themed 3-D dark ride, largely the same as the one at Disneyland Paris, will be coming to Epcot sometime in the next few years. This attraction, which uses trackless technology to "shrink" guests down to the size of a rat, will be placed in an expansion pad next to the France Pavilion. You can check out a full video of the Disneyland Paris version of this attraction here.
While Ratatouille hasn’t exactly had the cultural relevance that other Pixar films like Toy Story or Up have had in the past decade, this addition does make sense in the context of the France pavilion, and since the attraction already exists at the Disneyland Paris Resort, Disney is likely thinking they save time and money by building a copy of a pre-existing attraction here, which hopefully means that we’ll be able to experience this attraction at Epcot sooner in 2020 rather than later.
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