Finally, after months of speculation, Disney released the dates for the opening of the second attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. According to Disney, The Rise of the Resistance will open at the following dates:
The Walt Disney World Resort: Thursday, December 5, 2019
The Disneyland Resort: Friday, January 17, 2020
Billed as the most ambitious attraction Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created, Disney has been quiet in terms of details regarding its opening. With the opening of Galaxy’s Edge last month in Disneyland, no news was released about the Rise of the Resistance attraction, other than it would “open later this year.”
Well, for Disneyland, it is now early next year, a full six months after the opening of Galaxy’s Edge. And for Disney World, four months after the opening of its Star Wars land. No reason was given for those dates and I doubt Disney will ever release a reason.
After visiting Galaxy’s Edge over the last month, I have not seen any visible activity at The Rise of the Resistance attraction. Passing the Resistance Forest, the location of the attraction, two cast members guard the entrance, but other than that, the area is very quiet. The attraction looks complete, only leading to speculation as to why it is opening so late after Galaxy’s Edge’s opening.
The attraction, which includes scene filmed by the actors of the current trilogy, and includes a battle with full size AT-AT Walkers, promises to be amazing. I found an article last month describing the attraction and its billed to be a 30-40 minute experience.
Now, the attraction does a have a lot of moving parts. Part of the attraction will shuttle guests to a Star Destroyer before setting them loose into ride vehicles, as they avoid a battle between the Resistance and AT-AT Walkers. With all these moving parts, it may be experiencing technical difficulties, providing a reason for the attraction opening in December and January.
And I hope that is the reason and Disney isn’t holding out for something else. As I described in my previous posts about Galaxy’s Edge, the land seems to exist primarily to sell merchandise, from $100 droids and $200 lightsabers. With only one attraction operating, the land doesn’t offer much unless you are spending money, from the droid/lightsaber experiences to drinking at Cantina.
I do not know if Rise of the Resistance will be a mechanism for Disney to sell more merchandise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a hidden reason for Disney waiting so long to open this attraction. Remember, the next Star Wars movie, the last of the sequel trilogy, releases in December, the same time the attraction is set to open. Is there a connection? We’ll find out at the end of this year. Thanks for reading and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment below!
