ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — News Channel 8 got a sneak peek of Disney’s newest Star Wars attraction Rise of the Resistance.
Considered one of the most immersive ride experiences ever created, Rise of the Resistance is a first-of-its-kind attraction.
It opens to the public Thursday at Hollywood Studios’ incredibly detailed Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land. It’s the marquee attraction, alongside Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which opened with the land in September.
Watch News Channel 8’s Staci DaSilva and Jamie Cook get a first look at the new ride in the video above.
“Really give you the experience of what it’s like to be with the Resistance, be captured by the First Order and then fight to get your way off the Star Destroyer,” said John Larena, executive creative director for Rise of the Resistance.
He dedicated five years to developing the attraction.
The guests, or “recruits,” are given a mission to another planet by Rey, accompanied by BB8.
During their mission, they are captured by the First Order.
“You are inside a Star Destroyer,” said Larena. “You walk out of this flight deck in the Star Destroyer with 50 Stormtroopers really there and it’s truly, everywhere you look, you are in the Star Wars story.”
Larena said the biggest challenge was settling on a ride system.
“What’s really gonna hit the mark? What’s gonna work the best to tell the story? We want the ride system to help propel the story forward and not distract you from what the story is,” said Larena. “So picking out the right ride system so it seamlessly works in the background and really feels organic to the Star Wars story is really important.”
He said his best days on this job are happening now as he gets to watch guests experience it for the first time.
“It’s actually riding it with people that haven’t been on it before,” said Larena. “I obviously know every detail of this so there’s no surprises for me. I live vicariously through other people when they ride. Seeing the looks on their face with every surprise and thrill that happens on this ride.”
Rise of the Resistance opens Thursday.
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