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Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was heralded as a groundbreaking achievement when it debuted at Walt Disney World Resort in 2019. However, the Disney’s Hollywood Studios attraction has faced persistent technical issues since its launch, frustrating countless fans of the Star Wars saga.
Less than a week after Disney Dining reported ongoing maintenance challenges for the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ride, Disney Park guests have again voiced concerns about operational problems. Despite its reputation as one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most advanced attractions, the five-year-old ride is becoming infamous for its unpredictability.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: A High-Tech Marvel With High Maintenance
Credit: Disney
As the second attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Rise of the Resistance promised an immersive, trackless adventure that blended state-of-the-art animatronics, projection technology, and special effects. Unfortunately, its complexity also makes it one of Walt Disney World Resort’s most fragile rides. From lengthy breakdowns to frequently malfunctioning effects, the attraction has struggled to maintain its initial magic.
Recently, Disney Parks fans on Reddit reignited conversations about the ride’s ongoing issues, particularly its reliance on “B-Mode,” an alternate operating program for certain effects. Redditor u/Mean-Cauliflower-850 questioned whether anyone had seen the Kylo Ren animatronic at the ride’s climax working as intended:
“In all my rides on rise of the resistance I’ve never seen the final Kylo Ren animatronic as it’s always been on its B mode setting where he’s in his Tie Silencer.”
Credit: Becky Burkett, Disney Dining
Other fans shared similar experiences, pointing out that issues extend beyond Kylo Ren.
“Overall it was kind of disappointing, I’ve ridden it several times and gotten the full experience but I’d be pretty disappointed if I took a kid on it for the first time and got that experience,” the Disney Park guest concluded.
Credit: Disney
Other Disney Park guests said the attraction recently went days with a broken pre-show, further dampening the immersive experience.
“It’s amazing how much can break down, yet they keep running it,” said u/delsoldeflorida. “…With so many parts of the ride malfunctioning, the experience feels really subpar.”
Despite these complaints, Disney has not announced any plans for a comprehensive refurbishment of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. For now, guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios are advised to check the My Disney Experience app for updates on ride availability.
Have you noticed maintenance issues on a ride at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your story with Disney Dining in the comments.
I have been on RotR seven times at Disneyland CA (although the last time as two years ago) and never had any issues with any part of the ride experience. I hope Disney Imagineering is able to use some of the bucketloads of cash the parks bring in daily to finance a proper refurbishment as needed.
I’ve been to Disneyland 5 times in the past few years and unfortunately, RoTR there is having the same issues as the Florida ride. There’s been times during our trips where the ride was closed for days of our trip. Last New Year’s it was closed on December 30th and half of the 31st, then closed again for 1.5 days during Spring Break and a full day again in August. I really wish they’d do a refurb at both parks so guests can have the full experience every time, instead of getting an inconsistent product like we have now 🙁
At one time, there was a dedicated department n Ride and Show engineering that evaluated rides for show quality. It was disbanded 17 years ago. Also gone, the show requirement that if major show impact elements were inop, the ride would go “101” (down) until that element was repaired. No longer as Disney is more intersted in ride throughput over the guest experience. Yep, 20 year former cast member with a good stint in Ride and Show engineering.
Before they would hire top notch people for design now they hire grads so they can put Disney on their resume and the cast members are dealing with equipment that has been obsolete since the ride opened now they are more dependent on projection than anything else
This is par for the course for Disney now. They keep raising prices and keep cutting corners. They care nothing about the customer anymore, only about quick profits.They’re getting what they deserve for tearing down Walt’s legacy and ruining the Disney name and brand.
I was at Hollywood Studios this past Tuesday. After spending an hour in the single rider line that morning, with only 8 people left in front of us, the ride broke down. It was out of commission the entire rest of the day. We were so disappointed. Star Wars Land looks amazing but this ride needs to gets fixed completely and properly.
I rode RotR twice earlier this year in March and didn’t notice anything not working. Blasters recoiled and Kylo animatronic with the wall blowout effect. On a more recent visit several weeks ago B Mode was evident and noticed by myself and others in our car.
Unfortunately, RoTR at Disneyland has been experiencing the same technical issues. There’s been times I’ve been on it when everything worked and when it does work at intended, it’s hands down one of the best rides out there. But lately, more often than not things aren’t working. Either the pre-show aspects are broken or not working (you skip the transport and go straight onto the ride), lights and sound effects are muddled or missing completely, Kylo Ren’s lightsaber doesn’t work in the elevator scene, he’s in B mode, OR the ride is just down for consecutive days at a time (this happened during the New Year season last year). I know it’s a major selling point for the parks, but I do wish they’d pick a few weeks to close it for refurb so everyone can experience the ride at its peak, rather than the inconsistently working product we have now.
We went end of June. And I absolutely loved it. I wanted to go again but it started to storm really bad. But my hope that they will fix the glitches. Because I am planning on returning in Spring 2025. I am a 3rd grade teacher and I saw the premier of Star Wars A New Hope at the drive in in Maryland in 1978. And been hooked ever since. My classroom is Star Wars.
Been on on 5x and every time was the full tour except one. I think the key was going on it RIGHT AFTER they open from a maintenance closure, with the lightning lane to get to the front quickly.